The NFL season kicks off on Thursday night, so now is the time to get in your NFL futures bets. There are plenty of markets to target, including the Super Bowl, division winners and player awards. Here is a list of every futures bet I am making before the season kicks off.
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Bears to win NFC North (+280)
Bears to win NFC (+1500)
I am all in on the Bears this season. Caleb Williams was a home run pick, and he is ready to win the NFL right away, just like CJ Stroud was last season. It helps that Williams has weapons all over the field.
The Bears made another great pick in WR Rome Odunze to add to a WR corps that already had DJ Moore and also added Keenan Allen this offseason. Chicago also added a dynamic running back, D’Andre Swift, to pair with Khalil Herbert.
The Bears had one of the best defenses in the NFL by the end of last season. Despite poor offensive play, they held all of their final six opponents under 21 points and led the team to a seven-win season. Not to be forgotten, the Bears also drafted punter Tory Taylor from Iowa, who is arguably one of the best punters in college football history. This team should be really good in all three phases.
The upside of this team is just massive so I am buying them to win the division and the conference. This team has a real chance to be the Texans of this season whose rookie quarterback led them to a division championship and playoff win last season.
Caleb Williams to Win Offensive Rookie of the Year (+135)
I just made my thoughts on the Bears clear and explained why Caleb Williams will have a great year. When it comes to the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, three of the past five winners have been quarterbacks, most recently CJ Stroud in 2023.
All three quarterbacks were their team’s starter by Week 2. Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix are the only rookie QBs expected to be starters in Week 1. Therefore, those three have a big advantage in the OROY race.
Bo Nix could take a while to get going on a Broncos team that is not in a great position to win. Therefore, this race really comes down to Williams and Daniels. Williams has more weapons to work with and is more ready to play at the NFL level right away. He should find success quickly in the NFL and lead this race the whole way.
Falcons to Win NFC (+1300)
The Falcons are another team with a high upside in the NFC. The NFC South is arguably the weakest division in football which means if one team steps up a level, they could win a lot of games. The Falcons did a great job of upgrading the most important position in the sport this offseason.
Last year, their quarterback room was Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke; this year, it will be Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. Cousins is a proven long-term winner with tons of experience; the only downside is his injury history. That’s why having a young backup like Penix with a huge upside is a great thing for Atlanta. With weapons like Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts, this offense has great potential.
The Falcons also acquired some great defensive pieces. They added an elite pass-rusher in Matthew Judon and an all-pro safety in Justin Simmons. This was already a league-average defense last season, and it got better this offseason. Outside of the 49ers, the NFC is wide-open, so I am willing to bet on a team with high upside that is also the favorite to win their division.
Texans to Win AFC South (+105)
This team won the division in CJ Stroud’s first year at the helm, and there is no reason why they shouldn’t do so again. There are way more uncertainties around the Jaguars and Colts than there are around the Texans. Stroud returns with the same skill position group, plus Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon. This was a top-15 offense in Stroud’s rookie year, and he should only get better with a full season of experience and new weapons.
Defensively, DeMeco Ryans proved why he is one of the best defensive minds in the game. The Texans were 11th in the NFL in scoring defense last season, and they should only get better this season. They drafted two good pieces to bolster their secondary, and this was already a young defense that should improve with experience.
Jets to Win AFC East (+165)
The Jets are one of the most divisive teams in the NFL. Some people are picking them to win the Super Bowl and some people don’t think they’ll make the playoffs. Realistically, their expectations are somewhere in between. Per DVOA and opponent EPA/play, this was the 3rd best defense in the NFL last season. While the Haason Reddick holdout looms over them a bit, this should be an elite defense again in 2024.
Offensively, Breece Hall is a top-tier running back, and Garrett Wilson is a wide receiver with an incredibly high upside. There are also weapons like Allen Lazard, who was brought in specifically to work with Aaron Rodgers, who should improve with steady quarterback play.
