NFL Preseason Betting Guide 2025: 5 Tips for Profiting on Exhibition Football

You want action on the NFL preseason? We have you covered ahead of the Hall of Fame Game tonight between the Chargers and Lions.

C Jackson Cowart

Last Updated: July 31, 2025 12:00 PM EDT • 6 minute read

NFL Preseason Betting Guide 2025 - Expert Tips, Schedule & Key Dates — Pictured: Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) throws a pass against the Detroit Lions. Photo by Orlando Ramirez / Imagn Images.

We haven't reached August yet, but we're already offering our NFL preseason betting guide with the Hall of Fame Game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions kicking off tonight at 8 p.m. ET (NBC) from Canton, Ohio.

While some will dismiss the "meaningless" results of exhibition play, NFL preseason betting can be one of the most profitable ways to exploit the best NFL betting sites and build your bankroll ahead of the regular season.

That's because information is on the bettors' side over the next month - which is why it's annually one of the most profitable times for my NFL picks. I'll break down my favorite ways to take advantage this preseason, along with the full 2025 NFL preseason schedule and key dates.

📅 NFL preseason schedule 2025: Key dates & offseason deadlines

Here's the schedule for the 2025 NFL preseason leading up to the Sept. 4 season opener. For more, check out our full NFL schedule & key dates.

July 31: Hall of Fame Game (Chargers vs. Lions)
Aug. 7-10: NFL Preseason Week 1
Aug. 15-18: NFL Preseason Week 2
Aug. 21-23: NFL Preseason Week 3
Aug. 26: Rosters must be cut to 53 players
Aug. 31: Final day of preseason training camp
Sept. 4: NFL Kickoff Game (Cowboys vs. Eagles)

👉 Don't miss our guide on how to bet on the NFL.

📊 NFL preseason odds

🔎 Check out our NFL player prop odds tool for the best NFL odds across legal sportsbooks in your area!

🏈 NFL preseason betting guide: 5 tips for exhibition football

I've written a variation of this guide every year since 2019, and the formula for success when betting on the NFL preseason remains largely the same. Yet it's a hard one for the best sports betting sites to keep up with.

Here are my five best NFL preseason betting tips to help you profit in 2025:

📰 Follow the news

The NFL is typically one of the sharpest betting markets and hardest to profit in. But the preseason isn't the same way. Why? Information is king.

The best sports betting apps tend to have the best models and access to quantitative information - but that advantage is thrown out the window during the preseason, when the "results are meaningless" and coaches are more willing to share key information that could affect their game plan or late-game strategy.

That sort of information is key to beating the final line, and beating the best sportsbooks to the punch is a great way to ensure a profit across a month of games. So turn on those notifications and stay informed on what coaches (and players) are revealing about that week's game plan.

🔍 Know the depth chart

Even if coaches don't reveal their every move, you can expect them to follow a pretty typical pattern in the NFL preseason: play the starters early (if at all), and split the remaining snaps between the rest of the depth chart.

Ironically, that puts third- and fourth-stringers in the biggest spot to impact success late in games. It also means a team's backup quarterback is significantly more important than the starter when it comes to predicting a preseason victory.

There's a reason that savvy NFL preseason bettors target teams with experienced backup quarterbacks or deep rosters at key skill positions. It pays to know your depth charts.

📋 Study coaching trends

Every head coach has their own philosophy on how to approach the NFL preseason. Some are consistently more profitable for bettors than others.

As long as I live, I'm not sure I'll ever come across a more profitable exhibition coach than John Harbaugh, who has coached the Baltimore Ravens to a 45-16 preseason record - which included a 24-game win streak from 2016-23. He's been vocal about his love for the preseason, too, and the results are clear on the field.

The opposite can be said for coaches like Sean McVay (9-15) and disciple Zac Taylor (3-12), who have openly dismissed the preseason and have the records to show it. It pays to understand which coaches are (nearly) as invested as you are in their team emerging with a victory.

