NFL Futures We are Betting
The preseason is here and that means it’s time for a lot of us to start opening up our sportsbooks accounts again. The pros have been betting and taking advantage of early lines all summer. This article isn’t for them. It is for the average joe who has a few extra dollars to throw around every month and wants to use them on betting the NFL. That’s not to say these are bad bets, it simply means if you were looking at lines in July, you probably could have bought at a better number.
Dallas Cowboys Not to Make the Playoffs +210 (BetOnline)
The Philadelphia Eagles are winning the NFC East. That will happen barring any season-ending injuries to their key pieces. Because of this, Dallas’ only chance at a playoff spot is through the wild card. If the Eagles, Packers, Buccaneers and Rams all win their division, Dallas will have to beat out 2 of the following teams: Minnesota, New Orleans, Arizona, San Francisco. I personally think they miss out behind the Vikings, Saints and 49ers. Losing Cooper will hurt Dak and Gallup is not close to being ready to play yet. The added loss of Gregory on the defense just adds insult to injury. This is not Dallas’ year.
Vikings Highest Scoring Offense +2000 (DraftKings)
This one is obviously a longshot. No one takes anything at +2000 odds thinking they’re smarter than the market, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to chuck .10 units on and hope for the best. If you have read a few of our blogs this offseason, you know we are high on the Vikings going into 2022. Their new head coach, Kevin O’Connell, led the Rams to 27 PPG last season. That was good enough for 6th and if I’m being honest with myself, the Vikings have better weapons this season compared to the Rams 2021 campaign. Stafford is better than Cousins, but that’s the only advantage. WRs/RBs/TEs all go to the Vikings. Tyler Higbee is good, but I think Irv Smith is going to have a massive year. All of that is said to make this point: the Vikings will be very dangerous on offense and still below average on defense. The perfect storm for a high-scoring team.
Los Angeles Rams NFC Winner +550 (DraftKings)
The Rams were last year’s Super Bowl Champs. What did they do in the offseason? They snagged Allen Robinson to pair with Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson and brought in Bobby Wagner to make their defense even stronger. This team has a top 5 player in 4 of the most important positions (Stafford, Kupp, Donald, Ramsey). Los Angeles is also getting Cam Akers back from injury. The Rams are the definition of stacked. I believe either the Rams or Tampa Bay will take this division, but with the Rams sitting at +550 (compared to Tampa Bay’s +330), I’ll take Los Angeles. The only thing standing in their way is Matthew Stafford’s shoulder.
Chicago Bears Under 2.5 Division Wins -165 (DraftKings)
This one requires eating a bit of juice, but only because it’s a massive lock. All you have to do to understand how much of a sure thing this bet is, is ask yourself 2 simple questions. Do you think they sweep any of their division opponents? Do you think they beat the Packers once? If you answered “No” to both of those questions, then you realize it is mathematically impossible for them to go over 2.5 division wins. Case closed.
Christian McCaffrey: Comeback Player of the Year +750 (DraftKings)
McCaffrey has been a thorn in every fantasy player’s side for two years now. He is an absolute monster when healthy, but the problem is he is rarely healthy these days. That ends in 2022. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling Christian is going to get back to his 2019 numbers. Where he had 2400 all-purpose yards and 19 total touchdowns. Even if he just has 75% of those numbers, that will put him at 1800 total yards and 14 total touchdowns. After only playing 10 total games in the last 2 seasons due to injury, if he comes out with a season like that, he will win this award automatically.
These are just a few of the bets we have placed money on so far this offseason. Tail at your own risk.