Week 5 of the NFL season starts tonight with a battle between 3-1 teams.
The Buccaneers are currently 3-point road favorites (-180 moneyline) at the Bears, with the total sitting at 44.5. Tampa Bay opened at -5.5 and got up to -6, but the line has dropped since in Chicago’s favor. Based off opening spreads, this is the biggest Week 5 line shift of any game as of now.
“The big reasons behind the line move are Bucs injuries and seemingly every professional bettor thought the original line was too high,” said Nick Bogdanovich, Director of Trading for William Hill US. “Tampa draws huge money every week and the Bears just had a huge clunker, so I thought 5.5 was the right number when we opened it. But with all of Tampa’s injuries, the line move makes sense.
“[Mike] Evans and [Chris] Godwin are both top-10 receivers in the league. Godwin is definitely out, and Evans isn’t 100%. Even their backups are hurt. The Bears are definitely getting the Bucs at the right time, that’s for sure.”
Despite the short week and being banged up, William Hill bettors are still backing the Buccaneers here.
“We’ll definitely need the Bears here tonight,” Bogdanovich said. “It’s just a matter of how much. The public bets Tampa with both hands every game this season. When the whistle blows and the game kicks off, we’ll be Bears fans.”
The Buccaneers are getting 86% of the total number of tickets and 68% of the total dollars wagered among all spread bets against the Bears. Additionally, Tampa Bay is bringing in 73% of the total number of tickets and 81% of the total dollars wagered for all moneyline bets for tonight.
The biggest wager for this contest, though, has come in on the home underdog. A Nevada bettor placed $60,000 on Bears +4 (-120) for a total potential payout of $110,000, which is also the biggest NFL Week 5 bet thus far at William Hill.
The game’s current total of 44.5 has dropped a half point from its 45 opener, yet the majority of William Hill bettors are expecting plenty of points. The over has attracted 71% of the total number of tickets and 64% of the total dollars wagered.
Check out William Hill’s latest odds and trends for Buccaneers vs. Bears below.
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