Category Archives: NFL

NFL wideout Pierre Garçon sues FanDuel for ‘misappropriating’ name, likeness

A National Football League player has launched a class action suit against daily fantasy sports operator FanDuel, accusing the site of profiting off himself and other NFL players without compensating them in return.

On Friday, Washington Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garçon filed suit in Maryland, accusing FanDuel of having “misappropriated” the names and likenesses of “offensive skilled position” players. Garçon says FanDuel “knowingly and improperly exploits the popularity” of NFL players, who he’s invited to join his class action.

Garçon’s suit makes no mention of the other major DFS operator, DraftKings, presumably because the NFL Players Association struck a marketing partnership with DraftKings in September that permitted the use of NFL player images.

Interestingly, Garçon was actively shilling for FanDuel last year via his personal Twitter account, offering the chance to win free tickets to Redskins games for players who signed up for the DFS site. Garçon’s personal involvement predated the team partnership the Skins signed with FanDuel last November.

Commissioners: fantasy sports not gambling but needs regulation

Three US major sports league commissioners all agreed to one thing: daily fantasy sports is not gambling.

In an interview on ESPN’s Mike and Mike, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has maintained his position on fantasy sports as not gambling but suggested the fantasy organizations should have an appropriate safeguards in place “to ensure that things are fair and that fans who engage on these platforms have an opportunity to win.”

Manfred also added that he is comfortable with the legality of the games that are being offered by DraftKings as the federal law has created a certain landscape for fantasy sports.

DraftKings has become the official daily fantasy game of MLB and has extended its sponsorship with the league’s 27 team and according to Manfred fantasy sports has given the league the fan engagement that it needed.

Commissioners: fantasy sports not gambling but needs regulation

Three US major sports league commissioners all agreed to one thing: daily fantasy sports is not gambling.

In an interview on ESPN’s Mike and Mike, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has maintained his position on fantasy sports as not gambling but suggested the fantasy organizations should have an appropriate safeguards in place “to ensure that things are fair and that fans who engage on these platforms have an opportunity to win.”

Manfred also added that he is comfortable with the legality of the games that are being offered by DraftKings as the federal law has created a certain landscape for fantasy sports.

DraftKings has become the official daily fantasy game of MLB and has extended its sponsorship with the league’s 27 team and according to Manfred fantasy sports has given the league the fan engagement that it needed.

NFL Week 7 Betting Recap

It was a party weekend for the House as five heavily backed teams crashed and burned on the NFL gridiron. The public party crashers included the Steelers and Falcons, but the biggest disappointments were the Bills, Colts and Chargers. Those three clubs entered Week 7 as four or more point favorites, but each was the victim of an outright upset on Sunday.

Buffalo, even with second-string quarterback E.J. Manuel at the controls, was favored by 4.5 points in their London showdown with the Jaguars. And the public liked the Bills at that number (63 percent were on Rex Ryan’s squad to cover the spread) largely because Jacksonville owned just one win and had lost its other five games by an average of 13.2 points per contest.

Buffalo out-gained the Jags by 80 yards, but 10 penalties and four turnovers, including two picks by the aforementioned Manuel, resulted in a 31-34 loss.

Indy and San Diego bit the dust in similar fashion, combining for five turnovers in 21-27 and 29-37 losses to New Orleans and Oakland, respectively. They were both getting nearly 70-percent of the public’s money.

NFL Week 7 Betting Recap

It was a party weekend for the House as five heavily backed teams crashed and burned on the NFL gridiron. The public party crashers included the Steelers and Falcons, but the biggest disappointments were the Bills, Colts and Chargers. Those three clubs entered Week 7 as four or more point favorites, but each was the victim of an outright upset on Sunday.

Buffalo, even with second-string quarterback E.J. Manuel at the controls, was favored by 4.5 points in their London showdown with the Jaguars. And the public liked the Bills at that number (63 percent were on Rex Ryan’s squad to cover the spread) largely because Jacksonville owned just one win and had lost its other five games by an average of 13.2 points per contest.

