We want to find the best NFL handicappers in the world, sports fans whose tips hit the mark more often than not and who have a keen talent for hitting big payouts consistently. While there is no omnipotent NFL tipster guru out there who gets it right every single time – there are multitudes of NFL betting veterans, up and coming Twitter NFL tipsters, football betting driven influencers, and esteemed sports journalists (like one of my colleagues), who have a keen eye for good NFL tips.
The list of the best NFL handicappers that we will run through here will include a variety of football aficionados. It will cover expert NFL bettors from all major platforms and different establishments, from ESPN and Sports Illustrated to our very own in-house NFL sports betting expert. Betting on the NFL has never been more exciting, especially when you can tail some of the top pros in the industry.
Best NFL Handicappers to Follow
The topic matter is subjective, and not even the expert bettors get it right all the time. However, my criteria for finding the top NFL handicappers is not just based on how much money these tipsters have earned or how long they have been going. No, I also wanted to analyze some of the following points as well:
- Accessibility – How easy are they to find/follow
- Versatility – Just moneylines and spreads or if they use more markets
- Frequency – They must post on a weekly basis, covering Thursday through Monday night games
And perhaps most importantly of all, these are Free NFL Betting Picks, as opposed to subscriptions that you have to pay for on a monthly (or sometimes even weekly) basis. Save your money for your NFL wagers instead. Now onto the fun stuff, here are the top #5 NFL handicappers in the world.
#5. ESPN Team
Betting Team of NFL Handicappers at ESPN
The ESPN betting experts look for the best deals and outstanding offers on NFL weekly bets, and post them in their picks. The team is bigger than SI, and puts up all the picks in a neat table. But personally I don’t like the interface as much, because each game is assessed on individual pages and it requires you to do a bit of digging to gather information. ESPN is king when it comes to collecting stats and looking at historical data, and I think that the weekly NFL betting tables are worth looking at.
You can also browse previous NFL weekly picks, and see which tipsters have the best record when it comes to picking winners. It is a good starting place for sports betting beginners who want some solid picks and check out the stats to back up their predictions.
Highlights:
- NFL Parlays every week
- Key place to find NFL game stats
- Doesn’t have game analysis all in one place
#4. Mitch Goldich
Sports Illustrated Editor and NFL Handicapper
SI has an entertaining group of sports betting experts, who have weekly predictions for NFL gameweeks. The team has been around since 2019, posting regular NFL picks and they also have leaderboards to show how all the tipsters have fared in the season. Personally, I like Goldich’s game analysis and how he also looks for opportunities on underdogs.
The other tipsters, such as Albert Breer, Matt Verderame and Gilberto Manzano also have lots of good ideas and intriguing parlay betting combinations too, and are worth checking out. The team is experienced and point out all the details that you need to know about.
Highlights:
- Does a lot of underdog betting
- NFL game previews and post-game analysis
- Interface is a bit disorganised, could have picks more neatly presented
#3. Todd Fuhrman
Bet The Board Podcast NFL Handicapper
Furhman used to work at Caesars Sportsbook as an oddsmaker, and he is a go-to sports betting expert when it comes to NFL. He shares his betting picks on his @BetTheBoardPod sports betting podcast. His use of props, attention to detail, and versatile parlay betting combinations are always enjoyable to listen to, but if you don’t have the time to tune into the podcast, then you will miss out on his best selections.
Sports betting podcasts are in high demand, and Furhman is worth the listen. But if you don’t have the time to listen to the podcast, then unfortunately his picks are very rarely posted in written format. It is quite a shame as his analysis is both concise and useful, but you are forced to sit through the podcast to find out what the former Vegas insider is up to.
Highlights:
- Great usage of props and player bets
- Interesting parlay combinations
- No regular written picks – you have to listen to the podcast
#2. Jack Jones
BetFirm NFL Handicapper
Jones works at BetFirm and has built a large following of NFL bettors. He has a free football pick podcast and posts betting picks on his Twitter regularly. While Jack Jones has dabbled in betting on college football, NBA and various other sports, NFL is his main area of expertise.
His Tweets are to the point and Jones does not dally with visual aesthetics or working the sale. No, he states a pick, and then summarises his opinion in two or three sentences. Simple and effective. However, Jones does not post all his picks on his Twitter handle. You have to subscribe and pay for all his NFL betting picks.
