Free Thursday Night NFL Picks

Thursday Night NFL football started in 2006 and has been a regular staple of popularity for fans and bettors since. From a handicapping perspective, it forces additional avenues to be examined in relation to the odds, such as injuries, short rest, and coaching staff preparation.

It's been a ratings success despite not being as popular as MNF. The two groups who are very much against Thursday Night football are the players and coaches. Football is such a violent, physical game that injuries and fatigue are common putting a premium on six days of rest before games along with bye weeks.

Thursday Night football eliminates all that rest making it far more difficult for the participants on the field. One season, the Baltimore Ravens played four games in 17 days because of one Monday night contest and another on Thursday night. Coaching staffs already work overtime during a normal week to prepare for a game and TNF squeezes that window into just three days of prep.

Get TNF computer picks for this Thursday NFL games.

Why Use Free Thursday Night Football Picks

All those short-week challenges for players and coaches can be applied to the sports handicapping profession. Injuries are always something sports bettors should examine but the significance expands for Thursday Night football. Players who aren't out but "tweaked" a muscle on NFL Sunday aren't going to recover as quickly for a Thursday Night game.

Depth charts need to be factored in more thoroughly. Mediocre coaching staffs will be at a disadvantage on a short week, as well, easily identifiable by examining their past history with just three days of prep. Acquiring free football picks helps bettors gather relevant information in a short week, increasing your odds of finding edges on the Thursday night wagering card.

Betting Value in Free Thursday Night Football Picks

There are plenty of NFL head coaches that lean on emotion to motivate a team than intricate game planning or trying to identify and exploit weaknesses. Their coaching philosophy is, "It's not about the skill, it's the will!" That can be an asset for divisional or rivalry games when emotion has great value, but is detrimental during a very short week. Athletes playing on just three days of rest are far less likely to be able to tap into any emotional reserve.

Those teams can be overvalued with Thursday Night Football odds, primed as a go-against as the NFL betting public backs the overvalued team. Disciplined and organized coaching staffs will have prepared more efficiently for Thursday Night games, which will show up in their past history against the spread on short rest. In addition, teams with a slew of injuries on Sunday or ones that are short on depth can be lined up to wilt in the second half of a Thursday showdown.

Wunderdog Free Thursday Night Football Picks

Thursday Night Football has several stark differences that come into play compared to Sunday and Monday games. This represents the intricate nuances of sports betting where the rules you've followed for several weeks shift or don't apply at all. I understand when to focus on these subtle changes because of decades of experience doing this.

My releases come with in-depth analysis allowing you to grasp and add these subtleties to your seasonal handicapping knowledge. To be successful long-term in sports betting, you need to be prepared for the peaks, valleys, and changes before they happen on the field and at the betting window.

Free Thursday Night Football Picks vs. Premium Picks

Free NFL Thursday Night Football Pros:

• Organizing and streamlining essential winning information with easy access
• Saves you the time during a short betting week so you can focus on the weekend card
• More layers get added to your handicapping expertise

Free NFL Thursday Night Football Picks Cons:

• Marquee solo national TV game line movement can be extreme and perplexing
• Be wary of the overuse of handicapper hype, such as "Thursday TV Game of the Year".
• Just because a self-described "expert" is giving away free picks doesn't always mean they know their stuff or are putting the work in

Premium NFL Thursday Night Football Picks Pros:

• Premium selections can have exclusive information attached that isn't easily attainable
• Prop bets are plentiful adding to the search for softer odds and winning selections
• Insight and analysis into what's taking place on the other side of the betting window, which is often very revealing

Premium NFL Thursday Night Football Picks Cons:

• Selections from an undocumented or unreliable service can strain your wallet and betting budget
• All the effort you put in plus sweating close covers can diminish your enthusiasm for watching football
• Be skeptical if the premium betting service tells you to triple your TNF wager to start the weekend with a big win. Patience and money management are essential to winning money over a long season

How To Win With Free NFL Thursday Night Football Picks

On the one hand, Thursday Night Football is an exciting early start to the football wagering weekend. On the flip side, it's just one contest and there will likely be many more weak betting lines before the weekend is through. Approach the Thursday night game the same way you do any packed Saturday or Sunday card: look for the best value with the lines and if it's not there, the smartest money management is to pass.

Oddsmakers want action, however, which is why there are multiple sports betting options available when there's only one game. There are often winning edges with player props, team totals, and even moneylines when the matchups or situations are right. You can identify those edges best by looking at them yourself and augmenting your options with free sports picks from a longtime reliable pro.

Thursday Night Football Betting Strategy

Coaching History

Short weeks are a drag on players and coaches. The players don't like having just three days to rest their minds and bodies after all the punishment they endured on Sunday afternoon. The coaches have far less time than normal to watch game films, script plays, and make build unique game plans to exploit opponent weaknesses. A head coach's history tells a lot about how his teams perform on Thursday night.

Competent coaches will have subtle game plan changes ready to roll that differ from what happened on Sunday just four days earlier. Below-average coaches will have a history of not making many adjustments. They may be off a Sunday win rushing for 190 yards and stick with the same run-heavy style on Thursday night even though they're facing one of the best run defenses in the NFL.

Injuries

Watching games has many advantages to simply reading box scores. When you watch a Sunday game, you can see players that pick up minor injuries or ones that played the whole game but weren't 100%. The players may imply this after the game, or the TV broadcast crew might even point it out during a game.

Having an idea of what players are not 100% can help you on Thursday night knowing they haven't had the usual week of rest. In addition, keep tabs on depth. Some teams have quality backups, so if they're in the lineup Thursday as starters you'll know whether it's a dropoff in talent at the position or not.

Two Emotional Games in Five Days

Teams that come off emotional Sunday games can be at a disadvantage turning around quickly to play a Thursday night game. A team that just played a division rival, a big Sunday revenge win, or a physical game in the trenches is unlikely to bring the same level of intensity just four days later. It can be even worse for Thursday road teams that just played an emotional Sunday game at home.

Playing on the road is a challenge in all sports. Think about what that team has to go through mentally: they have a big win at home Sunday, have just a few days of rest and practice, then get on a plane and fly to a different city for a Thursday national TV performance. That's a taxing five-day work stretch for anyone.

Free Thursday Night Football Picks Subscription

Deciphering all the angles, stats, matchups, and betting numbers is what I do all week long to get a jump on the oddsmakers. And, of course, by necessity, I get the earliest jump of all on the Thursday games. You can get the first look at the first game of the NFL weekend by signing up for my free picks subscription.

That information is valuable to any serious bettors - and at no cost. When you step up to the wagering window, you need to be fully prepared if you want to win. And that's doubly true for the first game of the NFL weekend!