NFL

The 3 Most Popular NFL Bets for Week 15

Over the last couple of weeks, you may have been eliminated from your fantasy football playoffs. But there's no need to feel left out with games to bet on at every turn.

This Sunday and Monday provide plenty more opportunities to get in on the action at FanDuel Sportsbook. On tap are another 15 games, including one with a 35.5-point over/under and another sporting a total of 50.5.

But which games and lines are getting the most action? Thanks to numberFire's new oddsFire tool, we can see exactly that -- where the public is laying the most bets, and what percentage of money is on which team and which side of the total.

Using oddsFire as our guide, let's dive into the three lines (one spread, one moneyline, one over/under) getting the most love, with the goal of deciding whether the numbers support or contradict the public's heavy investment.

Seattle Seahawks (-6) at Carolina Panthers

The only things these two teams have in common is that they are in the NFL and in the NFC. Other than that, they are quite the opposite of one another. On one hand, the Seattle Seahawks are 10-3 and on their way to the playoffs, while the Carolina Panthers are 5-8, having just fired their coach in what has been a lost season without Cam Newton.

Kyle Allen has been really rocky in Newton's place under center. He has six touchdowns in the last three weeks, but he has also thrown three picks with a 63.4% completion rate in that span. Meanwhile, Russell Wilson has been as steady as they come in 2019. Save for last week's rough patch against the Los Angeles Rams, he has been a threat both through the air and on the ground, totaling 29 touchdowns in the process.

On the year, he has his Seahawks at 6-1 on the road with a 5-1-1 record against the spread, according to Killer Sports. Four of their wins are as underdogs, and considering the points, they are 3-0-1. As for Carolina, they're 2-4 both with and without the points at home, including one loss as 'dogs back in Week 1.

Based on those records, it comes as no surprise that Seattle is drawing 95% of the bets and 87% of the money on the spread. It's simply a no-brainer.

New England Patriots (-450) at Cincinnati Bengals

This might seem like a lock, too, but with everything surrounding the New England Patriots -- once again -- over the past week, there's reason to doubt what would otherwise be a surefire win on the road against an inferior team. "Scout"-gate, or whatever you want to call it, has taken over the football world in recent days, as the Pats were caught up in a controversy surrounding a video crew and a very peculiar video focused on the Cincinnati Bengals' sideline in last week's game in Cleveland.

You could argue that if the video was sent back to the team this gives New England an advantage. Given the details we know, though, in addition to the on-the-field edge Bill Belichick and company tend to have already, let's assume we have a fair game between one of the top and bottom teams in the NFL.

A floundering Andy Dalton, a hot running Joe Mixon, and the Bengals are in search of their second win of the season at home, where they won their only game this season two weeks ago against the New York Jets. Last week, Mixon finally broke out in a big way against the Browns, turning in 186 total yards on 27 opportunities. And Dalton -- though he threw a pick -- wasn't all that bad himself, throwing for 262 yards and completing 22 of 38 passes.

All that is to say the Bengals are looking better, but against this Patriots defense they'll need to be more than OK. New England is first in our power rankings defensively and have held opponents to a league-best 13.1 points a game to date.

On the road, the Pats are 5-2 this year, but they have lost two of their last three there. When favored by a touchdown, as they are here, they are undefeated in seven games with a 4-0 record in road games. The Bengals have lost all but one game in Cincy, and to boot they have failed to cover in four of six, losing their last projected blowout by 36.

Accordingly, the public is all over New England. They've placed 84% of their bets and 77% of their money on the road team, and there's no reason to believe they'll fail them in this spot.

Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints (Over 46.5)

The Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints will end the week in the Superdome on Monday Night Football, and while oddsmakers don't have it pegged as the highest-scoring matchup bettors are 100% in on the over -- or at least close to it.

Currently, 98% of bets and 99% of the money has come in on the over to hit for this AFC/NFC clash. And at some books, the over is the favored play at -125 or -111. On FanDuel Sportsbook, it's at -110, but that's even with the odds on the under.

It sure seems like the over is both the fun and smart play then, right?

In the Saints' 13 games this season the over has won out in 7 of them as they and their opponents have averaged 49.3 points between them. However, we need to keep in mind that over the past four games they and their opponents have combined for no fewer than 44 points in a game with at least 51 or more in the other three.

The over has also been kind to those betting in Colts games. Their contests have exceeded the set total in 8 of 13 despite a combined average of 45.5. And yet again, recent trends favor a high-scoring game. Since Week 9, the over has won out in four of their six games, including a 73-point outburst on the road last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The public seems to be spot on with this one, and on the week as a whole. For everyone's sake, let's hope that is the way it plays out.