Highlights:
- Straightforward picks
- Extensive portfolio of NFL betting picks
- Not many free parlays
#1. Paul Ricci
Betting Tools NFL Handicapper
Paul delivers fresh NFL betting picks every week, and he relies on a lot more than statistics and historical data. An established sports journalist and NFL capper, Paul continuously mixes his picks up and looks for worthy odds on underdogs, generous lines for betting against the spread, and insights that can help unravel what may happen on the field.
But one of the key weapons in his arsenal is the tools that he uses to determine whether the odds on a given wager are worth it or not. It’s something that puts us a little ahead of the competition, as we don’t only look for bets with the best chance of winning, but also evaluate whether the prices are worth your while or not. Paul analyses the odds at different sportsbooks to get the most out of his weekly NFL free parlay picks, and even if it is just a matter of nickels and dimes, that money can add up in the long run and make the difference between turning a profit on your sports wagers.
His weekly NFL picks come out nice and early, so you have time to catch the early-bird odds, before the market gets hot and before the sportsbooks shade their lines to reduce the good value. His evaluation includes key factors on and off the field, keeping you in the knowhow, and pointing you towards the wagers with the best winning potential for the most generous returns.
Highlights:
- Weekly parlays come nice and early, with high expected value odds
- Uses tools to analyze the odds and finds the best lines
- Gives you options to improve your NFL betting strategy
- Completely free and easily accessible at BettingTools or on Twitter (@BettingToolsUS)
Other NFL Handicappers and Sources for NFL Picks
There are alternatives to NFL handicappers, betting tipsters and sports betting journalists. You can also check out popular NFL betting threads or forums, or even check out what betting bots predict for upcoming NFL games.
NFL Handicapper Betting Forums
You can also try your luck on platforms that have NFL betting communities, where everyday bettors can register anonymously and submit their tips or wagers. These exchanges show you where most NFL tipsters put their money, and you can see what’s hot in NFL betting circles
Finding NFL betting forums on Reddit, Quora, or Discord channels to find out more about where the market is heading. But this information can also work against your betting predictions.
As mentioned earlier, when sportsbooks first release their odds, they are clean of any market influence. Generally, you can expect the lines to start shifting midweek, as NFL bettors line up their parlay bets ahead of Thursday Night, and sportsbooks will capitalize the direction in which most NFL fans bet. The closing line value of popular wagers such as favorites in moneylines or overs in totals bets, tend to have more juice than normal. Sportsbooks know that a lot of last-minute bettors will take the lines and odds at lower prices, as the market is nearing the deadline, and you won’t really find better odds elsewhere.
As a casual or one-off wager, it doesn’t really affect you, but if you place NFL parlays regularly, then you will definitely feel the impact of those lower prices.
NFL Handicapper Betting Bots and Odds Trackers
Most top US sportsbooks supply you with generic statistics and perhaps even some implied probability on the outcomes of moneylines. Delving a bit deeper, there are websites that are dedicated to bringing you an even more in-depth analysis of the stats and going as far as generating percentages on the likelihood of different types of wagers.
Data-driven betting is highly valuable in terms of giving yourself a little edge over the sportsbook. It can help rule out those bets that seem risky or point you toward alternate betting lines and markets to build your parlays. But there are a few loopholes within betting purely based on stats.
Notably, these stats don’t really show you the psychological impact or take into consideration anything that happens off the field or in training. This is where the NFL handicapper expertise blows stats out of the water. They will weigh in with their own finding and considerations. Stats don’t really show you whether a team was “lucky” to win a game, or whether a change in the lineup or something off the field affected the psychology in a losing team’s squad. That part is left to the experts who read how the players move, their cohesion on the field, and how quickly they can adapt to beat their opponents.
Where to Get Your NFL Betting Picks
With that all said, there is no shortage of NFL handicappers out there, and you can find loads on Twitter, Instagram, Discord, and other popular media channels. There are tipsters who only offer small bits and pieces, and you can only unlock the entirety of their picks by paying for a subscription.
Then, there are NFL betting predictors who work out all the details and are happy to give them pro bono, but they don’t really factor in the odds or market influence. As for betting forums, they are a little more akin to stock market portfolios, with thousands of anonymous users going up and down the leaderboards every week. Sure, you can find out what’s hot and where everyone is putting their money, but how many of those users are simply following trends or deliberately trying to bet against the trends – and where does the real betting value lie?
Our mission, here at Betting Tools, is to supply you not only with value-for-money betting picks but also to equip you with all the tools and software you need to hone your betting tools. We cover different betting strategies, explore various betting terms, and continuously bring you insights into how sportsbooks operate – highlighting both the strengths and weaknesses of the top US sportsbooks.