Buffalo out-gained the Jags by 80 yards, but 10 penalties and four turnovers, including two picks by the aforementioned Manuel, resulted in a 31-34 loss.

Indy and San Diego bit the dust in similar fashion, combining for five turnovers in 21-27 and 29-37 losses to New Orleans and Oakland, respectively. They were both getting nearly 70-percent of the public’s money.

Yahoo attracts 15 million views for first NFL game live stream

Over 15 million viewers tuned in to Yahoo’s first-ever live stream of an NFL game.

Yahoo announced Monday that the Sunday’s matchup from London between the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars gained 15.2 million unique viewers, of which 66% or about 10 million people were in the U.S.

The game also hit over 33.6 million total views across all devices on Yahoo and Tumblr, amounting to more than 460 million total minutes of the game.

Viewers were able to watch the game, a thrilling 34-31 Jaguars victory, in a variety of ways such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and smart television sets.

Yahoo attracts 15 million views for first NFL game live stream

Over 15 million viewers tuned in to Yahoo’s first-ever live stream of an NFL game.

Yahoo announced Monday that the Sunday’s matchup from London between the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars gained 15.2 million unique viewers, of which 66% or about 10 million people were in the U.S.

The game also hit over 33.6 million total views across all devices on Yahoo and Tumblr, amounting to more than 460 million total minutes of the game.

Viewers were able to watch the game, a thrilling 34-31 Jaguars victory, in a variety of ways such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and smart television sets.

Dolphins – New Coach, New Attitude?

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Unless you have been living under a rock, you are aware of the big shakeup surrounding the Miami Dolphins. And the question has to be raised with regard to what kind of an effect the changes are going to have on this squad going into their matchup against the Tennessee Titans (1 PM ET in Nashville), who despite their 1-3 record, have played surprisingly well for a squad that won just two games last year and is starting a raw rookie at quarterback.

Football bettors are hearing the ugly stories that have come out of Miami, which detailed the lack of control Joe Philbin had over his locker room, and the contentious relationship between the scout team and QB Ryan Tannehill, who reportedly threw a hissy fit whenever he got picked off in practice.

Philbin was said to be walking on egg shells entering the season, and he got his ouster after a drab 27-14 loss to the New York Jets in London. The bye week was conveniently upon them, and to the surprise of some, tight ends coach Dan Campbell, a former NFL player, was named to replace Philbin on an interim basis.

“Giant Steps” Could Be Difficult Without Star Wideouts

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The New York Giants like to think they are hitting their stride about this time, and indeed after a very discouraging start they are now leading the NFC East. On Monday night they will attempt to win their fourth straight game and stick a dagger into the Philadelphia Eagles at the same time, as the teams meet up at Lincoln Financial Field beginning at 8:30 PM ET.

Could there have been anything more demoralizing than to lose the first two games of the season after blowing double-digit leads in the fourth quarter? That is the first time in eighty years that has happened in the NFL, as the team very firmly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

But damn if the Giants haven’t come back with three straight victories. Not that they have played extremely well in all of them. Last week against San Francisco you have to consider them to have underachieved, because they needed some last-minute heroics out of Eli Manning to come out of it with a 30-27 win. And they made Colin Kaepernick look like an MVP. So will Sam Bradford pick up on that blueprint? CAN he?

Nevada says daily fantasy sports operators need a gambling license

Nevada gaming regulators have ruled that daily fantasy sports (DFS) is gambling and therefore DFS operators need a license to take action from Nevada residents.

On Thursday, the Nevada Gaming Control Board issued a ‘cease and desist’ order to all DFS sites currently serving Nevada customers. In a notice posted on its website, the Board says analysis by its staff and the state Attorney General’s office concluded that DFS “constitutes gambling under Nevada law” because it involves “wagering on the collective performance of individuals participating in sporting events,” as established under Chapter 463 of the Nevada Revised Statutes.

