Best NFL Preseason Betting Picks & Predictions for August 18, 2024

Week 2 of the NFL preseason is about to come to a close, but before it concludes, we have two games left for tonight, Sunday, August 18, between the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers. 

Below, I’ll discuss the best bets for these games and finish it with the best bet for today’s CFL slate. 

Let’s dive in. 

Denver Broncos vs. Green Bay Packers

The Broncos are sizable favorites in this one, and it makes sense—the quality of the quarterback is completely in their favor. 

The Broncos will throw out a mix of Bo Nix, Zach Wilson, and Jarrett Stidham, while the Packers will mostly use Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt. I don’t expect to see Jordan Love too much this preseason.

Nix has likely already earned his role as the starting quarterback in this offense, but Stidham and Wilson are playing as the direct backup now. 

For the Packers, Pratt showed some promise in college in 2022, throwing for over 3,000 yards, 27 touchdowns, and five interceptions, but he dealt with some injuries in 2023.

Clifford was underwhelming at Penn State. In his fifth season in 2022, he completed less than 65% of his passes and eclipsed 3,000 passing yards just once. I remember being surprised that he was even drafted. 

Look for Nix to separate himself here more and for Stidham and Wilson to look like Brady and Mahomes against this cast of Packers quarterbacks. 

Best Bet: Broncos -7 (-108 at DraftKings)

San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints

The 49ers will give the starters some run here in their second preseason game, but I wouldn’t expect it to last long with Trent Williams still not reporting for camp and left guard Aaron Banks undergoing surgery on his pinkie. 

Still, I trust the 49ers coaching staff more, even with the second and third-team offenses with Joshua Dobbs, Brandon Allen, and Tanner Mordecai getting into the mix. 

Behind Derek Carr on the Saints are Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler. Haener looked OK in Week 1 against Arizona, completing nine of 13 passes for 107 yards, but Rattler struggled a bit, completing just nine of 17 passes for 70 yards and averaging just 4.1 yards per attempt. 

I also like the 49ers backfield behind Christian McCaffrey here, with Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason, and rookies Isaac Guerendo and Cody Schrader mixing in. 

Look for a narrow 49ers win at home. 

Best Bet: 49ers -1 (-105 at DraftKings)

BC Lions vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers

The Lions picked up Nathan Rourke after the Atlanta Falcons released him, and he’ll start this game against Winnipeg.

This move came at the perfect time, with Vernon Adams Jr. out with an injury. Not only did the Lions pick him up, but they also signed him on a massive contract. He’ll make nearly $750k in 2025 and $815k in 2026. This made him the highest-paid player in the CFL. 

He’ll get a matchup against a Blue Bombers team that’s quarterbacked by Zach Collaros. This season, Collros has completed 165 of 238 passes (69.3%) for 2,018 yards, four touchdowns, and eight interceptions. 

Rourke last played in the CFL in 2022 with BC. He had 3,349 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. 

Look for the addition of Rourke to boost morale and snap the Lions three-game losing streak. 

Best Bet: BC Lions -2.5 (-120 at FanDuel)