Let’s take a look at possible sleepers for the upcoming NFL betting season. These are the guys who aren’t on your radar as a sports gambler, but definitely should be. They have a legitimate chance of being contributing members of their team, elevating the talent and putting a couple more W’s on the board. Furthermore, they can – with one catch or one big run – throw the money line out the window.

Let’s chew on this one first. Ahmad Bradshaw. If he gets the chance, he could be in line for the #2 RB spot for the Giants. This is a team, by the way, that spreads the wealth. They rushed for more than 2,500 yards last year, and the #1 guy – Jacobs – didn’t even crack 1,100.

How about Miles Austin? Fragile, yes, but you take T.O. out of the equation, and suddenly the downfield opens wide for anyone ready to step up. Austin had 3 TD’s last year. His overall numbers, while unimpressive, have improved each of his three seasons in the league for the Cowboys. I can see him having an 8 TD, 1,100-yard season if he stays healthy. Keep your eye on him, he’s primed for a breakout.

Then you’ve got Josh Morgan. Another talented, raw WR with similar numbers last year to Austin. Morgan won’t have quite the arm throwing to him, but still has the ability to outplay every other WR option on his team, making him the #1 target when they’re not dumping it off to Frank Gore – man does that guy take some punishment. Here’s the only problem, looking at it from a gambling perspective. I don’t think one WR is going to turn the corner for the 49ers. They’re still going to struggle, and while I like this guy’s potential, he’s more of a FF sleeper than a real-world betting sleeper.

Don’t have time to go into depth with all the sleepers, but keep these guys in mind and read up on them, as well. At WR, Mike Walker, Pat Turner, and Johnny Knox. At RB, Chanci Stuckey, Brandon Jackson and James Davis all should have productive years. When you’re betting on a football team, so many things can go wrong, you have to be informed of every player from top to bottom. If a Tom Brady goes down, the team very well may still be worth betting, or betting against.

Best bullpen in the league? Trust me, it matters when making bets. These guys will more often than not be the hero or goat of the team throughout the season, costing you and them many games from the seventh inning on.

Therefore, it helps tremendously to have a reliable ranking to use as one of your gambling tools.

That said, if they’re all healthy, the Red Sox’ bullpen could be on incredible MLB Betting opportunity. Smoltz (if he’s regularly in there), Masterson, Okajima, Saito, Ramon, Ramirez, Lopez and Papelbon is just filthy to think about. Saito is as good as any other closer in the league. As if that weren’t enough, you’ve got Bard and Tazawa waiting in the wings.

Another AL team up there in the baseball betting world is the Blue Jays. They had the best ’pen last year, and it’s the same group only with B.J. Ryan in his second year back from Tommy John, meaning his velocity should go up to where it needs to be. Downs and Carlson aren’t household names, but they’re two of the best left-handed relievers in the league.

Last year the Blue Jays overall pitching was best in the majors. Second place I believe were the Braves with 41 more runs given up. The bullpen was a huge part of that.

Of course, it is worth noting that bullpen won’t necessary win games for you. Case in point the Blue Jays’ 4th place finish in the AL East last year.

However, having Halladay’s durability will help take some of the pressure off the pen and keep them fresh.

And finally, yes I’m going to stay with the AL throughout and say the White Sox pen has a chance to be in the top five in the league, as well. And they’re still underrated. But Jenks, Linebrink, Dotel and Thorton can all be lights out. We’ll see how they handle the pressure later in the year when the starters start blowing leads.

OK, quick roundup of both league’s bullpen strength, in short. I’m giving the Phillies the benefit of the doubt here with the best MLB Odds, and making this pick more based on how the team looks on paper rather than my personal opinion that they’re a fluke champion.

AL bullpen rank with 1-7 relief pitchers, not just closer and setup
Blue Jays
Red Sox

White Sox
Yankees
Rays
Angels/Athletics/Indians

NL bullpen rank
Phillies
Dodgers
Cubs
Reds
Mets/Braves/Astros

Overall MLB bullpen rank
Blue Jays
Red Sox
Phillies