Henceforth, any DFS operator wishing to continue its dealings with Nevada players will have to obtain the necessary sports betting license from the Nevada Gaming Commission, with all the attendant poking, prodding, fingerprinting and taxation that this process entails.

The Board says its existing sportsbook licensees “may expose DFS for play themselves” in the state but licensees “should exercise discretion in participating in business associations with DFS operators that have not obtained Nevada gaming approvals.” Licensees wishing to do business with DFS operators should also conduct “thorough and objective reviews of DFS activities under the laws of other states and any applicable federal laws.”

NFL Week 5 Betting Recap

Bookmakers had their best week of the NFL season as a handful of public teams dove head long into the short end of the pool on Sunday. Among the fateful divers were the Falcons, Jaguars, Saints, Bills and Giants.

Three teams from that money sucking quintuplet — Atlanta, Buffalo and New York —managed to secure straight up wins, but they failed to cover spreads of seven, two and seven points, respectively.

Matt Ryan and the Dirty Birds were forced into overtime by a salty Redskins squad, and they won the game via a pick six in the extra period; however, the defensive score was not enough to cash for the 74-percent that wagered on a Falcons cover. Atlanta won the contest 25-19.

The tight line in the Bills/Titans game (two points) had people backing Buffalo, the seemingly superior team, at 75-percent against the spread. The Bills spotted Tennessee 10 points, though, and while they were able to mount a game sealing comeback, their 14-13 victory was also a win for the bookmakers.

#FantasyFootball – The Waiver Wire is Your Best Friend

by Tony Samboras

There is very little difference between playing fantasy football for cold hard cash and wagering on NFL games. Participants are constantly on the troll for the best sports betting system and best betting strategies, looking for that key advantage. One of the key differences is fantasy sports participants take it down to the player’s level.

 

Getting It Wrong

When wagering on sports, you have one shot to be right. You get it wrong and you lose immediately. This is even true when you place a futures wager on winning the Super Bowl or on the number of wins a team will have in a season. When participating in fantasy football leagues, you are afforded opportunities to make adjustments as the season progresses. These adjustments are made through trade or through the use of the waiver wire. The reality is most people can derive very little benefit from a trade since most trades will trend towards being balanced. With the waiver wire, you can make strategic decisions that can literally turn your season around. That makes the waiver wire your best friend.

 

Understanding Your League’s Waiver Rules

Claiming players from waivers is not always as easy a picking up one player and releasing another. Each league has a set protocol on how waivers will be treated. In some leagues, it might be first-come-first-serve while in others a priority system is in place to dictate who gets who and when. There might even be a bidding system for the acquisition of players on waivers. As a manager, it is very important for you to understand your league’s rules in order to maximize your ability to use the waiver wire effectively.

 

When to Seek Refuge From Waivers

Obviously, injured players need to be replaced. That much is clear. It’s when managers need to start looking at player performance that mistakes get made. As a manager, you don’t have the luxury of holding onto players who aren’t producing. You have to be willing to face the facts (stats) and make decisions accordingly. A slumping player is a slumping player whether he was an All-Pro last year or a bench warmer. How many times have you seen a starting quarterback go down and the team’s wide receivers take a big hit to their stats? When it becomes evident a player’s level of contribution will not serve your needs, it’s time to admit the mistake and start looking for players who are available and have been making the kinds of contributions that will bolster your team.

 

What to Look for From the Waiver Wire

As a good manager, you eyes should be pinned to the waiver list. Of course, everyone is looking for the players who have a breakout week, but caution is warranted. One game does not make a streak. Even if a player does breakout, your priority number or bidding power might put you behind several other managers who are seeing the same thing. The way you get an advantage is by looking for players who are trending upwards. Perhaps they started the season on the bench. An injury or two gets them playing time and they start getting involved in the offense. Bam! That’s the guy you want. You might be one injury away from having a top 10 performer at a given position. It’s far better to carry a couple of these types of players than to carry starters who statistically rank towards the bottom of their position.

