Oddsmakers at William Hill, the UK wagering giant now operating several sportsbooks out of Las Vegas, have released some interesting props for the upcoming NFL season. There has been a lot of interest in proposition wagers tied to Peyton Manning’s performance last year in his first year with the Denver Broncos. In response to the demand, William Hill and other major sports books have posted an attractive variety of proposition wagers for NFL bettors.
The majority of the wagers are of the head-to-head variety pitting one NFL player against another in a statistical category. Actually, most of these head-to-head props involve choosing one skill position over another.
It may seem a bit like fantasy football but these are real numbers folks and you can bet real money on them. In fact, veteran Vegas oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro, who also serves as the public relations director for William Hill U.S., calls the props “a new way of playing fantasy football.”
To be sure, it has never been easier to back your sporting opinion with the goal of winning a prize, whether it be a fantasy game or a legal sports wager. One needs only to take a look at the soaring TV rights fees paid for the various professional leagues to see that products tailored to sports fans are only going to grow in number.
Here is a quick look at some of the more attractive options offered this summer.
Running back Reggie Bush (+130) of the Detroit Lions verses Maurice Jones-Drew (-150) of the Jacksonville Jaguars: Which back will rack up the most combined rushing-receiving yardage next season? Now there’s an interesting prop.
Or how about this one? Which elite Wide Receiver will end up with the most receiving yards, Brandon Marshall (-150) of the Chicago Bears or Demaryius Thomas (+130) of the Denver Broncos?
In the rushing yardage department let’s pit Darren McFadden (-110) of the Oakland Raiders and DeMarco Murry (-110) of the Dallas Cowboys.
Who will make the most sacks on the quarterback, Von Miller (-135) of the Denver Broncos or Clay Matthews (+115) of the Green Bay Packers? For certain, Matthews and Miller are both blue-chip players and both will probably be there at the end of the season to challenge for the sack title next year.
Finally we have what is always one of the most popular NFL props to be offered,
Will there be a 500 yard passing game next season? Yes (-340) or No (+280)?