If Rodgers stays healthy, this offense should improve from the league’s worst to at the very least, league average with a much higher upside. One of the Jets’ best offseason moves was signing Tyrod Taylor to backup Rodgers. Even if Rodgers gets hurt again, Taylor has proven throughout his career that he can be a steady option, unlike Zach Wilson.
Bengals to Win AFC North (+145)
Joe Burrow is returning for the Bengals and despite his holdout, Ja’Marr Chase should be back soon as well. The AFC North is one of the most competitive divisions in football. Each team could be separated by just a couple of games in the standings, which is why the Bengals’ schedule gives them a big advantage.
They finished 4th in the division last year which means they get the easiest schedule of opponents from other divisions. The Ravens are deserved favorites, but the Bengals are the second-best team in this division, and with this value and an easier schedule, they are worth a bet.
Garrett Wilson to Win Offensive Player of the Year (+3000)
Garrett Wilson has the upside to be one of the best receivers in the league. The former Rookie of the Year has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in his first two seasons despite a revolving door of quarterbacks that included Zach Wilson, Mike White, Joe Flacco, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian. If Wilson can be as productive as he was with horrible quarterback play, he should be elite with a future Hall of Famer throwing him the ball.
Chargers Under 8.5 Wins (+130)
Jim Harbaugh has taken over the Chargers organization, and I don’t love the offseason they had. Joe Alt was a good draft pick for the organization’s future, but he doesn’t fill some of the major positions needed in LA. Most importantly, they still don’t have a true WR1 to help Justin Herbert. Their receiving corps got worse in the offseason. They also hired Greg Roman as offensive coordinator, a run-first offensive mind, which also doesn’t help Herbert develop.
Vikings Over 6.5 Wins (-140)
The Vikings won seven games last season against a first-place schedule despite losing Cousins midway through the season and missing Jefferson for almost half the season. Between head coach Kevin O’Connell and DC Brian Flores, this is one of the best-coached teams in the NFL, and they get the most out of their players.
After the injury to JJ McCarthy, Sam Darnold will be QB1 for the Vikings, and he has a higher upside than most people think. Darnold has never been paired with an elite offensive coach or an elite weapon like Justin Jefferson. He should do a solid job running this offense.
The Vikings also bolstered their linebacking corps with Andrew Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman, and Jonathan Greenard, who all arrived this offseason and drafted Dallas Turner in the first round. Giving Brian Flores more talent to work with is a scary prospect for opposing offenses. This team will face a third-place schedule, and if Darnold and Justin Jefferson stay healthy, this team should be better than people think.
Panthers Over 5.5 Wins (-115)
This is one of the scariest bets you can place this offseason, but there are plenty of reasons to believe the Panthers will improve. Most importantly, the change in head coach should immediately improve this team.
Dave Canales revived the careers of Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield in the past two seasons, and now he is looking to give Bryce Young the fresh start he needs after a bad rookie season. The Panthers also got Young some real weapons in rookie WR Xavier Legette and Diontae Johnson.
The Panthers also upgraded the offensive line and added a lot of depth on the defensive line. This team has nowhere to go but up, and they should improve significantly under Dave Canales.
Colts Under 8.5 Wins (-130)
Anthony Richardson has a high upside but there are a lot of question marks around him. He is coming off a bad injury, and due to his style of play, reinjury is a major concern. Joe Flacco is the backup in Indy, and he will be turning 40 this season, so that is also a bit of a worrying prospect.
They drafted a high-upside guy on both sides of the ball, EDGE Laiatu Latu and WR AD Mitchell. However, it is not a sure thing that either guy will immediately improve this team.
Bucs Under 7.5 Wins (+115)
For the same reason that the Panthers are trending up, the Bucs are trending down. Dave Canales made things really easy for Baker Mayfield and he thrived in that offense. Liam Coen is the new OC in Tampa Bay who has had a strange career bouncing around jobs in the NFL and college football the past few seasons. Based on his past offenses, Mayfield will not find it as easy to succeed as he did under Canales.
This is an experienced Bucs roster, but they didn’t do much to improve that roster this offseason. Now they will be playing a first-place schedule and don’t have Canales leading the offense.
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