If you’re a big-picture bettor who’d rather not have your wager decided by the randomness of an individual game, you might consider NFL futures betting. A futures bet, as the name implies, is a wager placed on an event in the more distant future than the next set of games. The most popular futures bets are for which team will win the Super Bowl, but you can also place bets on who will win each of the eight NFL divisions.
History of NFL Futures
Futures odds have been around as long as the question, “Who do you think will win it all?” but they have become much more sophisticated in the past couple of decades. Super Bowl futures odds, for instance, typically weren’t made available at many sportsbooks until just before the NFL season started. Now, you can get them as soon as the previous Super
Bowl is completed — or in some cases even sooner. That’s because the public has shown a voracious appetite for futures odds, allowing sportsbooks to accept bets all year round on the ever-popular NFL.
Types of NFL Futures
While most futures bets involve predicting championship winners, there are other types. You can bet on the number of games a team will win (usually over or under a set number called a win total), which player will win the MVP award or which teams will make the playoffs. Still, by far the most popular futures bets are on winners.
That can involve the winners of divisions, conferences or league championships. In the NFL, that means the most common futures will be for the Super Bowl 53 winner, the NFC champion, AFC champion and the winner of each division.
How to Bet on NFL Futures
Futures are often available throughout the season, but often a bettor is making a prediction before the season starts. This means he or she must weigh the impact of injuries, trades and developments throughout the season, against the championship odds for each team. One of the pluses about betting futures odds is that often the payouts are high. For instance, the favorite to win Super Bowl 53, the New England Patriots, are +650, meaning you win $650 for every $100 you bet should New England win the title. The odds get longer from there, with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers — all with top-five odds — cashing out at +1200.
Because of the long odds, a good strategy can be to bet on more than one team. If you believe three underdogs have a strong chance to win the title, betting all of them would still make you plenty of money if any of them come through. You can also follow your bet and make more wagers throughout the season to do what’s called hedging your bet. For example, if you bet on the Oakland Raiders to win the Super Bowl at +2500 and the Raiders reached the playoffs, you could then bet a smaller amount on another team in the AFC that might stop the Raiders. Or you could begin to bet smaller amounts against the Raiders in each individual playoff game, ensuring that you”ll make a profit no matter what happens.
Super Bowl 53 Futures Odds (Odds from Bovada)
New England Patriots +650
Denver Broncos +4000
Philadelphia Eagles +900
Tennessee Titans +4000
Los Angeles Rams +1000
Baltimore Ravens +4500
Pittsburgh Steelers +1200
New York Giants +5000
Minnesota Vikings +1200
Seattle Seahawks +5000
Green Bay Packers +1200
Detroit Lions +6500
New Orleans Saints +1600
Indianapolis Colts +7500
Atlanta Falcons +2000
Washington Redskins +7500
Jacksonville Jaguars +2000
Cleveland Browns +7500
Los Angeles Chargers +2000
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +7500
Houston Texans +2200
Chicago Bears +8000
San Francisco 49ers +2200
Cincinnati Bengals +10000
Oakland Raiders +2500
Arizona Cardinals +12500
Dallas Cowboys +2500
Buffalo Bills +15000
Kansas City Chiefs +3000
Miami Dolphins +15000
Carolina Panthers +4000
New York Jets +20000
Other NFL Futures Odds
Odds to win AFC
New England Patriots +215
Baltimore Ravens +2000
Pittsburgh Steelers +400
Tennessee Titans +2000
Jacksonville Jaguars +900
Indianapolis Colts +3000
Houston Texans +1000
Cincinnati Bengals +4000
Los Angeles Chargers +1000
Cleveland Browns +4000
Kansas City Chiefs +1400
Miami Dolphins +4500
Oakland Raiders +1600
Buffalo Bills +5000
Denver Broncos +1800
New York Jets +7000
Odds to win NFC
Philadelphia Eagles +500
Carolina Panthers +1500
Los Angeles Rams +600
Seattle Seahawks +1800
Green Bay Packers +600
Detroit Lions +2500
Minnesota Vikings +650
New York Giants +2800
New Orleans Saints +1000
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3300
San Francisco 49ers +1000
Washington Redskins +4000
Atlanta Falcons +1100
Chicago Bears +5500
Dallas Cowboys +1200
Arizona Cardinals +6500
Odds to win AFC East
New England Patriots -800
Buffalo Bills +1400
Miami Dolphins +1100
New York Jets +1500
Odd to win AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers -280
Cincinnati Bengals +1000
Baltimore Ravens +400
Cleveland Browns +1200
Odds to win AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars +175
Tennessee Titans +325
Houston Texans +185
Indianapolis Colts +550
Odds to win AFC West
Los Angeles Chargers +155
Oakland Raiders +325
Kansas City Chiefs +260
Denver Broncos +400
Odds to win NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles -165
New York Giants +600
Dallas Cowboys +350
Washington Redskins +750
Odds to win NFC North
Minnesota Vikings +120
Detroit Lions +600
Green Bay Packers +145
Chicago Bears +900
Odds to win NFC South
New Orleans Saints +165
Carolina Panthers +260
Atlanta Falcons +185
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +900
Odds to win NFC West
Los Angeles Rams -135
San Francisco 49ers +280
Seattle Seahawks +400
Arizona Cardinals +1400
If you’re looking for more great NFL futures betting resources, check out these guides:
NFL MVP Award Odds: Betting Guide, Strategy and Picks
2018 NFC Betting: Odds to win the NFC Divisions and Conference Championship
2018 AFC Betting: Odds to win the AFC Divisions and Conference Championship
NFL Win Totals: Betting Guide, Odds, Strategy and Tips
NFL Division Betting Odds: How to Pick a Winner for each NFL Division
How to Bet on the Super Bowl: Super Bowl 53 Betting Odds and Predictions
