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**Udog** · 09-01-2016, 04:45 PM

Thursday's NFL Week 4 preseason betting primer and odds

It should be an interesting night in San Diego for 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The Chargers are hosting a military appreciation night so expect to hear a few boo birds.

Betting the NFL preseason can be tough. Week 4 of the NFL preseason concludes Thursday with 15 games on the slate and we help you out by breaking down some of the best betting tidbits for these matchups.

New England Patriots at New York Giants (-2.5, 38)

* Quarterbacks Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Jacoby Brissett will all travel to New York for Thursday's preseason game against the Giants. Reports on Twitter are indicating that Bill Belichick is potentially looking to get Brady "some snaps" with the starters in this fourth preseason game.

* Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. are not expected to suit up for Thursday's preseason finale, but there will be some skilled players on the field as Victor Cruz is scheduled to be on the field for 8-10 snaps alongside rookie wide receiver Sterling Shepard.

New York Jets at Philadelphia Eagles (-3.5, 38)

* The fluid New York Jets quarterback situation comes to a head Thursday night in Philadelphia - with four quarterbacks on the roster, you can assume one will have to go. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith will both sit this one out as Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg will split the game against the Eagles.

* Rookie quarterback Carson Wentz is still feeling the effects of a couple of cracked ribs and will not be active for this final preseason game. Starting QB Sam Bradford will also not be on the field as Chase Daniel will start the game and be relieved by McLeod Bethel-Thompson at some point early in the second half.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Atlanta Falcons (-3, 39.5)

* Rookie linebacker Myles Jack will begin his NFL career at weakside linebacker in order to get his feet wet and learn the system but still be useful on the field each week. He will eventually be transitioned to inside and be the leader of the Jaguars' defense. Expect Jack to play most of the first half Thursday night to get more familiar with the weakside position.

* Starting quarterback Matt Ryan will play very little, if at all, on Thursday night and according to head coach Dan Quinn it will be No. 3 pivot Matt Simms' "night to shine." Simms beat out Sean Renfree for the final quarterback roster spot and will see the majority of the snaps against the Jags.

Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins (-2.5, 39)

* Titans' quarterback Marcus Mariota is 23-of-31 for 319 yards with one touchdown and one interception this preseason. His completion percentage is 74.2 and his passer rating is 104.1. Head coach Mike Mularkey said the starters won’t play more than one series in Miami.

* Most of Miami's starters won't play Thursday against the Titans as they rest and get ready for the regular season. Every member of the Dolphins' 2016 draft class should see significant playing time, led by left guard Laremy Tunsil, left cornerback Xavien Howard and running back Kenyan Drake. This game will mostly be about the debut of Hard Rock Stadium. Most of the Dolphins' players haven't even seen the shiny new stadium yet - let alone played or practiced in it.

Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions (-3, 38)

* Rookie quarterback Cardale Jones will see the majority of the snaps Thursday in Detroit. Tyrod Taylor will likely be held out of the final preseason game and E.J. Manuel will play into the second quarter before being lifted. Wide receiver Sammy Watkins (foot) declared himself healthy for Week 1 but will not play Thursday.

* Rookie quarterback Jake Rudock will see most of the action behind center for the Lions as he attempts to prove to the coaching staff that they should carry three QBs and he deserves to be on the roster. Matthew Stafford will not play and backup Dan Orlovsky will play some - perhaps the opening quarter.

Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals (-4, 39)

* Last year in preseason Week 4 the Colts lost a key player (backup running back Dan "Boom" Herron) to injury and vowed not to make the same mistake, or worse, this time around. No Colts starters will get a sniff of the field on Thursday night in Cincinnati.

* Not many, if any, starters will see the field for the Bengals. Backup quarterback A.J. McCarron has emerged as a potential trade target for the Minnesota Vikings, so the Bengals may want to showcase him a bit and give him a few more snaps than normal for this situation. Backup quarterback Keith Wenning will play the entire second half and whatever portion of the first half isn't filled by McCarron.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers (-4, 39)

* The Steelers added quarterback Zach Mettenberger to their roster Wednesday after he was cut by the San Diego Chargers. Mettenberger should see some time on the field tonight and No. 2 pivot Landry Jones will see plenty of snaps. Ben Roethlisberger and the rest of the starters will not see any time.

* Athletic quarterback Joe Webb will likely play the entire game Thursday. According to reports, the Panthers will sit out both Cam Newton and Derek Anderson for this glorified practice. Look for the combination of Webb and tight end Marcus Lucas to make an impact tonight. The duo hooked up for a touchdown in last year's preseason finale (also against the Steelers) and Lucas scored the only two touchdowns by the Panthers last week against the Patriots (both passes from Joe Webb).

Baltimore Ravens at New Orleans Saints (-5.5, 40.5)

* The Ravens are experiencing tight end issues after they lost Benjamin Watson to a torn Achilles last week. Dennis Pitta and Maxx Williams are healing well and should be ready for Week 1, but that leaves only Crockett Gilmore (may not play tonight) and a throng of others fighting for a roster spot who will likely see most of the snaps tonight - Darren Waller, Nick Boyle, Kenneth Dixon, Stephen Houston, and Lorenzo Taliaferro.

* Saints head coach Sean Payton said, "I think we’re going to play a lot of our guys early on in this game. I think it’s important that those guys get the work at those positions; and our plan early in the first quarter is to play our starters and then make a transition at some point."

Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns (-5.5, 37)

* The Bears are expected to let backup quarterback Brian Hoyer get plenty of reps Thursday night. Hoyer will likely play most, if not all, of the opening half and Davis Fales will take over to finish the game. Bears secondary is a disaster with Tracy Porter, Kyle Fuller and Bryce Callahan all recovering from injuries and not expected to play tonight. Second-year pro Jacoby Glenn, rookie Deiondre Hall and undrafted rookies De'Vante Busby, Taveze Calhoun and Kevin Peterson all figure to get plenty of reps in Cleveland.

* The Browns will play their starters Thursday night against the Bears in an effort to get their offense pumping heading into the regular season. Hue Jackson needs to see a bit more from his key players, though he wouldn't specify how long the starters would stay in the game. "I think we need to play them. I think we need to get better as a football team."

Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs (-3.5, 37)

* After losing wide receiver Jordy Nelson to a knee injury last year in training camp the Packers have been very cautious in their approach to camp this season. Expect that to continue Thursday night with starters standing firmly on the sideline. There is some competition for starting spots at inside linebacker, so there will be some defensive starters on the field.

* Quarterbacks Alex Smith and Nick Foles will sit this one out for the Chiefs. Third quarterback Tyler Bray gets the start and the rest of the playing time will go to Aaron Murray, fourth on the depth chart, and Kevin Hogan, who is fifth. Jamaal Charles will not play tonight as he continues to work his way back from his torn ACL. Reports are that he should be ready for Week 1 but may not be ready for "starter touches" at that point. Keep your eyes on Spencer Ware.

Los Angeles Rams at Minnesota Vikings (-2.5, 35)

* The Rams have yet to pick a starting quarterback for their preseason finale against the Vikings, but head coach Jeff Fisher said there is a "50-50 chance" it will be rookie Jared Goff. Realistically, the only other option for the Rams would be Case Keenum, but it appears he has locked down the starting job, at least for Week 1 and starters typically get the night off in Week 4 of the preseason.

* The Vikings have to deal with the devastating loss of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for the season and that means backup-turned-starter Shaun Hill won't play in Minnesota's final preseason game against the Rams. So the Vikings will turn to undrafted rookie Joel Stave, who is expected to play most of the game. Minnesota also brought back Brad Sorensen in case Stave can't go the distance.

Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys (+3, 37)

* Texans quarterback Tom Savage has looked great thus far in the preseason and as a reward, will start the team's final exhibition game against the Cowboys. Savage has completed 25 of 47 passes for 318 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 95.9 passer rating. Brandon Weeden will take over in the second half.

* What a terrible run of luck for Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo. The veteran signal caller will miss 6-10 weeks with a broken vertebrae in his back, opening the door for rookie Dak Prescott to become the starter. However, that means Prescott won't play the preseason finale against Houston. Instead, rookie Jameill Showers, out of UTEP, will play the entire game, according to head coach Jason Garret. Showers will attempt to show coaches they don't need to grab another veteran and lock up a roster spot. He has completed 19 of 37 passes for 227 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. He's also run twice for 18 yards.

Denver Broncos at Arizona Cardinals (-3.5, 38)

* What seemed unthinkable only a few weeks ago has happened. Trevor Siemian, the second-year man out of Northwestern, was named the Broncos starter this past week. Now whether Siemian won the job outright, or Mr. Butt-Fumble himself, Mark Sanchez, choked it away, is something that can be debated. Sanchez will more than likely will be cut or traded in the next day or two and won't play Thursday night. That means it Paxton Lynch time. Head coach Gary Kubiak said he plans on playing his first round pick the whole game. Lynch has completed 27 of his 46 pass attempts (58.7%) for 244 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception during the preseason.

* The Cardinals have one of the more more cut-and-dry rosters heading into the new NFL season and have very few roster decisions to make heading into their final preseason game against the Broncos. So, a player to watch this game is rookie first round pick, Robert Nkemdiche. The defensive tackle didn’t pressure the quarterback in his preseason debut last Sunday, but he was impressive against the run. He will probably play the entire first half.

Seattle Seahawks at Oakland Raiders (-2, 38.5)

* A couple of injury notes for the Seahawks. Tight end Jimmy Graham won't play in the Seahawks final preaseason game, but according to head coach Pete Carroll, the former Pro Bowler continues to make very encouraging progress from a knee injury that ended his season. Meanwhile, running back Thomas Rawls is on pace to start the opener, after suffering an ankle injury late last season. Carroll wouldn't reveal whether or not Rawls will play in the preseason finale.

* The Raiders offensive line has shown some real depth this preseason, giving up just three quarterback sacks all preseason. Every other team has at least four. That should give the Raiders backup quarterbacks the time to find receivers K.J. Brent and Johnny Holton against the Seahawks. Both are undrafted rookies and are battling for the fifth and final Raiders' WR spot on the roster.

San Francisco 49ers at San Diego Chargers (-1.5, 39.5)

* It should be an interesting night in San Diego for 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The Chargers are hosting a military appreciation night, the week after the polarizing Niners signal caller chose not to stand for the national anthem in last week's preseason game versus Green Bay, in a protest against oppression of African Americans and police brutality. Kaepernick later went on to clarify his stance was not anti-military and has expressed support for servicemen. Kaerpernick is scheduled to start, so expect to hear a few boo birds.

* The Chargers and No. 3 overall pick Joey Bosa finally reached a contract agreement and ended the former Ohio State standout's long holdout. The deal is a 4-year, $25.8M fully guaranteed contract, source said, with Bosa getting a $17 million signing bonus. The defensive end is expected to just get his feet wet in the Chargers preseason finale against the 49ers, so don't expect too many snaps.

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