This was supposed to be the year the New York Jets returned to prominence.
Aaron Rodgers was back and healthy at quarterback, after all, a fact that had some New Jersey sportsbooks set the odds at +3000 that the Jets would win the Super Bowl.
Heading into New York’s Monday Night Football matchup at the San Francisco 49ers, that line shrunk to as low as +1900 at FanDuel Sportsbook and +1700 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
And while the Jets got out to a 7-3 lead, the reigning NFC champion 49ers reeled off 23 straight points and won going away, 32-19. Certainly, it is a blow to Jets fans. But some bettors cashed in big after taking advantage of New York Jets betting promos.
Lazard’s big game leads to big payouts by FanDuel
Since breaking into the league in 2018, Allen Lazard went into the 2024 season with 21 career touchdown receptions – including 19 from Rodgers while the two were teammates in Green Bay.
Only once, however, had Lazard registered a game with two or more TDs, and that came in the final game of the 2021 regular season.
That did not stop one 35-year-old FanDuel Sportsbook bettor in Tennessee from taking advantage of a 50% profit boost on the Jets wide receiver.
“Honestly, the only factor I had in the pick comes down to one man and that wasn’t even Lazard,” Shaun Bell told PlayNJ. “Aaron Rodgers back after a year layoff and his first time really getting to play with his new team, there is going to be some rust that has to be shaken off.
“What better way to shake off rust and get the feel for the game than throwing to a familiar face in Lazard.”
It took some patience for the bet to pay off. Lazard logged his first TD late in the third quarter to cut the San Francisco lead to 26-13.
Bell: ‘I thought it was a wrap’
The game was firmly in hand for the 49ers by the time New York started its final drive. And the Jets made sure any Lazard bettor would sweat it out until the final seconds.
“Now, the blowout definitely had me concerned and as soon as I saw Tyrod come in at QB for the last drive, I thought it was a wrap,” Bell said. He added, however, that when Jets coach Robert Saleh called a timeout with under a minute to go and New York knocking on the door of the end zone, “I started to have some hope again just because I knew that meant he was going to try to score.”
Then, with 25 seconds to go and with the Jets facing second and goal, Tyrod Taylor delivered a short pass to Lazard for the 3-yard TD – turning Bell’s $50 bet into a $4,950 payout.
But here’s the thing about Bell, known by many as “Coach” – he’s part of a relatively popular Discord known as Trophies Sports Picks with over 8,000 paying members. And he has his own X, formerly Twitter, page with 57,000 followers. He’s not sure how many people actually played the same bet after promoting it online, “but I know it was a lot.”
A few shared screenshots of the betslips, including several that showed $10 bets becoming $1,500 payouts.
“Nothing makes you feel better,” Bell said, “than winning a lot of people a lot of money in this space.”
Boosted 9-leg parlay pays off big for DraftKings bettor
Week 1 can be an unpredictable time for NFL betting. Players are still settling in, shaking off rust.
One DraftKings Sportsbook user, though, capitalized on a parlay boost for a daring 9-leg anytime touchdown bet.
Using $4 and a 70% parlay boost, the user picked nine players during opening week to find the end zone at least once. Breece Hall capped off the winning wager when the Jets running back scampered for a touchdown in the first quarter on Monday night.
The result: over $7,500 for the DraftKings bettors.
While risky, these kinds of bets show the value in shopping around New Jersey sportsbooks for worthy New York Jets betting promotions and offers. Bell agreed.
“I always encourage people to shop around if they can,” he told PlayNJ. “Obviously, not all books and props are available everywhere, but definitely shop around for the best boost, promos, and odds.
“If you’re not shopping odds, you’re not getting the max value for what’s out there.”
