The final week of the NFL preseason is here. The final week to prep for the regular season, the final week to give bubble players one last hard look and chance to make the final 53-man rosters. Each coach will spots in this weekend differently depending on what they are looking for. That’ll be key to navigating the NFL Preseason Week 3 preview and best bets.
A couple of stars avoided big injury scares in practice this week. Ashton Jeanty had a knee scare; TreVeyon Henderson had a slip and fall. Then Ja’Marr Chase gave fantasy managers a scare, but quickly reassured everyone he was good to go. That’ll all make it interesting as to how coaches approach the weekend with their star players. Games will once again take place Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
New England Patriots -2.5 (-110)
Mike Vrabel and the Patriots did us well last week, and we’re going to run it back this week. Drake Maye won’t play again this week, but neither will Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders. New England has great depth, and they’ve shown well in both preseason games so far. Mike Vrabel is just a winner through and through. Over his 12 seasons, he entered this year 7-3-2 ATS in preseason games. Add two preseason Patriots covers this year, and it moves Vrabel’s record to 9-3-2.
Cleveland has been extremely underwhelming in both preseason games, getting blown out by the Chicago Bears and then the Buffalo Bills. Now, they face a third tough team, and there’s no reason to think the result will be any different. Todd Monken has shown us what he’ll be in the preseason, making him an easy fade.
Drew Allar Over 112 Passing Yards (-110)
Drew Allar, the rookie quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Penn State, has quickly inserted himself into the Steelers quarterback conversation this preseason. Aaron Rodgers has one final season in him, and Mason Rudolph is set to be the backup. But the third-string job likely comes down to this weekend and who does better, Allar or Will Howard. Last week each played a half, and I expect a similar thing this week.
In Week 1 of the preseason, Allar was 10 for 14 for 153 yards against the Green Bay Packers. He backed it up in the second week of preseason games against the New York Jets, completing 11 of 23 passes for 110 yards. He easily went over in Week 1 and was almost there in Week 2. Time to put up a good performance and win that third string job.
Cincinnati Bengals +2.5 (-102)
The Bengals have cruised through their first two games, sneaking past the Detroit Lions and flying past the Chicago Bears. It’s already been announced that they aren’t playing their starters, but that wasn’t an issue last week against Chicago. It’s unknown right now if the Eagles will play their starters, but it’s unlikely.
Nick Sirianni has shown he doesn’t care about winning in the preseason. He entered the season just 6-9 in his career in the preseason ATS. The Eagles got blown out by the Ravens in Week 1 of the preseason, and then lost to the Patriots as favorites in Week 2. At 6-11, let’s keep following that losing streak.
Anthony Richardson Over 12.5 Rushing Yards (-110)
It’s a big opportunity for Anthony Richardson this week. He’ll start for the Indianapolis Colts as he battles with Riley Leonard for the backup job to Daniel Jones. Richardson hasn’t really impressed with his arm in the first two preseason games, but he’s been putting in the work on the ground. I expect him to lean on that crutch again this week.
In Week 1 against the New England Patriots, Richardson scrambled six times for 53 yards and scored a touchdown. Last week against the Atlanta Falcons, it took just three carries for him to pass this mark and rack up 15 yards. Look for him to use his legs again this weekend as he tries to earn that backup job.