 

By applying the concepts behind using the best sports betting system or some of the best betting strategies, you can learn to become a better fantasy sports manager. The key to success is learning to see what other don’t see and using that to your advantage. Remember this; More than a few leagues have been won because of waiver wire acquisitions.

 

NFL Week 5 Betting Preview

The Colts and Texans opened the NFL Week 5 schedule last night in Houston and, in spite of Andrew Luck’s continued absence, Indy prevailed 27-20 over its AFC South rival. Chuck Pagano’s squad now owns a 2.5 game lead in the division, which is considered the weakest in the league.

Sunday’s lineup finds the Patriots, Broncos, Bengals and Packers looking to extend what are fairly significant early division leads as well. And they are all favored to do so, drawing spreads of -9.5, -4.5, -3 and -9, respectively. The public is in love with them at those numbers too. New England and Denver are taking 88 and 77-percent of the betting share while Cincy and Green Bay are each getting 62-percent of the against the spread money.

Sunday, October 11 –

Chicago Bears at Kansas City Chiefs (-9, Over/Under 45, 54% backing the Bears ATS): Jay Cutler stepped back under center for Chicago last week and his presence paid dividends. The Bears registered their first win of the season, defeating the favored Raiders (yes, I said favored) 22-20 at Soldier Field. This week the signal calling curmudgeon will take aim at a Chiefs defense that has been an utter disappointment, ranking dead last — along with Chicago — is points per game allowed with a 31.2 average. And say what? The Bears are getting nine points. Well, the Chiefs may own the same 1-3 record as Chicago, but the talent level between the two teams is still considered a wide one. Da Bears are also 0-5 in their last five games playing on the road off a home game and they dropped those five games by an average of 16.2 points per contest.

NFL Week 4 Betting Recap

Week 4 was not a total win for the books, but given last week’s gut wrenching results, they will take what was offered up over the weekend. Denver, Oakland, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Arizona and Seattle all came up short against the spread, and some of them just came up short, period (hello Raiders, Eagles and Cardinals).

However, the Packers, Jets, Falcons, Panthers and Bengals kept it from being a completely disastrous weekend for the public. Green Bay, Atlanta and Carolina were all drawing over 80-percent of the spread betting money, and they all delivered, especially the latter two.

The Falcons hosted the Texans and they entered the inter-conference contest a -6 favorite. Dan Quinn’s troops brought a paddle with them and they spanked Houston 48-21 to improve to 4-0 on the season.

Cam Newton and company, playing as a -3 road favorite, embarrassed NFC South rival Tampa Bay 37-23 at Raymond James Stadium.

While NFL Goes To London, Lines Up Fan Duel, Palumbo Says Hearing Coming

While NFL Goes To London, Lines Up Fan Duel, Palumbo Says Hearing Coming

On Friday came the announcement that DraftKings, now with a UK gaming license in place, signed a multi-year deal with the NFL for promoting its London games, a city where gambling is legal and betting lines on this Sunday’s matchup will be front and center with bookmakers, right alongside The Premier League and the Rugby World Cup .

According to the a press release, Draft Kings will host events outside of Wembley Stadium prior to all three games, with additional events at Trafalgar Square on Saturday, October 3 and on Regent Street on Saturday, October 24. At these events, fans can take part in a series of American football skills challenges to win merchandise, prizes and money-can’t-buy experiences.

And of course, DraftKings advertising will also appear during the broadcast of NFL games on Sky Sports TV in the United Kingdom.

This latest announcement again shows the changing landscape, especially with the massive marketing dollars being spent right now by DFS. As of this weekend, 28 of the league’s 32 teams are partnered with either DraftKings or FanDuel and FanDuel sponsors a regular segment at NFL.com. Is the NFL now more aligned because of the dollars and the increasing fan interest? Or are we still in the originally proposed one year review period, with deals and investments now going well beyond what seems like a trial period?

