NFL Betting – Friday Preseason Picks

Sportsbook betting is about to get super exciting, as football season is here. We’re at Week 4 of the NFL preseason and thus have just one more chance to work off the rust before the games really start to matter. Check out these picks for Friday’s action.
Houston Texans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3)
Friday, September 4, 7:00 p.m. ET

In preseason football, we can never count on teams playing their top players much, especially in the finale, when almost every high-impact player sits as a precaution. Using that logic, we thus can’t necessarily view the Texans, who will field a potent offense for NFL betting in Week 1, as the superior offensive team on Friday.

The Texans have nothing to prove but the Bucs have some key position battles going. Byron Leftwich will start at quarterback in Week 1 but Luke McCown is nipping at his heels and rookie Josh Freeman would like to leapfrog both veterans. Cadillac Williams is also battling for more playing time as the No. 3 running back. Bet on Tampa as its skill players should be hungrier.

Betting services recommend: Buccaneers -3

Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings (-3)
Friday, September 4, 8:00 p.m. ET

The Cowboys’ offensive starters are pretty well set, so their backups don’t have much to play for on Friday. Minnesota’s lineup is close to set in stone too but some of its skill players have something to prove. Sage Rosenfels would love to have a big game and put doubt in Minnesota management’s mind for signing Brett Favre to start over him behind center. Chester Taylor is second fiddle to Adrian Peterson but is still good enough on his own to play a valuable role in the offense and may try to remind the team of that through a big day on the ground. Pick the Vikings.

Betting services recommend: Vikings -3

San Francisco 49ers @ San Diego Chargers (-3.5)
Friday, September 4, 10:00 p.m. ET

Who says you can’t find good upsets among your preseason NFL picks? The 49ers make a fine play this week in San Diego. Their rookie running back Glen Coffee has been the toast of the preseason; seeing lots of work as Frank Gore’s backup, Coffee leads the NFL in preseason rushing yardage. He should have another big game on Friday. The Chargers don’t have great talent among their offensive backups and likely won’t score a lot against Mike Singletary’s unit. Pick San Fran.

Betting services recommend: 49ers +3.5

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