New Yorkers Need to Hit Bordering States For Best Futures Bets

Posted on: November 14, 2022, 12:00h. 

Last updated on: November 14, 2022, 12:00h.

Chris Sheridan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Live Casinos, Sports Betting.

Bettors in New York cannot wager on individual player awards, a quirk of the system that comes from the fine print in the Empire State’s gambling laws. And right now, the best wagering opportunities lie across state lines.

Want to vote on Robert Saleh of the Jets or Brian Daboll of the Giants for Coach of the Year? Daboll is the +700 third choice and Saleh is the +1200 fifth choice, and neither of them stand much of a chance unless they run the table against their upcoming divisional opponents. Nick Sirianni of Philadelphia is the -140 favorite because the Eagles are undefeated. But the Giants will play them twice on Dec. 11 and Jan. 8, and a sweep of those two games by Big Blue could turn the tables.

Also in the way is Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings, whose team stunned the Buffalo Bills 33-30 in overtime yesterday. That moved Josh Allen into third place in the MVP futures markets, behind Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts. Daboll will get a chance to match wits with O’Connell on Christmas Eve on the road in Minnesota, and he is going to need some help from AFC teams, because Miami’s Mike McDaniel is the fourth choice at +1000 with his team now in first place in the AFC East. Pete Carroll of Seattle is +1200, the same odds as Jets coach Robert Saleh, whose team comes out of its bye week next Sunday at New England.

And that is just the head coaching market. For comeback Player of the Year, Saquon Barkley of the Giants is now the even money second choice behind Geno Smith (-125) of the Seattle Seahawks. Smith is a better story because he was kicked around the league as a lifetime backup before replacing Russell Wilson as the Seahawks quarterback, and Seattle is atop the AFC West at 6-4 despite yesterday’s loss to Tampa Bay.

But Barkley rushed for 152 yards on a season-high 35 rushing attempts, and he now leads the NFL with 937 rushing yards. He is not in the MVP conversation with odds of +15000 at PointsBet, which can be filed under things that make you go “Hmmmmm” when you are ignoring just how good Patrick Mahomes is. But remember that Nov. 14 line if the Giants run the table and finish 15-2.

https://twitter.com/Giants/status/1591911593826476032

But the bottom line for all of the New York metropolitan NFL teams is that individual awards may elude them because neither is a sexy team. The Giants’ win over the Houston Texas was like watching paint dry, and they likely lost viewers in the New York Metropolitan area because that game was up against the Buffalo-Minnesota OT thriller that qualified as an instant Picasso.

What About the NBA?

Not a good day for the Knicks or the Nets. Despite scoring a franchise record 48 points in the first quarter against Oklahoma City, the Knicks lost 145-135 to the Thunder. At night, Kevin Durant and the Kyrie Irving-less Brooklyn Nets were dreadful in their 116-103 loss to the previously hapless Los Angeles Lakers, who now are only the fourth-worst team in the NBA.

The Knicks and Nets are both off until Tuesday. Tom Thibodeau’s team now embarks on a brutal five-game Western road trip, and they could be as cooked as a deep fried turkey by the time Thankgiving arrives. They are back home for their next road game the day after Thanksgiving against Portland. Coach Tom Thibodeau benched guards R.J. Barrett and Rick Brunson in the second half Sunday, and it would not be surprising for general manager Leon Rose to shake up the roster sooner rather than later. As MSG network broadcaster Walt Frazier likes to say, they are playing “matador defense.”

And get this: They do not have a home game against an Eastern Conference opponent with a losing record until Dec. 23 against Chicago, which should have Lonzo Ball back by then and be on the way to recovering from their 6-8 start.

So stick a fork in the Knicks. They are done.

The Nets?

Anthony Davis shredded them for 37 points and 18 rebounds in the Nets’ worst performance of the season, and we finally got a little something on social media from Kyrie Irving.

This came after the Saturday distraction of owner Joe Tsai saying Irving has more work to do before the Nets will lift their indefinite suspension. We addressed this in an article yesterday, and there has been no further clarity Monday morning as to when Irving will return. But Irving, who was averaging nearly 27 points per game, was back on Twitter with a very Kyrie-esque message.

https://twitter.com/KyrieIrving/status/1591903457342263296

Is that somehow part of Irving completing his required six-step mea culpa program? Maybe, and maybe not. Whatever the case, the Nets are floundering in 1th place in the East, yet still remain among the favorites to come out of the East, being listed at +1300 to win the championship, with Durant at +2700 to win the Most Valuable player award. Newly installed head coach Jacque Vaughn is at +1400 to win Coach of the Year at PointsBet, which means there is a sincere belief among oddsmakers that the Nets will find a way to get things turned around.

