The San Francisco 49ers are going to have at least 10 different starters from the team which ended last season, and they are going to be breaking in a new coach in Jim Tomsula, too. Many expect this to end in a train wreck this year, starting off on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings.
WHEN THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS HAVE THE BALL
With Frank Gore now gone, the Colts are turning their backfield over to Carlos Hyde. Hyde is probably a future star in this league, but we're not all that sure that he is ready to hold the backfield down on his own.
That's going to put a lot of stress on Colin Kaepernick, who we think has already proven that he isn't an elite passer in this league. Yes, Kaepernick can make things happen with his legs, but on those big third and long situations, live bettors can rest easily knowing that the Niners probably aren't converting more often than not.
Torrey Smith will make his debut for the Niners in this one, and he can at least stretch the field, but the Vikings were very good last season at keeping plays in front of them and not allowing the deep ball. Anquan Boldin could have a really good game, but is that going to result is 20+ points for San Francisco? It's tough for live bettors to see that happening.
WHEN THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS HAVE THE BALL
The Vikings might sneakily have one of the best offenses in the NFL this year. They don't have these truly elite wide receivers, but Teddy Bridgewater could be set for a sophomore surge, and having Adrian Peterson in the backfield once again is only going to help.
Here's what's not going to help, though. The Vikes have lost two of their starting offensive linemen in Phil Loadholt and John Sullivan for the season, and that is going to be a big problem for sure. However, Minnesota didn't have a great offensive line a couple seasons ago when Peterson rumbled for nearly 2,100 yards.
The key for live bettors might be field position in this game. If the San Francisco offense isn't moving the ball, you can bet that Mike Zimmer is going to be more conservative with his offense and not let Bridgewater get himself into a lot of trouble. This could be good for under bettors, though it should be notable that the total has come up from 41 at the open to 41.5 as of Sunday.
TREND TO TRACK
You're not going to see point spreads move this far in the NFL without a quarterback injury. The 49ers were once favored by 3.5 points in this game, but they are now +2.5 at home and are teetering on +3.
The Niners went 0-5 ATS in their last five home games of last season, and they just don’t feel like they have ever really settled into playing well here at Levi's Stadium.
Keep in mind as well that Minnesota covered four of its last five road games in 2014 and five of its last six overall. With the way Bridgewater is improving game by game and with an explosive running game, it's clear to see that live bettors should be spending more time finding opportunities to bet on the Vikes in this game than on San Francisco unless the 49ers end up playing a lot better ball than most figure this year.
The NFL betting lines and props for this Monday game were first available at BookMaker Sportsbook. The San Francisco 49ers were lined at -3.5 alongside a total of 41. Live wagering during commercials offers adjusted moneylines, totals and spreads. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
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