Odds and Ends: Preseason Betting Outlook for Clemson Tigers in the NFL
The NFL's 2021 season officially kicks off Thursday night, followed by a full slate of games Sunday and Monday.
At that point, all of what we thought we knew about the league begins to change, so this is the last time to look at betting odds and lock in the best values. It's also a window into what kind of season the experts believe players and teams will have, and there are several former Clemson Tigers under the microscope this year in the pros.
Could quarterback Trevor Lawrence take home a major postseason award in his first season with Jacksonville? Will DeAndre Hopkins post some of the better receiving numbers in the league in his second season with the Arizona Cardinals?
Here are some notes on them and others with and odds available through FanDuel Sportsbook:
- Lawrence is the odds-on favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year at +400. He's narrowly ahead of New England quarterback Mac Jones, who is the only other 2021 first-round signal-caller who's earned a starting job.
- Lawrence is +4400 to lead the NFL in passing yards. That's smack dab in the middle of the list and the same odds as Jones and Detroit Lions' Jared Goff.
- The former Clemson star's passing yards total is set at 4,100.5 yards while oddsmakers set his total touchdowns at 28.5. Over or under?
- As for Lawrence's team, the Jaguars are +330 to make the NFL playoffs and -440 to miss the postseason.
- The team total for wins in 2021 is set at 6.5 in the NFL's first 17-game season. That's a year after Jacksonville went 1-15 last year to "earn" that No. 1 pick used on Lawrence and hired Urban Meyer.
- Hopkins has juicy odds of +3200 to win NFL Offensive Player of the Year. He was third in the league last year with 1,407 receiving yards.
- This year, Hopkin's receiving yards total is set at 1,300.5. Former Bengals receiver A.J. Green and rookie Rondale Moore join the offense, but quarterback Kyler Murray will continue to lean upon one of the NFL's best pass-catching options.
- Former Clemson receiver Tee Higgins has his yards set at 1,000.5 and his touchdowns at 6.5. He had 908 yards and six touchdowns last year in his rookie season.
- Punter Bradley Pinion's Tampa Bay Buccaneers have odds of +650 to repeat as Super Bowl champions, behind only the Kansas City Chiefs (+500).
- The Las Vegas Raiders, who feature former Tigers Hunter Renfrow, Clelin Ferrell, John Simpson and Trayvon Mullen, have a win total of seven in 2021.
Here are some notable Week 1 betting lines for teams involving former Clemson players:
- Jacksonville Jaguars (-2.5) at Houston Texans
- Arizona Cardinals (+3) at Tennessee Titans
- Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons (-3)
- Los Angeles Chargers (-1) at Washington Football Team
- Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals (+3)
- Miami Dolphins (+3) at New England Patriots
- Baltimore Ravens at Las Vegas Raiders (+4.5)
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