The Carolina Panthers and Washington Redskins are headed in two very different directions when they clash on Monday Night Football in week 15. The Panthers have experienced a free fall, having made it to Super Bowl 50 and now staring a certain absence from the postseason in the face. Washington, on the other hand, has one route to the NFL playoffs and it involves winning their final three games.카지노사이트
While only the Redskins have a shot at the playoffs this year, both teams are still on very pronounced paths. The 5-8 Panthers could still take some solace in winning out and ending the year at 8-8, and the Redskins could still work their way toward their second straight playoff appearance.
Nothing will be permanently settled when the nation tunes into this game, but we could get one step closer to finding out more about Kirk Cousins and these Redskins. And if the Panthers step up and pull off the upset, perhaps we get a look into the heart and soul of the 2017 Panthers.
Redskins vs. Panthers Betting Spread
Panthers +7
Redskins -7
This game means for more for the Redskins, which Vegas clearly understand by backing Washington by a touchdown. It’s not a bad line at first glance, but there are a few things we need to consider. For one, the Panthers have owned this series lately. The Redskins do lead (7-5) overall, but Carolina has won four in a row against the Redskins, including a decisive 44-16 effort in 2015.
Another approach to this game is the margin of victory and the manner both of these teams lose. When the Redskins win, it isn’t usually by a whole lot. Excluding a blowout win over the Packers four weeks ago, the Redskins have taken five of their other six wins by a touchdown or less. Their sixth win still came by just 11 points. They also don’t get housed much themselves, as the Redskins got crushed in week one by the Steelers, but kept it together and since then have not lost any game by more than 8 points.
Suffice to say, the Redskins are fairly well-coached, they can defend and they offer a balanced offense. Regardless, they aren’t exactly dominant and this spread is right on the fence as to how they tend to win football games in 2016.
Carolina looks like a lost cause at 5-8, but we need to note that they bounced back from a crushing loss to the Seahawks to beat the Chargers last week. That win showed resolve and it also showed a refusal to give up despite Carolina’s 2016 playoffs hopes being over.
The Panthers have gotten smoked a few times this year, but they largely have lost close games. Of their 8 losses, five have been by a field goal or less. The common theme in Carolina’s losses has been their inability to pull things out on the road. Considering that’s precisely where they’ll be on Monday night, it’s fair to wonder if they could again get housed like they did in Seattle, or if they’ll hang around long enough to barely lose and beat the spread.
The Redskins are home home (4-2), have more to play for and the Panthers have been terrible on the road. All of that leads us to believe Washington will find a way to win. However, due to their inability to pull away in games and keep finishes relatively close, we like Carolina’s chances to stick in this one and beat the spread. Besides, Cam Newton and co. still offer a lot of potential on offense and they undoubtedly would love to play spoiler as the season winds down. We don’t think they get to, but they should come close.
Pick
Redskins
30
Panthers
27
MoneyLine
Panthers +240
Redskins -280
This feels like a tough spot to bet on the Redskins. The spread is just big enough to scare us off of Washington and the MoneyLine offer such little upside (actually, it offers none) that betting on the Redskins straight up feels like a waste of time.
Having said that, the Redskins play their best ball at home, are the better team and need to keep winning to have a shot at the NFC’s last wild card spot. If we’re betting flat out on who wins this game – and that’s a bet you want to play – then the Redskins are the pick.
Carolina offers the upside with the MoneyLine bet, however. At top gambling sites like Bovada, a modest $100 bet would return a cool $240 if you bet on the Panthers to win, straight up. That bet isn’t as safe as the Redskins tonight, but Washington ($100 to get $35.71) just doesn’t see the risk and reward match.
This is absolutely one of those cases in NFL betting where the underdog (or bad bet) deserves a cursory bet just because of the upside. Perhaps $100 isn’t the bet to toss at the Panthers simply for the MoneyLine upside, but the potential with that bet is obvious. Given the spread and the way both of these teams have played so many of their games tightly, it’s a risk worth taking.
Total: 51
Perhaps betting on tonight’s Total makes more sense than anything else. After all, both Carolina and Washington can put points on the board, and anytime you have talented players on primetime television, you have to imagine they wouldn’t mind showcasing their skills for all the world to see.
The Redskins have been solid with this specific Total, too. Seven times the Redskins have hit on 51 or gone Over. The same doesn’t go for the Panthers, who have exceeded a 51 Total just four times on the year.
Of course, we need to consider two other pieces of information. This exact matchup has topped a 51 Total twice in their last three meetings, while the Redskins (25.4) and Panthers (23.9) get us close to that Total on their season averages, alone.
That might be close enough to shoot for the Over. Some feel that Josh Norman (formerly of the Panthers) could be the driving force behind what ultimately becomes a blowout win for the Redskins. It’s tough to lean on that logic too hard, as the Redskins simply haven’t been an elite defense.
A week ago the Redskins beat a struggling Eagles team with a rookie quarterback, but they needed a game-saving sack to do so and only won by five points. They also allowed 22 points in that game. The two games prior? They allowed 31 in two consecutive losses.바카라사이트
The Redskins probably squeak out the win to keep their playoff hope alive, but the Panthers are talented and have nothing to lose. That could have their offense stepping up a bit and keeping things interesting.
