June 2nd, 2020 - By Brandon Barbour
After going 13-3 in 2019, the San Francisco 49ers are hopeful of making another Super Bowl run. With regular-season NFL over unders as one of the main futures bets to focus on in the sport, bettors are breaking down schedules and offseason moves to figure out where they can make some cash. The 49ers have a 10.5 line for their win total in 2020. Which side of this bet should you hammer?
Offseason Moves
It was a fairly quiet offseason for San Francisco. They traded away DeForest Buckner, Marquise Goodwin, and Matt Breida. For Buckner, they received the Indianapolis Colts first-round selection, and replaced their defensive-lineman with a younger, cheaper lineman in Javon Kinlaw. Late round picks were swapped in the deals involving Goodwin and Breida.
The 49ers also let Emmanuel Sanders walk in free agency to the New Orleans Saints. They spent a late first-round pick on a new wide out in Brandon Aiyuk to fill the hole. Longtime offensive lineman, Joe Staley, decided to hang it up and call it a career. This prompted the 49ers to swoop in and pull off a trade with the Washington Redskins to acquire Trent Williams, a terrific offensive tackle. Despite losing some offensive weapons, the 49ers return with a very similar squad and starting cast.
Schedule And Outlook
Now, let’s break down the schedule. It wouldn’t be shocking if San Francisco got off to a raging start. Last year the Niners were one of the top NFL picks against the spread, they covered the spread in 61% of their games, so you have to think they will be close to this mark this upcoming year. They’ll host the Arizona Cardinals, visit the New York Jets, visit the New York Giants, host the Philadelphia Eagles, host the Miami Dolphins, and host the Los Angeles Rams. Clearly, the Eagles are the challenge in the first six weeks. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the team started 6-0 or 5-1.
This is where the schedule gets rough. They’ll visit the New England Patriots, visit the Seattle Seahawks, host the Green Bay Packers (Thursday Night Football), and visit the New Orleans Saints before a week 11 bye. That’s a ton of travel and a battle with the Packers on short rest. Let’s say San Francisco splits the four games. Worst case scenario, they’ve started out 7-3 and finished off the worst part of their schedule in 2020. Not bad! As a bettor you also have to be keeping your eye on the NFL spreads to make sure you are getting value on the bets. Against these other top tier NFL teams even the smallest point spread can make a difference.
After the rough patch, the 49ers will visit the Rams, host the Buffalo Bills, host the Washington Redskins, visit the Dallas Cowboys, visit the Cardinals, and host the Seahawks. Conservatively, San Francisco would end up with at least 11 wins with the potential to win 12 or even 13.
Last season, the 49ers went 5-1 against their division. The Cardinals and Seahawks will be better, no doubt, but the 49ers are still boasting a championship roster. It’s very possible that San Francisco only has three different playoff teams to get through on the schedule (Eagles, Seahawks, Saints). No one knows exactly what to expect from the Patriots, Packers, or Cowboys. So, while the schedule may appear scary, it isn’t so bad.
This will be coach Kyle Shanahan’s fourth seasons with the club. He has built a championship roster and has fully implemented his ways into the organization. Last season was Jimmy Garoppolo’s first full season with the offensive guru, so expect some growth from the quarterback in 2020. All signs point to the 49ers going over 10.5 wins. This feels like a bet worth making.
You can place risk free bets for this upcoming NFL season by taking a look at these sportsbook bonus codes from BetQL. Find a local sportsbook and create a new account to get free money to bet with.
