NFL Betting: Old Wide Receivers, New Teams

By Richard Gardner, Bodog Sportbook Manager

With the craziest free agent week in NFL history now in the books, it’s a good time to look back and assess all the money spent and players changing locales. One position in particular saw more transactions than any other – wide receiver. Several big-name talents joined new teams and Bodog’s online sportsbook was right on top of the action, releasing some cool NFL player props to correspond with the signings.

Let’s take a look at a few, shall we?

Chad Ochocinco – Total TDs in the 2011 Regular Season
Line = 6 (Over/Under -115)

In one of the most stunning moves of the free agent period, the New England Patriots traded away a pair of late-round draft picks to acquire the services of Chad Ochocino from the Cincinnati Bengals. On paper, it seems like a crazy decision – Ocho, the perennial diva being coached by Bill Belichick, the rigid taskmaster – but it might actually work out. Ochocinco was a pretty productive receiver last year despite missing a few games due to injury and being mired in an occasionally-awful Bengals passing game. He caught 67 balls for 831 yards in just 14 games – but only found the end zone four times. In a Patriot offense where receiving TDs are spread around (Rob Gronkowski, Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez and Deion Branch all scored five or more last year), it’s hard to think the new guy will be getting a lot of red-zone touches.

Mike Sims-Walker – Total TD’s in the 2011 Regular Season 
Line = 6.5 (Over/Under -115)

One of the more underrated signings was St. Louis jumping into the mix and getting Mike Sims-Walker out of Jacksonville. At 26, Walker has proven to be a steady and sure-handed target that can consistently find the end zone – he has seven TDs in each of his last two seasons – and he should immediately become QB Sam Bradford’s No. 1 target with the Rams. Bradford managed to throw 18 TDs last year despite playing largely with WRs other teams discarded, so it’s refreshing to see the Rams go out and get him a quality target. Bradford and Sims-Walker could potentially rip up the NFC West next season, a division that has a lot of holes in a lot of secondaries.  

Plaxico Burress – Total TD’s in the 2011 Regular Season 
Line = 5 (Over/Under -115)

The Plax is back! At 34, Plaxico Burress will return to the NFL after a temporary stint of incarceration – and he’ll do it by returning to New York. This time, though, it’ll be with the Jets rather than the Giants. The Jets decided to let Braylon Edwards walk and instead turned to Burress who, they hope, will team up with another former Steeler (Santonio Holmes) to give New York its best pass-catching duo in the Mark Sanchez era. Here’s what we know about Plaxico – in his first three seasons with the Giants, he scored at least seven touchdowns per season and went for 22 in 2006-2007 combined. Here’s what we don’t know: How well a 34-year old that hasn’t played a snap since 2008 can effectively come back to the NFL. We will find out soon, though.

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