NFL Week 10 Preview - Lock Alerts

The great thing about handicapping the NFL betting scene is you don’t have to pay attention to the heavy dose of Patriots-Colts coverage being shoved down everyone’s throat heading into their matchup on Sunday night in Indianapolis.

Don’t get us wrong – there’s money to be had wagering the marquee game this weekend – only there’s also a ton of value elsewhere on the board. As far as wise guys are concerned, they’d be happy to cap a Rams-Lions game every week if there was a betting angle to be had.

With the showdown between New England and Indy getting the bulk of coverage in the mainstream media, here’s a look at four other games of interest for bettors on Sunday:

New Orleans at St. Louis (+13.5, 50) – 1 PM ET

Unless the Saints (8-0, 6-2 ATS) suffer a huge letdown, there’s no way they’re dropping the cash against the Rams (1-7, 3-5 ATS) at the Edwards Jones Dome on Sunday.

NFL oddsmakers are typically reluctant to move past two touchdowns when setting a spread, regardless of which teams are playing. St. Louis is at home, but if New Orleans shows up to play at all, it should cruise to victory both on the scoreboard and at the window.

Public bettors are on board with this type of thinking. The Saints opened as 14-point favorites earlier in the week, and close to 84% of bets against the spread have come in on them through Thursday night. Virtually no one is buying into a Rams team that’s only 6-18 ATS in its last 24 home games despite getting plenty of points on most occasions.

Detroit at Minnesota (-16.5, 47.5) – 1 PM ET

Lost in the shuffle in the narrative surrounding the undefeated Colts and Saints, the Vikings (7-1, 5-3 ATS) are seeing huge chalk for their tilt with the Lions on Sunday at the Metrodome.

The guys setting the NFL point spread had no choice but to break their two-touchdown rule for this one, and it might not be enough to contain Minnesota. The Vikings are coming off a bye week following their 38-26 win at Green Bay as 3.5-point road underdogs in Week 8, so Brett Favre’s hip and Bernard Berrian’s hamstring have had time to heal.

Calvin Johnson (knee) and Matt Stafford (knee) are also expected to play for Detroit, but it might not make a difference against the spread. The Lions are only 1-4 ATS (0-5 SU) in their last five games, and are 2-6-1 ATS in the last nine meetings after falling 27-13 to the Vikes (-10) at Ford Field on September 20.

Philadelphia at San Diego (-1, 47) – 4:15 PM ET

The suddenly surging Chargers (5-3, 3-5 ATS) clash with the Eagles (5-3, 5-3 ATS) at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday in a game ripe with playoff implications for both teams.

San Diego started the season 2-3, but has reeled off three wins in a row (2-1 ATS) to get back into the AFC playoff picture. The Bolts actually helped the Eagles last week, edging the Giants 21-20 as 5-point road dogs on Philip Rivers’ 18-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson with 21 seconds on the clock.

Philadelphia comes into the game with some key players likely to be on the sidelines. Running back Brian Westbrook (concussion), safety Asante Samuel (neck), and tackle Jason Peters (ankle) are all expected to be listed as questionable against San Diego.