Insights from Jeff Stoneback, director of trading for MGM Resorts sportsbooks, and John Sheeran, risk manager for FanDuel Sportsbook at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.
MGM books, including Stoneback’s home base at The Mirage on the Las Vegas Strip, don’t really have a way around losing tonight, based on how the action is spread out.
“We are a four-way loser on this game,” Stoneback said. “Not a big loser at all. It’s mostly because of live parlays on the favorite. If you took the parlays out, we’d need the Texans.
“The sharps are on the ‘dog, and the line has gone from six down to four. We have five times more pointspread money on the Titans, but three times more pointspread tickets on the Texans. But again, all the parlays from the pubic are on the favorite.”
Stoneback said the best-case scenario – the smallest loss – would be for the Under to hit, regardless of who wins or covers. MGM books opened the total at 41 and jumped to 43 by Monday afternoon.I
FanDuel Sportsbook opened the Texans a tick higher at -6.5 and was also down to -4 Monday afternoon.
“Some initial sharp action on the Titans moved the line down, but now at -4, the vast majority of the interest is for Houston,” Sheeran said. “The Texans are now 80% of the book. And the total is at 42.5, up from 41. Per usual, we will want the Under.”