Cowboys-Seahawks Betting Preview: Will the Dallas Offense Bust Out of Slump?

Cowboys-Seahawks Betting Preview: Will the Dallas Offense Bust Out of Slump? article feature image
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USA Today Sports. Pictured: DeMarcus Lawrence, Russell Wilson

Betting odds: Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks

  • Spread: Seahawks -1
  • Over/Under: 42
  • Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
  • TV channel: FOX

>> All odds as of Friday morning. Download The Action Network App to get real-time NFL odds and track your bets


Betting market: The Seahawks opened as a slight home dog following their second consecutive loss to start the season, but have received enough support to move to -1 across the market.

They’re getting 55% of the spread bets and 73% of the money at the time of writing (you can find updated odds here).

Meanwhile, the under in this game is easily the most popular of the week. It’s the only one getting the majority of bets, and at 64%, it’s not even close.

However, despite the public support on the under, the total has actually ticked up to 42 after opening at 41.5. — Mark Gallant

Trends to know: Seattle has opened the season with back-to-back losses. This is just the sixth time in the Russell Wilson era (since 2012) that the Seahawks have dropped consecutive games.

According to our Bet Labs data, Wilson went 4-1 against the spread in the following game, covering by 7.4 points per game. — John Ewing

Not all betting trends are created equal. The Seahawks lost straight up and failed to cover against the Bears on Monday Night Football.

In his career Wilson is 17-7-2 ATS (+9.5 units) after a SU and ATS loss. Since entering the league, he is the fourth-most profitable quarterback in this spot. And when he's returning home, the Seahawks have been even better: 14-1 SU and 11-3-1 ATS (+7.6 units).

An important counter-trend: In Seattle’s last 10 home games, including the playoffs, the Seahawks are just 5-5 SU and 3-7 ATS (-4.1 units), making CenturyLink Field the second-least profitable stadium against the spread over that span behind Heinz Field.

To be fair, in those 10 games, it’s been more the defense's fault (23.4 PPG, eight interceptions) than Wilson’s (25 total touchdowns, nine turnovers). — Evan Abrams



Injury watch: The Cowboys’ No. 1 receiver Cole Beasley (ankle) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday after getting in a full session on Wednesday. Starting center Travis Frederick (illness) still has no timetable for his return.

The defense is banged up with defensive tackle Maliek Collins (knee) and free safety Xavier Woods (hamstring) uncertain to play Sunday, but linebacker Sean Lee (hamstring), defensive tackle Datone Jones (knee), and defensive end Randy Gregory (concussion) are expected to suit up.

The Seahawks defense will happily welcome back stud linebacker Bobby Wagner (groin), although linebacker KJ Wright (knee) is still likely a week away from returning.

Guard DJ Fluker (hamstring) and cornerback Trequille Flowers (hamstring) are expected to suit up after practicing in full.

The statuses of left guard Ethan Pocic (ankle) and center Justin Britt (shoulder) are uncertain after neither managed to practice to start the week. The timetable for No. 1 receiver Doug Baldwin (knee) is still up in the air.

Note: Info as of 6 p.m. ET Thursday. See our Injury Dashboard for daily practice participation and game statuses up until kickoff. — Ian Hartitz

DFS edge: Ezekiel Elliott could be an interesting tournament pivot off the chalkier options. The Seahawks will get Bobby Wagner (groin) back, but Zeke is one of the true workhorses in the league.

Through the first two weeks, he’s averaging 20 touches per game and he’s run the second-most pass routes (52) for the Cowboys. Overall, Zeke has some of the highest touchdown equity for the Cowboys, with touches on 66.67% of their red zone opportunities.

He’s currently projected for just 5-8% ownership in large-field tournaments on DraftKings, which gives him an 80% Leverage Rating in the FantasyLabs Models. (Leverage Rating is a percentile score based on projected ownership with the player’s projected ceiling.) — Justin Bailey

Bet to watch: Under 42

Both teams will try to run the ball and take deep shots, neither team will be particularly great at that strategy.

The Cowboys rank 24th in offensive yards per play and the Seahawks come in at 25th. Mix in that both teams love milking the clock — Dallas and Seattle rank 31st and 28th respectively in plays per game — and we should get a low-scoring game on Sunday. — Geoff Schwartz




Editor’s note: The opinions on this game are from the individual writers and are based on their research, analysis and perspective. They are independent of, and may not always match with, the algorithm-driven Best Bets from Sports Insights.

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