What is clear is that DFS and the NFL is front and center, and those one year” look and see” deals the NFL have imposed will be escalating as long as the dollars remain flowing.
As his home state Jets are playing abroad on a rainy weekend, New Jersey Congressman Frank Palumbo again was incredulous at what he called the continued hypocrisy of the money going into DFS and the lack of dollars flowing into the coffers of states if sports gambling was regulated. “It continues to be ridiculous, as the leagues are making more and more money from partnerships and advertising in what is becoming more and more a large business that is in effect, gambling while they continue to fight states like New Jersey in the courts,” Palumbo said. “The money that the leagues are making may be going to pay the legal bills of all the lawyers engaged in lawsuits to block what is a fair proposal to legalize sports betting, where it could be going into areas that will help the community (through taxes collected). Everyone is making money except the states on this.”

While Palumbo was not aware of the latest deal with the NFL and DraftKings overseas, he was aware of the fact that DraftKings now has a legal betting license in the UK, which in his opinion again blurs the line between “fantasy” and legal sports betting. “The loophole was created not for the massive amounts of money that everyone from the leagues, and now the players (referring to the NFLPA deal with DraftKings this week) and the teams are benefitting from, it was created for casual fans who wanted to engage in fantasy sports with little to no cost,” he said. “This is now a massive multi-million dollar business and we need to look at it and make some hard decisions on where these dollars should be going.” Palumbo’s well documented fight maintains that the legalization of sports betting will put money back into municipalities through taxes and would help bring organized crime away from sports gambling. On Thursday at the NYVC Sports Advertising Week event in New York, Washington Wizards and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis estimated that the figure in illegal gambling on a football may be as high as $800 billion, compared to the $8 billion legally wagered in Las Vegas on NFL Sundays. Like Palumbo, Leonsis felt those dollars could help offset costs with everything ranging from improving infrastructure to maintaining school programs.

As far as what’s next for Palumbo’s fight on Capitol Hill, he said that a hearing is expected in the coming months before winter recess, and could be as early as the next month, with a bipartisan group looking very closely at the DFS issue with professional sports and then deciding on potential next steps not just on fantasy but on sports betting as well, either on the state level or on a full federally regulated program.

“What we are suggesting is very fair for all involved, and will hold people accountable,” he said. “Many of the leagues continue to say they are not involved in gambling, yet there are millions being spent every week that they, especially the NFL now, are taking advantage of, and you can’t have it both ways.”

Rugby, soccer or NFL this weekend in London? Safe bet all will have wagering, and that’s no fantasy.

DraftKings partner with NFL Int’l Series; New York Jets fear sphincter abrasions

Daily fantasy sports operator DraftKings has inked a partnership with the National Football League’s International Series games in the UK.

On Friday, DraftKings announced it had signed a three-year exclusive deal enabling it to brand the hell out of the three games the NFL plays this season at London’s Wembley Stadium, starting with this weekend’s tilt between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins. The announcement comes as DraftKings prepares to launch its new UK-licensed site sometime in Q4.

As part of its deal, DraftKings’ ubiquitous TV adverts will air during Sky Sports broadcasts of NFL games. DraftKings will also host events outside Wembley prior to all three games, with additional events taking place this Saturday in London’s Trafalgar Square and in Regent Street on Oct. 24. The events will offer UK fans the chance to test out their American football skills in order to win prizes.

Friday’s announcement comes just days after DraftKings announced it had struck a marketing partnership with the NFL Players Association. DraftKings also has individual sponsorship deals with a dozen NFL teams, some of which allow DraftKings to operate branded ‘fantasy lounges’ within the teams’ stadiums. All of which only serves to underscore the NFL’s hugely hypocritical anti-betting stance, but whatever.

NFL Week 4 Betting Preview

Six teams (New England has a bye) head into Week 4 of the NFL schedule looking to remain undefeated and the odds makers expect all of them to do so. The Bengals, Broncos, Packers, Panthers, Falcons and Cardinals are favored by an average of almost six points and four of them are getting over 80-percent of the spread betting share. That makes it a big weekend for them and, potentially, for bookmakers as well. The house was hammered last week with a number of heavily backed favorites bringing it home for the public. The stage is set for a redo, but clubs like Kansas City, Minnesota, St. Louis and Tampa Bay could piss on that parade. And books everywhere are hoping they do.

