Thanksgiving is a time for three things: Family, Food, and Football. But due to the ongoing pandemic, you now have an excuse to stay away from the in-laws, watch both NFL games without interruption, and even make money using risk-free bets from PointsBet. This Thanksgiving only, PointsBet is offering new users up-to $1600 in risk-free bets. The Bears may not be playing this holiday, but if you're a Chicago fan, let's be honest, that's probably going to make your holiday better. It will also allow you to use PointsBet, the user-friendly, Chicago fan sportsbook with the best lines. Let's get started!

$1500 promotion in risk-free bets 

If you haven't used Pointsbet before, you can consider this the Pointsgiving that keeps on giving. By using our promo code MOCKERY, Pointsbet will give new users two risk-free bets! The first is one, fixed, risk-free bet up to $500. The other is one, Pointsbetting risk-free bet up to $1000. In other words, you can gamble up to $1500 to win a large amount of money, or you can gamble up to $1500 and lose nothing at all. There's no catch. All you have to do is sign up, put money into your account, and use our promo code MOCKERY. For example, I'm going to bet on the Houston Texans money line (-160) to beat the Detroit Lions because Detroit is beat up on offense and Matt Patricia is their head coach. The Lions have struggled on Thanksgiving the last few years as well. If I bet $160 and the Texans win, I win $100. If you're a new user, you can use your first, risk-free bet on the Texans to win that $100 too. Even if they lose, you don't! The money goes right back into your account for risk-free bets. Simply sign-in, create your account, use our promo code MOCKERY, and place your two risk-free bets.

$100 Pointsgiving risk-free NFL bet

Another free $100? Yes, you're reading that correctly. In addition to the $1500 in risk-free bets, PointsBet is giving users up-to $100 in a risk-free bet on the two Thanksgiving NFL games. This bet is for a single, cash-bet only. It cannot be used on any free bets and it cannot be used in a parlay. The best part about this promotion is that it is for all PointsBet users! You don't have to be a new user to participate. I'm going to bet the Cowboys on the money line (-145), meaning if I bet $145 I can win $100 if the Cowboys win the game. By doing this, I am only risking $45 to win $100. If the Cowboys lose the game, I will be refunded $100 from this promotion.

Why use PointsBet? 

If you're a Chicago fan, Pointsbet is a betting app centered around your fandom. They offer the best lines and odds for your teams and for every game. In addition to their user-friendly interface and Illinois sign-up bonus, Pointsbet offers a unique, value proposition called points-betting. For example, if you bet Deshaun Watson and Matthew Stafford to over four combined touchdowns and they end up throwing 7, you are compensated for each additional TD over the original line. It goes both ways, however. If you bet that line and they throw 3, you will lose the bet and the additional value. The same goes for rushing yards, passing yards, etc. Let's say you take the over on DeAndre Swift's rushing yards, let's say the line is 75 yards, and he goes off for 150 total. You would make the additional value for every yard he goes over. This is an awesome bonus to keep you more engaged in your bets.

Thanksgiving NFL best bets

Let's start with Lions vs. Texans (11:30 a.m. kickoff). Experts are watching a few different lines on this game, including Deshaun Watson's passing attempts (38.5) and the over/under in Washington vs. Dallas game (46 total points). https://youtu.be/W1yWGNcVlhM

Deshaun Watson (38.5)

Watson is right in the middle-of-the-pack when it comes to throwing the football. So far in 2020, he's thrown the ball 338 times but only thrown the ball over 38 times once. The Lions defense isn't great by any means, but their secondary is the strongest part of their team. Experts say take the under at (+100) on Watson's passing attempts. I'm also going to take the under on this. Watson is coming off of his best game in 2020 against New England, in which the offense used a healthy mix of passing and rushing attacks.

Over/Under Cowboys vs. The Football Team (46)

The line is set at (-105) and the line is set at (-115). Both of these teams average an identical 22.7 points per game, but taking the over is a good bet here.  Andy Dalton should be comfortable as the starter in his fourth game at the helm, and Ezekiel Elliot is coming off of his first 100-yard game of the year. I will be taking the over for both of those reasons. Also, CeeDee Lamb has been playing great football all season. He and Dalton have developed a nice relationship on the field, so expect Dallas to put up some points. As far as The Football Team goes, Terry McLaurin and Antonio Gibson have been on fire the last couple of weeks too. Statistically, Dallas has the worst defense in the league so expect those two to continue tearing it up.

Terry McLaurin receiving yards (72.5) 

Terry McLaurin is an emerging star in the NFL, who has put up over 72.5 yards in nine of the team's 11 games this season. Taking the over in this is as close to a guarantee as you can get. He should have a field day against the Cowboys' secondary. I tend to agree with the experts here too. The only thing holding me up is if Washington decides to run the ball more because of how strong the play of Antonio Gibson has been the last two weeks. That being said, I will still take the over.

Ezekiel Elliot carries (16.5) 

It's worth noting that Elliot has had a lot of problems fumbling this season. When fumbles occur, Head Coach Mike McCarthy tends to put his star on the bench and give more carries to Tony Pollard. That being said, Zeke had his best game of the season last week and 16.5 carries is not an unreasonable number. Taking the over is a good bet. Personally, I am going to stay away from this bet. He may get this amount of carries, but his issues this season are too risky for my wallet. I'm going to pass.

Duke Johnson yards (-143 for 50+ rushing yards) 

Duke Johnson will be going up against one of the worst run defenses in the league, but his numbers are not staggering. He has only broken 50 yards once this season, but that's because he sat behind David Johnson who is now hurt. Johnson could not get anything going against New England, but that is likely to change against the Lions. This is a great way to utilize your risk-free $100 Pointsgiving bet. This one is risky, but the payout is nice enough to make it worth it.