Best Practices For Using Free NFL Picks and Predictions

Trying to beat the oddsmakers in the NFL is extremely difficult. Even professional bettors aim for 55-60% accuracy on NFL picks over many seasons. You can increase your chances of success by using NFL computer picks correctly combined with proven NFL betting tips and football betting strategies from the experts.

With so much information and analysis out there, how do you filter the noise and use free NFL predictions properly? Here are the best practices to follow when finding and using free NFL expert picks and predictions to make profitable and best NFL bets today.

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Find Credible Sources for Free NFL Picks and Predictions

One big downside of free NFL predictions is the lack of transparency into the picker’s track record. However, some trustworthy mainstream media sites with sports betting experts do provide free picks:

ESPN - Their football analysts release free picks with analysis each week. While far from perfect, their experts do hit over 50% during football seasons.

CBS Sports - Features multiple handicappers giving out selections at no cost along with betting trend notes.

Sports Illustrated - SI’s betting analysts provide free sports picks with detailed reasoning on all the key weekend matchups each NFL week.

By curating free picks from the experts and big-name media sites like these, you ensure respectable analysis from cappers striving to maintain prestige. This is crucial versus tailing any random person’s social media free picks that likely have zero long-term transparency or credibility behind them whatsoever.

Follow Multiple Free Sources of NFL Expert Picks

Relying on just one or two experts handing out free NFL predictions can be risky. All handicappers go through ups and downs throughout the entire NFL season and NFL playoffs.

Instead, compile free football picks from several respectable media sources into a consensus for every NFL game. For example, if ESPN, CBS and SI all pick the Chiefs -7, use that heavier confidence to make your NFL parlay picks wager.

Conversely, one lone expert going against the majority should give you pause. Blending multiple trustworthy opinions on football games evens out the bumps and yields more prudent football betting choices.

Always Bet on the NFL Within A Bankroll Budget

Vital to any successful sports betting strategy is only wagering amounts within a set bankroll dictated by your finances. Standard advice suggests risking only 1-3% of your bankroll per bet.

Over many NFL seasons, there will be winning and losing streaks - even with the best free NFL betting picks. A fixed bankroll and bet sizing ensure you survive the downs and have money left to capitalize when your picks heat back up.

Line Shop For The Best Odds and NFL Best Bets

Another way to boost profits using free NFL picks is always line shopping after a consensus is reached. Compare the major legal online sportsbooks in your state and find which offers the most favorable odds for your selected NFL teams.

With how competitive the sports betting industry has become, NFL betting sites may offer -105 odds on a team picked while another has -115 on the same contest. Getting an extra half-point or more on every free expert pick over months makes a monumental difference to your bottom line.

Hedge Your NFL Bets Today

Hedging involves placing wagers at multiple and best sportsbooks to guarantee profit on a game’s outcome. It requires more upfront betting capital but eliminates the risk of any one pick losing you money.

Here’s a common NFL hedging scenario:

The Cowboys +3 consensus free pick has 75% of experts agreeing. You bet $100 on Dallas +3 at Sportsbook A, then place a $75 wager on the Eagles -3 at Sportsbook B.

If the Eagles win by 1-2 points (within the 3 spread), your Cowboys bet wins $100 profit. If Philly wins by 4+, your $75 Eagles bet nets $100 profit. Any other result yields $25 profit.

You've now ensured a 25-100% return no matter the outcome by checking out multiple of the best NFL sportsbooks and getting the best football betting lines. Again, more money must be risked to hedge effectively. But removing the risk also removes the stress.

Track Your Own NFL Betting Picks

Any winning sports bettor analyzes the profit and loss margins of their own picks for NFL over years - adjusting their NFL betting strategy to eliminate leaks. Savvy bettors even use advanced metrics like R-squared linear regression to measure their NFL handicapping models against the spreads.

The easiest way to track predictive performance is maintaining an Excel or Google Sheet log of picks each week and results. Examples:

Weeks 1-5: 34-21 straight up, 29-25-1 ATS

Weeks 5-9: 28-18 SU, 20-25 ATS

As the sample size grows, your stats paint a clear picture of when and why you thrive or struggle with latest NFL game predictions. Then tweak your process reactively to where mistakes happen.

Rinse and repeat this critical pick tracking every NFL season. While tedious, quantifying your betting predictions is instrumental toward accomplishing a 55-60% strike rate like the pros.

Final Thoughts: Best Practices for Using Best Free Picks on NFL

Beating NFL oddsmakers with any sports picks - free or paid - requires discipline and dedication to the craft. But those willing to treat sports betting like the business it is versus gambling can thrive long-term with help from free NFL picks and predictions from experts. A key element in NFL betting is tracking and analyzing the point spread for each game and determining if you can predict which teams will cover the spread.

Follow these best practices using free NFL picks like using multiple sources, tracking your performance against the point spread, and strategically hedging bets based on the spread. Checking out NFL totals and exploring matchups yourself instead of tailing any random free picks can yield better results too when combined with point spread analysis. Over years, you stand to save money over paid picks services while still turning solid profits on America’s biggest NFL betting sport.

Looking for NFL picks from experts for Week 17? Be sure to check out our NFL expert handicappers' latest free selections against the spread and find the best NFL football picks to finish out the year strong.

I (AKA CatBurg) have a lifelong passion for sports, especially football and basketball. I enjoy the thrill and excitement of sports betting and everything in between. My teams are (Packers #GoPackGo) and who I am betting on!