NFL preseason betting occupies a unique niche that rewards research-heavy bettors willing to dig deeper than surface-level analysis. With starters often playing a series or two before yielding to second- and third-string players, the outcome of a preseason game hinges far more on roster depth and coaching philosophy than regular-season talent hierarchies. Scoring patterns tend to be erratic — expect lower-quality offensive execution, more turnovers, and unpredictable game flow. Market depth is considerably thinner than the regular season, with most books offering sides, totals, and moneylines but little beyond that, and limits are typically much lower.
Vig on NFL preseason lines tends to run wider than during the regular season or playoffs. Sportsbooks face genuine uncertainty in setting these lines — there's less reliable data to model, unknown playing-time distributions, and volatile roster turnover throughout August. That uncertainty gets priced into the margin. Where a regular-season NFL spread might carry a combined vig of around -108 to -110 on each side, preseason lines frequently sit at -110/-110 or worse, and totals can carry even steeper juice. Shopping across books becomes especially valuable in this environment, as the spread of opinion between oddsmakers is wider than at any other point in the NFL calendar.
The preseason typically runs from early August through late August, with three games per team. Odds tend to be most competitive closer to the final preseason game, when books have more data from earlier contests and roster cuts have clarified depth charts. Key factors to monitor include coaching tendencies around starter usage — some coaches rest starters entirely by the third game while others push for extended reps — as well as injury reports, which shift rapidly during camp. Home-field advantage is largely negligible, and weather is rarely a factor in August. The single most important variable is understanding which players will actually be on the field, making beat reporter intel and practice reports essential tools for preseason bettors.
Carolina Panthers @ Arizona Cardinals
| Side | Market | Best Line | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| home | h2h | Bovada: +105 | +102 |
| away | h2h | FanDuel: -120 | -125 |
| home | spreads | Bovada: -110 (+1.5) | -115 |
| away | spreads | Caesars: -105 (-1.5) | -110 |
| over | totals | LowVig.ag: -107 (+35.5) | -112 |
| under | totals | LowVig.ag: -107 (+35.5) | -112 |
| home | spreads | LowVig.ag: -105 (0) | -110 |
| away | spreads | LowVig.ag: -105 (0) | -110 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best NFL Preseason lines today?
The table below shows which sportsbook has the best available price on each side of every upcoming NFL Preseason event. Line shopping across multiple books can save you 1–3% per bet compared to sticking with a single sportsbook.
What is vig (vigorish) in sports betting?
Vig — short for vigorish, also called juice or overround — is the margin a sportsbook builds into its odds. It's the difference between the true probability of an outcome and what the odds imply. Lower vig means you keep more of your winnings on every bet. For example, a standard -110/-110 line has about 4.76% vig.
How often is this data updated?
We pull fresh odds from The Odds API three times per day — at 6:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 10:00 PM UTC. Each snapshot captures the latest lines from every sportsbook that has posted odds. The timestamp at the top of the page shows the most recent refresh.
How is the vig grade calculated?
Each sportsbook is graded on a letter scale based on average vig: A+ (under 2%) is exceptional, A (2–3%) is excellent, B+ (3–4%) is above average, B (4–5%) is the industry standard, C (5–6%) is below average, and D (above 6%) indicates high-juice markets.
Why does lower vig matter for bettors?
Lower vig directly impacts your long-term returns. A bettor placing $1,000 per week at a book with 4% vig loses roughly $40/week to the house edge. At 2% vig, that drops to $20/week — a $1,040 difference over a year. For serious bettors, shopping for lower vig is one of the most reliable ways to improve profitability.
What sportsbooks do you track?
We track both regulated US sportsbooks (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars) and offshore books (Bovada, BetOnline, MyBookie, BetUS, LowVig.ag, BetAnySports). Data comes from The Odds API, which aggregates real-time lines from licensed sources.
How We Calculate These Numbers
- Data Source
- All odds on this page come from The Odds API, which aggregates real-time lines from licensed US and offshore sportsbooks. We track moneyline, spread, and totals markets across every sport with active betting lines.
- Update Frequency
- We pull a fresh snapshot of every tracked market three times per day — at 6:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 10:00 PM UTC. Each snapshot captures the latest lines from every sportsbook that has posted odds for a given event. The timestamp at the top of each page tells you exactly when the data was last refreshed.
- Vig Calculation
- Vig (short for vigorish, also called juice or overround) measures the margin a sportsbook builds into its odds. We calculate it by converting the odds on each side of a market to implied probabilities, summing those probabilities, and subtracting 100%. For example, a market priced at -110/-110 implies 52.38% on each side — a total of 104.76%, meaning a vig of 4.76%. Lower vig means better value for bettors because you keep more of your winnings.
- Per-Market Breakdown
- We compute vig separately for each market type: moneyline (h2h), point spreads, and totals (over/under). The "average vig" shown for each sportsbook is the mean across all market types weighted by the number of events sampled in each market.
- Grading Scale
- Every sportsbook receives a letter grade based on its average vig: A+ (under 2%) is exchange-level pricing. A (2–3%) is very competitive. B+ (3–4%) is above average. B (4–5%) is the industry standard — a -110/-110 line is 4.76%. C+ (5–6%) is slightly below average. C (6–7%) is below average. D (7–8%) is high vig. D− (8–10%) is very high vig. F (10%+) is predatory pricing. See the full Vig Index Methodology for formulas, worked examples, and known limitations.
- Trend Tracking
- We store daily snapshots for 30 days, allowing us to show 24-hour and 7-day vig trends. A downward trend (improving) means sportsbooks are tightening their lines — often in response to increased competition or higher betting volume as a season heats up.