Fantasy Football Advice Season Long
We’re down to the nitty gritty in season long fantasy football leagues. For some leagues, Monday Night Football is the end to the playoffs. For others, it’s merely the beginning. Regardless which it is, it doesn’t change the importance.
It’s live or die time and you need to know which moves to make. For the most part, it’s going to be easy to map out, as with just one game to go in week 15, you already probably saw most of your players do their damage on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Going into tonight, the tough calls may come down to Cam Newton vs. Kirk Cousins, Jonathan Stewart vs. Rob Kelly, Greg Olsen vs. Jordan Reed and DeSean Jackson vs. Kelvin Benjamin.
This might not be a spot where you need to get caught up too much with matchups. The way we see it, we could get a good amount of points in this one – a game that really could still have the makings of a shootout.
That being said, you also can’t just go off of big names. Carolina’s passing game has struggled much more than Washington’s this year and with Cam Newton (shoulder) not quite 100%, it’s going to be tough to love his upside over someone like Cousins.
Cousins tends to play great football at home and it can’t hurt that he’ll be facing a Panthers defense that has seen an overall dip in their pass defense ever since they let Josh Norman go. More specifically, Carolina’s pass defense is just 23rd against quarterbacks on the year. The Panthers have only been worse against wide receivers (28th) and tight ends (31st), so there isn’t much reason to suddenly go against Washington’s passing game.
With Newton ailing and on the road, we’d hitch our playoff wagon to Cousins and the key Washington options in the passing game. DeSean Jackson still has major big-play upside and has been fantastic lately (15+ fantasy points in 3 of his last 4 games). Pierre Garcon has also been reliable for much of the year and has been just as good recently (14+ fantasy points in 4 of last 5 contests).
Using Cousins and either of his top wide receivers makes sense, but trusting in stud tight end Jordan Reed (shoulder) could be the problem. Reed has only played in one game since injuring his labrum and he hasn’t been good. That being said, you probably need to use him at this point and the word has been good out of practice:
Still, if you also somehow have Greg Olsen, he looks like the safer play of the two.
Both kickers (Graham Gano and Dustin Hopkins) are very much in play in this one, as both have been good to great all year. Hopkins is the pick, however, as he’s at home and he’s been the more reliable option in 2016.
Defensively, this might be a game to avoid, so hopefully you already used a solid team defense. If not, you could be in a pickle. The Panthers probably have the more talented defense overall, but they will be tough to trust on the road – even if star linebacker Luke Kuechly (concussion) suits up. The word has been good on Kuechly, however, so if he’s a full go, it does give Carolina a big defensive boost:
Washington has the better matchup, however. They have a solid bend-but-don’t-break defense and they operate well at home. The Panthers also take sacks and turn the ball over, while Norman’s revenge could fuel a great game out of Washington’s defense – specifically in the turnover department. We don’t love either defense to cap fantasy football in week 15, but of the two we’d take the Redskins at home.
DFS
The DFS grind is a bit different, as you’re not toast if you lose tonight. You just might miss out on some serious cash, is all.
The advice remains the same across the board. The main difference will be pricing and who can/want to fit onto your daily fantasy football roster. For the most part, week 15 lineups are all settled, though. The real question is for the Mon/Thu daily fantasy football leagues you’ll find at DraftKings.
Those games feature tonight’s game, as well as a TNF matchup between the Giants and Eagles. Odds are we’ll want to go Redskins/Giants heavy for that slate, but if you’re looking for some cheap plays that can open up cap room or might be a little contrarian, we’ve got a few:
- Carson Wentz, QB, Eagles ($5k)
- Ryan Mathews, RB, Eagles ($4k)
- Devin Funchess, WR, Panthers ($3.4k)
- Redskins Defense ($2.6k)
Odds are you’ll be able to get whatever NFL DFS team you want on a two-game slate, but using some of these value picks might switch things up enough to help differentiate your squad.
Carson Wentz doesn’t feel like a great pick, but he actually hung over 360 passing yards on the Giants earlier this year. He also hasn’t been all that bad lately, producing 16+ fantasy points in four of his last five games. At home and with nothing to lose, he could have a decent outing against the G-Men. The emphasis is on could, but he’s only $5k and few people will be on him.
Ditto for Mathews, who was a monster this week (25 fantasy points) but will be dirt cheap on TNF and many will shy away of him due to New York’s stingy run defense. He’ll be a contrarian play and he’s obviously coming off of a huge game, as well.
Funchess is a nice sleeper for tonight. He caught a touchdown pass in his last game and with Kelvin Benjamin banged up, there’s a chance he sees a little more action come his way tonight.
The Redskins defense are a fine play no matter what, but considering they’re the cheapest unit on this short slate, it might hammer them in as a great play.
The best route to really differentiate lineups for this slate, of course, may be to fade Odell Beckham Jr. on Thursday Night Football. He’s been awesome all year and even scored twice last time he faced the Eagles, but their defense otherwise limited him to just four catches and 46 yards. It’s not crazy to think they stifle him in a similar fashion on Thursday and for a guy that could be over 90% owned on a slate like this, not using him could potentially pay off.
Regardless the direction you go with your fantasy football plays or NFL bets, we wish you luck! 온라인카지노