Thursday, October 1 –

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers (+3, Over/Under 43.5, 65% backing Ravens ATS): These two bitter rivals kick start the Week 4 slate tonight, but something about this matchup is not quite the same with Terrell Suggs and Ben Roethlisberger both being sidelined. It is, nonetheless, a game of tremendous importance for the Ravens, who are on the verge of a back breaking 0-4 start. Pittsburgh has played as a home underdog just twice in this series since the 1999 season. It lost both of those games straight up while going 0-1-1 against the spread.

Sunday, October 4 –

DraftKings ink marketing deal with NFL Players Association

Daily fantasy sports operator DraftKings has inked a marketing partnership with the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).

On Tuesday, Forbes reported that the NFLPA had inked a group licensing deal that would allow DraftKings to utilize NFL players in DFS marketing. Neither party has commented on the terms of their new arrangement, which comes amid a marketing blitz by DFS operators linked to the start of the new NFL season.

In a press release accompanying the announcement, DraftKings biz-dev VP Jeremy Elbaum said the ability to feature NFL players in its marketing “adds a level of excitement and connectivity to the game that is a huge win for us and our community.”

Ahmad Nassar, president of the NFLPA’s marketing arm NFL Players Inc., expressed his excitement that “more and more players are going to benefit from the rising growth of fantasy sports.” Nassar said NFL players and DraftKings “both have intense, dedicated fan bases” and that the pairing will offer “a new level of authenticity to the daily fantasy experience.”

NFL Week 3 Recap

The Green Bay Packers capped off another rough weekend for NFL bookmakers, covering a seven-point line with a 38-28 Monday Night Football win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Aaron Rodgers and company were getting 68-percent of the spread betting and they joined the likes of Denver, Seattle, Arizona and Pittsburgh in helping shift a lot of money from the house to the public.

The Patriots and Falcons were also among the chorus of bookie ball busters as they helped bettors cash at 73 and 71-percent clips. New England easily covered a 14-point spread at home, smashing the Jaguars 51-17 while the Falcons soared past the injury depleted Cowboys 39-28 thanks to 22 unanswered second half points. Atlanta was listed as a two-point road favorite in the inter-conference battle.

The Broncos, Seahawks and Cardinals were favored at -3, -15 and -6.5 over the Lions, Bears and 49ers, respectively, and they covered those spreads by an average of 20.2 points.

The Steelers opened as a slight road favorite over the Rams but by kickoff, they were listed as a one-point underdog. Money came in fast and furious on Pittsburgh as a result and it did not disappoint its backers, recording a 12-6 victory. The final tally did help the odds makers mitigate some of their losses as 76-percent were favoring it to go Over the posted total of 48 points.

NFL Week 3 Betting Preview

To steal a line from Forrest Gump, the NFL “is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you are going to get.” Week 2 certainly played out that way with Tampa Bay, Washington, Jacksonville, Dallas and Oakland all pulling off big upsets, much to the delight of bookmakers everywhere. This week’s slate sets up in similar fashion as teams like New England, Seattle, Arizona, Houston and Green Bay are expected to take care of their opposition with relative ease. Will the reaper show up at their respective doors as well?

Thursday, September 24 –

Washington Redskins at New York Giants (-4, Over/Under 44, 68% backing Giants ATS): Washington has played solid football through two weeks and its defense, which ranks first in yards per game allowed, is the reason why. While the Redskins have turned heads with their surprising start, the Giants have done so with their inability to finish games. New York held a 23-13 fourth quarter lead over Dallas in its opener only to lose 26-27 and it squandered a 10-point fourth quarter lead in last week’s 20-24 loss to Atlanta. Perhaps the Giants need to spot the Redskins a few points tonight and see how that pans out for them.

Sunday, September 27 –