The Tom Brady Effect: Vegas odds swing wildly after suspension nullified

The Brady Effect has changed the NFL's gambling landscape dramatically on the eve of the 2015 season.

Author:
OddsShark
Publish date:
Sep 4, 2015

Two days ago, Tom Brady’s name was far from the minds of Week 1 fantasy football players.

Today, the Patriots quarterback is considered the top choice to score the most fantasy points in Week 1, at least according to one sportsbook that posted daily fantasy sports odds this morning.

Paired in a group with other top quarterbacks Tony Romo and Peyton Manning, Bovada.lv made Brady the +150 favorite.

And fantasy isn’t the only Vegas venue where the Brady Effect has changed the landscape dramatically on the eve of the 2015 season.

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The day before Judge Berman's ruling, the Patriots were favored by 2.5 to three points in their season-opener at home against the Steelers. It was the smallest point spread faced by the Pats in a season opener since they closed as one-point underdogs at Buffalo to kick off the 2003 season, a game they went on to lose 31–0.

On Friday, New England was favored by a touchdown at most sportsbooks monitored by SI odds partner OddsShark.com.

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NFL MVP odds? Brady was a 20–1 long shot, well behind leaders Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck, but that line was halved overnight with news he would not miss four games. Some sportsbooks even had him slightly better than 10–1 odds.

The Patriots' Super Bowl 50 odds changed slightly, moving down to 9–1 from 10–1, and their odds to win the AFC East and the conference title both dipped slightly.

New England's season win total prop also swung in the Pats’ favor. Before the ruling, the betting favored the under of the Pats' mark of 10.5 wins. By Thursday, it had significantly moved to favor the over.

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