Well-rested after holding off Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 8 to kick off Week 5, the Chicago Bears are a challenging proposition this week for sports bettors in Illinois heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Carolina Panthers on the road.
The Bears (4-1) are slight underdogs at all five sportsbooks with access to mobile wagering in the Land of Lincoln as of 10:30 a.m. Friday. Three of the five oddsmakers — PointsBet, FanDuel, and William Hill — list Chicago as 1.5-point underdogs, while DraftKings and BetRivers have Carolina (3-2) favored by a single point. FanDuel is the only sportsbook that has moved off the standard -110 bet, offering the Bears -115 with the 1.5 points and the Panthers -105 laying them.
For moneyline offerings, William Hill is currently offering the best play on the Bears at +110, with the other four sportsbooks listing them at even money (+100). The Panthers are ranging anywhere from -114 at BetRivers and DraftKings to -130 at the British-based William Hill.
FanDuel stands out among the offerings for the over/under at 43.5 points compared to 44.5 elsewhere. FanDuel is offering -115 for the over and -105 for the under on that play.
FanDuel offer on Montgomery anytime TD enticing
Only three of the books thus far have listings for touchdown scorers, and one that immediately stood out was FanDuel offering Bears running back David Montgomery +100 for an anytime touchdown compared to -134 at DraftKings and BetRivers. All three are offering +135 for wide receiver Allen Robinson III to find paydirt, while FanDuel has a better price for tight end Jimmy Graham at +270 compared to +225 for DraftKings and BetRivers. On the flip side, BetRivers and DraftKings are offering +400 on a touchdown by Anthony Miller compared to +310 at FanDuel.
FanDuel and PointsBet have over/under listings on some player props. At quarterback, FanDuel has established Nick Foles’ over/under at 246.5 yards at -110, while PointsBet has set the bar at 251.5 yards at -115. The Australian-based book also has Foles’ over/under of pass attempts at 36.5 and is offering the Bears signal-caller at -108 to throw for more head-to-head yards than Panthers counterpart Teddy Bridgewater (-124).
There is a smaller spread for the over/under on Montgomery’s rushing yards, with FanDuel at 58.5 and PointsBet countering with 60.5 yards. Only one yard separates them on receiving yards for Robinson, with FanDuel at 74.5 and PointsBet showing 75.5. PointsBet is also offering Robinson as a solid favorite (-150) to finish with more receiving yards than Carolina’s Robby Anderson (+112).
First-half offerings
The narrow overall spread also makes for interesting doings for bettors interested in placing first-half wagers. FanDuel has also staked out a different area as the only sportsbook of the five offering the spread as a pick’em, with the Bears even money and the Panthers -120. The other four books have the Panthers as half-point favorites, with BetRivers currently having the best offering for the Bears at -107, followed by William Hill (-110), DraftKings (-117), and PointsBet (-121).
William Hill is again the best moneyline option for Bears backers, offering them at +110, slightly better than PointsBet (+105). FanDuel is offering even money while DraftKings and BetRivers check in at -107. It should be noted for three-way moneyline options available in the first half, FanDuel has the Bears at +115, while DraftKings and BetRivers are at +110. Both are offering +950 for the teams to go to the locker room tied.
PointsBet and William Hill are offering a first-half over/under of 21.5 points at the standard -110, while the other three sportsbooks have a listing of 22.5 points. FanDuel has a larger spread, offering +110 for the over and -130 for the under, while DraftKings and BetRivers are offering -112 and -117, respectively.