There’s chaos all around the Oakland Raiders heading into their home opener. Enough to make them a home NFL betting underdog against the visiting Denver Broncos. Far from a powerhouse, Denver just looks to take advantage of steady quarterback play by Joe Flacco and the dysfunction with the Raiders.

Antonio Brown’s conflict with general manager Mike Mayock had the team on edge, all the way until the team decided to release Brown on Saturday, getting out from under his contract but getting nothing out of what they traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers to get him.

RELATED: Raiders Release Antonio Brown, Triggering Another Odds Jolt

Denver is looking to open up with a win on the road just to keep pace with the preseason AFC West favorites, the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders are simply looking to avoid an embarrassment. How many fans are still in Oakland cheering this team remains unclear, but there will be no home field advantage for coach Jon Gruden.

For those of you just here for the picks, here you go:

Raiders-Broncos Best Bets

All odds current as of publication but subject to change.

PICK 1: Broncos (-2.5)

You will notice a theme here with this game: Fade Oakland. There are simply way too many new factors involved here for this team to come out firing. They also have the talent, especially without Brown, of a team that will be lucky to win five games this season. They might be fighting with Miami for the top spot in the draft.

Denver isn’t that bad! Not only compared to Oakland, but also in general. The Broncos’ main fault is the impossible division they play in. The Broncos have stability at quarterback and two running backs they can use to exploit Oakland’s porous defense. I’m actually shocked Denver isn’t favored by more points. Denver should be favored by 3 or maybe 3.5, so get the Broncos now.

PICK 2: Under 42.5 Points

Sometimes when you see these low numbers aimed to be tricky there’s some hesitation. You think, “Denver might hit that all by itself” which could not be further from the truth.

CHECK OUT: Monday Night Football Betting Preview: NFL Week 1

The Raiders will struggle to hit double-digit points. Their preseason was nothing special, and they lack outside threats on offense, and anything consistent on all three levels of their defense. Flacco does not have a strong arm. The Broncos use running backs Patrick Lindsay and Royce Freeman to balance out mid-range throws by Flacco. Denver has talent on the outside and is much more balanced on defense.

PICK 3: 1st Half Moneyline – Oakland

This isn’t really a matter of winning the game so much as taking advantage of the chemical makeup of both teams. Denver has two really talented guys in the backfield. Oakland has three to keep games close and run clock. It’s not that the Raiders will dominate or beat up on the Broncos, more likely both teams will run their way to a low-scoring first half.

RELATED: Check out the Bookies.com live NFL blog for the latest updates related to NFL wagering.

Plus, it would be so “Raiders” for Gruden and company to get up on the Broncos in the first half, only to let everyone down in the second half. It’s worth a shot here with a close first half expected.

PICK 4: Joe Flacco OVER 1.5 TDs

The Broncos will move the ball in a variety of ways, both outside and on the ground, against an uninspired Raiders defense. Denver fixed its biggest issue from the past several years by bringing in Flacco, who can spread the ball around and make good enough throws to move the chains.

Freeman and Lindsay will get their share of rushing yards, but this prop is too easy not to pass up. Just give us two, Joe! I actually see three.

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