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DraftKings Sportsbook has gone ahead and released the odds to win each NFL division in 2020. With free agency and the draft still to come, betting on division winners now gives us some room to potentially find some value. With a combination of looking back at 2019, and projecting for 2020, here’s where the potential value lies in the NFC East for the upcoming season.
Philadelphia Eagles (+120)
The Eagles are the favorites in what should be a pretty competitive NFC East at the top. Philadelphia took home the division title last season, battling through injuries to a 9-7 overall record. The Eagles finished 5-1 in the division, winning their final four games of the regular season all against divisional opponents. Philadelphia went into the playoffs and lost to the Seattle Seahawks 17-9 in the Wild Card round.
The Eagles needed the offseason to get started perhaps a much as any other team in the NFL with the amount of injuries suffered for some of their key playmakers. It makes sense to tab Philadelphia as the favorites to take the division as this will likely come down to a two-team race. The Eagles will be looking to be the first team to repeat as NFC East champs since they did it in 2004.
Dallas Cowboys (+130)
Expectations were high in Dallas and the Cowboys came a win away from a share of the division title, but last season was quite a disappointment. They finished 8-8 overall and 5-1 against NFC East opponents but missed the playoffs. The offense finished with the most yards in the league last season and finished in the middle of the pack defensively.
We’ll see what happens with the Dak Prescott contract situation. It would be a shock to see him not in a Cowboys uniform, but a training camp holdout would cause issues. The Cowboys are reportedly trying to get a deal done by March 10, so that would be an important piece to get figured out as we head into the summer months. The Cowboys continue to have one of the best running attacks in the sport and will be a threat to win the NFC East.
New York Giants (+800)
The Giants finished the 2019 season at 4-12 for third place in the NFC East and beat Washington twice to finish 2-4 within the division. Early in the season, the Giants made the switch from Eli Manning to Daniel Jones, who gave an immediate spark to the New York offense but played like a rookie from there with some spectacular performances and games with far too many turnovers.
The Giants will go into their first offseason knowing Danny Dimes is going to be the guy at quarterback. He will need to limit the turnovers and continue to remain consistent. Generally a four-win season would net a higher draft pick, but the Giants are picking in the No. 4 slot on draft day. It’s possible the Giants trade out for somebody to get in front for a quarterback since they already have their guy. Regardless, I don’t think the Giants are worthy of an NFC East title bet.
Washington (+900)
Washington put together a 3-13 season in 2019 for last place in the NFC East and fired head coach Jay Gruden after starting out the year 0-5. Rookie Dwayne Haskins did not have a great season getting his first reps, but he was put in a very difficult spot with a new coach and limited weapons around him outside of Terry McLaurin.
If Washington believes in the future of Haskins, they will need to surround him with more playmakers. Washington’s three wins netted Washington the No. 2 pick. We’ll see where they go with it for a team that needs a ton of help offensively and defensively. Washington is not worth going after as a potential NFC East championship wager, and it’s possible we see Washington picking around this spot in the 2021 draft.
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