For now, Joe Mazzulla of Boston looks like the best bet out there, with his Celtics riding a season-high six-game winning streak. That’s while Will Hardy’s Utah Jazz have dropped back to Earth with two straight losses to fall to third in the West behind Portland and Denver. Mazzulla is +700, while Hardy remains the favorite for now at +500.

What About the Sport The Firefighters and Cops Flock to?

And then we have the NHL. Although the New York Rangers are a middle-of the-pack team, goaltender Igor Shesterkin is the +375 favorite for the Vezina Trophy, which goes to the league’s top goalie. Shesterkin is 13th in goals allowed and ninth in saves, while Linus Ulmark of the Boston Bruins has 349 saves, a 1.96 goals against average and an 11-1 record as a starter. He is +1000 at PointsBet and has four players listed ahead of him with shorter odds. With the Bruins leading the NHL at 14-2, that does not appear to be the worst wagering idea in the history of wagering. … although Shesterkin is carrying an otherwise mediocre Rangers team.

Load up the EZ-Pass Or Learn How to Use the PATH train

Because of the vagarities of New York’s sports betting laws, there are no wagers allowed on individual awards. If you are that rare New Yorker who is a college football aficionado, you will have to travel to Pennsylvania, Connecticut of New Jersey to put in an individual award wager, such as Caleb Williams of Southern Cal for the Heisman Trophy. The Trojans quarterback has thrown for 31 touchdowns with just two interceptions after transferring from Oklahoma, and he is on the board at +1200 at FanDuel as the fifth choice. Southern Cal is not one of the four remaining undefeated teams, but 9-1 is pretty close. The award could be his to win or lose, depending upon what happens in the Trojans’ remaining two tough games against No. 12 UCLA and No. 20 Notre Dame.

It is far too early to look at the college basketball Player of the Year, and when it comes to NCAA men’s hoops futures, the discussion begins and ends with North Carolina and Gonzaga as the season gets underway. But it is worth noting that Syracuse was among the “others receiving votes” in the latest Coaches poll, and Rick Pitino’s Iona Gaels play nine of their next 10 at home. They are on the board at +10000 to make the Final Four, and you will not find a better college coach in New York than Pitino, who also coaches the Greek national team and has done great things at Kentucky and Louisville.

Strange Week At Local Arenas

Madison Square Garden will become mostly a concert venue this week, as the Knicks and Rangers have no home games. The Islanders also are on the road all week, leaving the new UBS arena hosting Disney on Ice. The Barclays Center will not have a Nets game until Nov. 20. But Michigan, Pittsburgh, VCU, and Arizona State will be in Wednesday and Thursday for the college basketball Legends Classic. Yankee Stadium and Citi Field are shuttered for the fast-approaching winter. MetLife Stadium also will be empty until the Giants host the Detroit Lions next Sunday, and the Jets are not home again until Nov. 27 against the Chicago Bears.

This coincides with a cold snap hitting the New York Metropolitan area, which means sports fans who have stayed up to date on their heating and cable television bills will have a myriad number of sofa choices for their evenings, after they have finished dodging crazy people on the subway, raking leaves and installing window insulation to guard against getting fleeced by Con Edison now that electricity and gas rates are set to rise nearly 50%, in large part because of the shutdown of the Indian Point nuclear power plant.

Aside from the football teams and the Irving drama, there is not a lot sports to feel positive about, although Aaron Judge can change that in an instant if he re-signs with the Yankees in free agency. Or if Leon Rose shakes up the Knicks roster, or Sean Marks finds a team willing to take on a Patty Mills or a Joe Harris in exchange for a center to complement Nicolas Claxton, who was badly overmatched last night against Davis and the Lakers.

So there is plenty to do and plenty to hope for, and all New Yorkers must not forget that grandma is expecting them to show up two Thursdays from now with a damn good turkey or lasagna (that latter reference is a regional thing having to do with how Italian-Americans celebrate Thanksgiving). The days are getting shorter and many of the New York team odds are getting longer, and New York gamblers are advised to make those border betting runs when they can find the time. Futures odds are notoriously slow to adjust to a hot player making his mark in a small market, so stay on your toes and keep the gas tank and the EZ-Pass account loaded. Or familiarize yourself with how to take the PATH train to Hoboken or Jersey City. And for those in Central and Western New York, Pennsylvania and Ontario also take individual award futures bets.

The odds keep moving, and people need to keep moving. It is the secret to feeling happy … and winning a few wagers does not hurt.

Take it from someone who played this yesterday instead of spending $10 on a Bic Mac meal. Hey, we all have our strategies, and that is mine. Good luck this week.