Forget the fact that President Obama didn’t get any traction under his health care reform initiatives, and that the American economy is still shedding jobs under Biden. One thing that can be counted on: The Super Bowl fills Las Vegas hotel rooms, bars and restaurants, shopping malls, and causes a local cash infusion right in the dead of winter every year. The trend has taken shape in online version too.
The Economy Doesn’t Hurt Wagering Either
The sagging economy’s impact on Super Bowl betting should be minimal, according to Matt Youmans, who covers sports betting for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He states, “People always seem to find the money when they really want it, whether it’s to party on New Year’s Eve or gamble on the Super Bowl.”
It’s probably the case that football fans from all walks of life are more likely to lay a bet down on the biggest game of the year instead of the Cleveland Browns versus Denver Broncos in week four. That’s a dog of a game by any stretch of the imagination and is surely one that is only handicapped by sharp professionals.
Or Maybe the Economy Does When it’s Real Bad
The handle (total amount in dollars wagered legally in Nevada sports books) for last year’s Super Bowl was the lowest in quite a few years. Part of it must have been that the Pittsburgh Steelers were the team being overwhelmingly backed by the public and the Arizona Cardinals were, pretty much, an afterthought.
“The betting was off in Las Vegas last year during the Super Bowl,” said Jay Rood, race and sports book director for MGM Mirage.
Bettors React to Match-ups as Much as the Economy
And this year’s is as marquee as they get, with compelling storylines on both sides.
It was just five years ago when the Louisiana Super Dome was being used to house flood victims.
Back in 2006 Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco had this to say: “I realize that it may be hard for some people to come back here, but I believe that the very best thing those people can do for their inner healing is to walk this walk again, and let those memories fall out.”
Winning the Super Bowl would be one very sweet cherry on top in any online sports betting sites. Let us now have a look at the strategies followed in fantasy football to understand which bet could be a winning bet and why to bet on a particular team.
Fantasy football owners tend to follow similar protocol when it comes time to prepare for the annual NFL fantasy football draft: Pour over mock drafts and player notes a day or two before the draft, use player pre-rankings to determine value and just grab the highest-ranked player with each passing pick.
Those steps will help a manager assemble a team, but remaining competitive long after the draft takes a little bit of strategy and planning on draft day.
Don’t Overpay for Backup Quarterbacks
Many fantasy managers use two high-round picks drafting a starting quarterback and a backup quarterback for the season. Successful managers, however, use that second pick not on a highly ranked backup QB but to bolster their talent at other positions, such as wide receiver and running back.
If a manager drafted well enough, the first quarterback is the one he/she will play for the bulk of the season, making a second upper-level QB superfluous. That backup quarterback should only be needed during the starter’s bye week, so a late-round starting QB should be good enough to serve as backup.
Get a High-Ranked Tight End, or Wait Until Later
The top few tight ends each year are used by their NFL teams more like wide receivers, and can put up wide receiver-like numbers in excess of 1,000 receiving yards and double-digit touchdown figures. After this group of three to five players, the production level usually drops off significantly across the board.
So Rule No. 2 is, either grab one of the top-notch tight ends, or use a later-round pick to snag one who might not get the receptions and the yards as the top players but is still a potential red-zone target. The strategy asserts that, most years, a mid-level tight end won’t net many more fantasy points than a lower-level one, so managers should use those mid-round draft picks not on average tight ends but on bolstering their wide receiving corps.
Kick the Kicker Habits
There are usually one or two kickers who stand tall above the rest, but there are three reasons they are not worth using a mid-round pick on:
It’s rare that the top couple of kickers are the same guys from year to year, meaning whoever shone the previous year is not necessarily going to be the top point-scorer this season.
The disparity in points from the top kicker to the 15th kicker is not usually worth that high pick.
Kickers are the least-consistent fantasy position.
Fantasy managers can only use one kicker per week, so the higher pick is usually better spent on a wide receiver or a backup running back, positions that many leagues require multiple players at each week. Also, save that extra roster spot that many managers use to draft a backup kicker and grab instead a potential breakout player at wide receiver or running back. Use that roster spot to prospect on a potential star who could provide some bye week points or be used as trade bait, then grab a bye-week fill-in kicker off the free-agent wire when the need arises.
Plan for Bye Weeks
Smart fantasy managers will have drafted bye-week fill-ins for their key positions, namely quarterback and running back. These are generally the most difficult positions at which to find useful players on the free-agent wire once the season has begun. In contrast, the wire is almost always full of wide receivers, tight ends, kickers and team defences that can be used during bye weeks.
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