Wagering interest high on Raiders; broadcaster Wingo favors prop bets on Carr, Adams

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Wagering interest on the Raiders is high.

Naturally, says Trey Wingo, the longtime sports personality and broadcaster who recently finished a betting preview on the NFL team for Caesars Sportsbook. Las Vegas and the Raiders are a superb fit.

The Raiders have pulled the second-most tickets (7.3%) and third-most money (7%) among NFL teams at Caesars, says Wingo in his betting preview.

Adam Pullen, the assistant director of trading at Caesars Sportsbook, says the action for the hometown team is locally way higher than last season by a long shot.

“And that goes for nationally across our active states as well,” Pullen says. “The Raiders currently lead the way in total handle and liability for the Super Bowl market at our book, far and away above what it was last year at this time.”

Reasons why bettors are high on the Raiders include last season’s playoff berth, a new coach in Josh McDaniels and the addition of one of the NFL’s best receivers, Davante Adams, say experts like Wingo and Pullen. Quarterback Derek Carr has been give more tools with which to work in a league that is highly offensive.

Pullen says wagering interest so far is geared toward season results, like division and conference finish, making the playoffs, wins totals, even winning the Super Bowl. Yet Wingo wonders if those are the best ways to win money on the Raiders.

Are they going to usurp the Kansas City Chiefs as AFC West champions, Wingo asks? And if the Chiefs fall in the West, are the Denver Broncos or Los Angeles Chargers better options in the division than the Raiders?

“The concern for the Raiders, absolutely, is the offensive line,” Wingo says. “No one talks about it until they see how weak it is. It’s their biggest concern.”

It’s highly unusual – not impossible – Wingo says for a team to have success with a poor offensive line. “It’s an offensive league,” Wingo says. “Cincinnati made the Super Bowl last year with a bad offensive line, but that almost never happens.”

Making the playoffs last year probably has fans upbeat about the team, Wingo says. But in the AFC West, on futures bets, the Raiders have the lowest wins total. “That shows just how deep the AFC West is,” he says. “Division is loaded. It’s an Avengers movie of superstars and heroes, just a murder’s row.”

So Wingo suggests prop bets on the Raiders, like wagers that ask which QB will have the most passing yards (Carr listed at 8-1) or which QB will have the most touchdown passes (Carr is 15-1). The most interceptions (Carr is 30-1). Star players can excel even when their teams are having mediocre seasons, Wingo says.

While Carr might be considered the fourth-best quarterback in the AFC West, Wingo says, there’s a good chance he passes for lots of yards and touchdowns. “People are high on the Raiders, and it’s a quarterback-driven league.”

Betting on Adams to lead the league in receiving is another solid prop bet, Wingo says. “He and his college quarterback are reuniting,” Wingo says. “The learning curve will be quick. I’d throw some money at that.”

On defense, Wingo thinks edge rusher Maxx Crosby could have a productive year, especially with the addition of a rush specialist in Chandler Jones to play on the opposite side of the defensive line.

“Having Chandler Jones on other side, that’s significant help for Crosby,” Wingo says. “And pass rushers tend to win player of the year awards.

“I’d be very comfortable with a futures bet on Maxx Crosby.”

Pullen says he expects futures bets on star players to increase on game days. Part of him agrees with Wingo that success for the team might be difficult.

MVP action on Carr is solid, as are props on Adams. “We expect the week-to-week props surrounding these two players to certainly be a very popular bet, especially in primetime games due to their connection,” Pullen says.

As for the team: “ It’s certainly a tough division … the toughest in football, in my opinion,” Pullen says. “ The public thinks they got better and have their coaching situation in a better place. We will see how it goes.”

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