How Should You Bet NFL Preseason Games?
Preseason betting rewards research over reputation. Backups and roster hopefuls see most of the field, so depth charts, quarterback rotations, and which coaches actually care about winning in August matter more than a team’s overall talent. Player props and Team Totals are popular angles here precisely because they hinge on playing time and pace rather than the final result.
What the Current Board Looks Like
Preseason spreads compress toward pick’em because neither team is fielding its best roster for long. Most of the board sits inside a field goal, with several games priced at or near even and only a handful stretching past four points — and when a spread does get wide, it’s usually worth asking what the market knows about one team’s rotation plans that the other’s doesn’t.
Totals sit in the high 30s, well below regular-season levels, with the widest games rarely clearing the low 40s. Those figures reflect vanilla game plans, heavy rotation, and drives that stall in situations a starting unit would convert. Check the board above for the current numbers, since preseason lines move sharply on playing-time news.
A few games draw extra attention: Chiefs at Buccaneers on Saturday night, 49ers at Chargers in the Thursday nightcap, and Seahawks at Titans closing the slate on Sunday.
Bet Types Available
- Point spread: With most preseason lines at or near pick’em, you’re often just picking a winner at close to even money. When a spread is this tight, the side with the deeper backup unit and the more competitive roster battle tends to hold the edge.
- Total (over/under): Preseason totals sit far below regular-season numbers. Betting them is more about pace, playing time, and rotation depth than raw talent — a coach who plays his starters into the third quarter changes the math entirely.
- Team totals: Bet one side’s scoring in isolation, which is useful when you have a read on one team’s approach but not the other’s.
- Props: Wager on specific outcomes — whether a rookie throws an interception, how many yards a backup quarterback puts up. This is where roster-level knowledge pays off most.
Betting on Mobile
The BetUS platform is built for phones, so you can place bets and track line movement from anywhere. Explore the full BetUS sportsbook for markets across every sport.
Looking Ahead
Preseason is the warm-up. When the games start counting, NFL odds and NFL futures markets are live for the full 2026 season.
