NFL Odds: Prop Action Focus on Vikings vs. Patriots Game

The NFL regular season got off to a stomach-churning start for many football bettors. Underdogs ruled, posting an 11-5 record against the spread in Week 1, including outright wins by seven underdogs.

While there is a reasonable expectation that underdogs will fall into line in Week 2, no fewer than eight games currently feature point spreads of three or fewer points, according to the NFL odds page at Odds Shark. That makes the task of picking Week 2 winners all the more challenging.

Among a number of Week 2 specials now published by sportsbooks offering NFL prop bets is betting on how many underdogs will win outright in Week 2. The line is set at 4.5. The over is currently favored with moneyline odds of 10-13, while the under is pegged as an even-money bet.

In addition to being a big weekend for underdogs, Week 1 featured eight games in which at least one team scored 30 points, with seven of those games going over the point total.

The line on how many games will have at least one team scoring 30 or more points in Week 2 is set at 6.5 in the NFL Week 2 specials, with both the over and the under sporting moneyline odds of 20-23.

In other action, all eyes will be on Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson this week when the Vikings face the New England Patriots at TCF Bank Stadium as three-point home underdogs, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

Patterson powered the Vikings to a 34-6 upset victory over the St. Louis Rams in Week 1, compiling 102 rushing yards and one touchdown on three carries. It was the second time Patterson had dominated the Rams as a ball-carrier, following a 212-yard performance on the ground in Minnesota’s last visit to St. Louis in 2012.

NFL betting expectations on how Patterson will perform as a ball-carrier in Sunday's Vikings vs. Patriots matchup are much more conservative. The line on Patterson’s rushing yards in Week 2 is pegged at 24.5, and the over is favored with moneyline odds of 10-13.

Patterson, who picked up just one rushing TD in 2013, is also a 12-5 NFL props betting long shot to score a major on the ground against New England.

In related NFL props betting action, the betting line on the number of players who will rush for more than 100 yards in Week 2 is set at six, with the over favored by moneyline odds of 10-13.

Stats and odds courtesy of Odds Shark.