Of course, some games will still be without odds as the teams (or their next week opponent) may be involved in the Sunday Night or Monday Night game. The NFL sportsbooks earliest to offer lines will normally post numbers for the next week’s games as earlier as Sunday evening.

Most sportsbooks use similar or the same services, so lines will often move almost in unison in response to breaking news or betting action. Many traditional land-based sportsbooks and online bookmakers use news services, software and other tools to keep up with the latest injuries, coaching decisions, weather, and essentially all information related to sporting events. Since there is a wealth of information to go over when handicapping a particular NFL game, the human error element almost always comes into play. These experienced high-volume handicappers shape the line movement more than any other group of bettors, including the large number of recreational bettors, who are known collectively in bookmaking circles as ‘squares’.

Since they are still primarily decided by the human element, there will certainly be ‘mistakes’ in the lines that will be pounced on by ‘sharp’ bettors. However, one must remember that at the core, the odds are not decided by a computer, but instead are primarily man made. Oddsmakers may use formulas, simulations, or other statistics-based programs to help them create these numbers, in addition to personal observations. Many factors go into creating an opening line. The first numbers bettors see each week come from a professional group of oddsmakers that convene to give each game an opening number. Even football bettors who have bet for several years may have little knowledge of line movement or the origins of weekly NFL odds. There is no simple answer to who makes the point spread, totals and moneylines for each week of NFL action.

Spread and odds