⚠️ Be careful betting Overs

For those new to NFL preseason betting, you might see totals in the 30s and feel like your 16-leg Over parlay is finally coming through, after all. Not so fast.

The average combined score from last year's preseason slate was 34.9 points - nearly 11 points lower than the average total from the regular season (45.8). In fact, only 21 of last year's 49 games reached 35 points combined (42.9%).

The Under has been the hotter play in recent years, but the public will always prefer to bet the Over, especially with totals so low. That leaves the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the more conservative pace and play-calling in the NFL preseason by attacking the O/U total market.

🎯 Pick your best spots

One of the best ways to manage your NFL bankroll (in any part of the calendar) is to know when you have an edge. And that's especially true in the NFL preseason.

With coaches caring less about the final score than you do, it's critical to target bets that are driven by the very advantages we've laid out above. Is one team an underdog despite a loaded QB room? Does one coach plan to play starters for a half, while the other is set to bench them entirely?

Those are the times to place a bet - not when two coaches with middling preseason histories trot out mediocre rosters with similar rotations. If you stay ahead of the information cycle and remain disciplined on when to strike, you should set yourself up well heading into Week 1.

💡 NFL preseason expert picks & predictions

Follow this page each week as we gather all of our NFL preseason expert picks and predictions for that week's games - starting with the Hall of Fame Game tonight between the Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions.

❓ NFL preseason betting FAQs

When does the 2025 NFL preseason start?

The 2025 NFL preseason begins tonight at 8 p.m. ET with the Hall of Fame Game featuring the Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions.

How long does the NFL preseason last?

The NFL preseason begins tonight and extends through Saturday, Aug. 23 before a one-week break entering the regular season. The NFL preseason lasts three full weeks - or four if you include the Hall of Fame Game.

Do NFL preseason records matter?

While NFL preseason records don't officially count toward the regular-season standings, teams can still earn valuable reps for the starters and backups and assess their rosters ahead of the 53-man deadline.

🏆 NFL betting odds pages

Here are some of our best NFL betting odds pages to help you with your NFL futures ahead of the 2025-26 NFL season.

Super Bowl Odds	NFL MVP Odds	NFL Offensive Player of the Year Odds
NFL Defensive Player of the Year Odds	NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds	NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds
NFL Coach of the Year Odds	NFL Comeback Player of the Year Odds	NFL Win Totals Odds
NFL Playoff Odds	NFL Draft Odds

💵 Best NFL betting sites

Want to bet on the NFL preseason? Check out our best NFL betting sites and the best sportsbook promos for the 2025 NFL season:

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DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
Hard Rock Bet Promo Code | Read our Hard Rock Bet Review

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Written by:
C Jackson Cowart

C Jackson Cowart is a publishing editor and lead writer for Sportsbook Review. An award-winning writer, reporter, and editor with a decade of sports media experience, "C-Jax" has worked with ESPN, Forbes, theScore, and various daily newspapers before joining the Sportsbook Review team. He's a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina, where he served as a beat writer for the Tar Heels' championship run through the NCAA men's basketball tournament in 2017. Jackson has spent the last five years covering sports betting as a predictive analyst, features writer, and industry reporter. Since joining the team in 2023, he's played a key role in Sportsbook Review's coverage of the Super Bowl, March Madness, and NBA playoffs while serving as the lead writer for the growing WNBA and NASCAR betting scenes. Though he's cashed some big bets over the years -- including Lamar Jackson to win MVP (twice) -- he's still haunted by enough second-place bet slips to wallpaper his home office. While Jackson is a committed "process over results" bettor with a keen eye for advanced stats and subtle bias in futures markets, he also embraces sports betting as a vehicle for entertainment and personal investment. He's written about everything from hot dogs to groundhogs and still hasn't forgiven his "inside source" for a sabotaged bet on the Gatorade color in Super Bowl LV.