FanDuel Releases Lines for First Two Packers Games
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Sometime in the next 81 days – the amount of time until the Green Bay Packers kick off the 2021 NFL season – they presumably will get some certainty at quarterback.
FanDuel didn’t wait for the conclusion of the Aaron Rodgers mystery. On Wednesday, the sportsbook released its opening lines for the first two games of the upcoming season.
In the season-opening game at the New Orleans Saints, the Packers are two-point underdogs. There is no over/under total.
In Week 2, the home opener against the Detroit Lions, the Packers are seven-point favorites. Again, there is no point total. If that seems like a huge line considering it could be Jordan Love making his second professional start, sportsbooks have no faith in the rebuilding Lions. Detroit has the second-longest championship odds and an over/under win total of only five.
As FanDuel's Kevin Hennessy explained: “We have an estimated probability baked into our futures and Week 1 odds that already considers Rodgers not being in Green Bay. You’ll see some additional movement if any exit was confirmed but maybe not to the extent you’d imagine.”
While you can bet on those individual games, you can’t bet on Green Bay’s season win total. That is off the board until there is certainty at quarterback. Also off the board is the simple yes or no on whether the Packers will reach the playoffs.
There are bets to be made, though.
The Packers are +1700 to win the Super Bowl, the eighth-shortest odds. The Kansas City Chiefs are the favorites at +500 while the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers are +650.
Green Bay is +850 to win the NFC, the fourth-shortest odds behind Tampa Bay (+310), the San Francisco 49ers (+600) and the Los Angeles Rams (+650). Having won the NFC North by a commanding five games last season, the Packers are still the favorites to win the division in 2021. They are -125, ahead of the Minnesota Vikings (+250), Chicago Bears (+320) and Lions (+2100).
Interestingly, FanDuel has markets for Week 1 starting quarterback for four teams. Only one has a Rodgers angle. For the Denver Broncos, Drew Lock is +145, Teddy Bridgewater is +145, “Any Other” is +220 and Brett Rypien is the equivalent of Jake Dolegala at +1600. There is no such bet available for the Las Vegas Raiders, another team viewed as a potential suitor for the reigning NFL MVP.
