Betting on NFL futures means wagering on an event later in the NFL season, often focused on end-of-year results like team win totals or a player winning a specific award.
These bets are popular at top sports betting sites and cover a range of odds. Below, we look at some of the most popular NFL futures bets, including Super Bowl winner, NFL MVP and more.
Latest NFL futures odds
Futures odds tend to highlight “risk versus reward” when it comes to betting. They often have much higher payout potential than other bet types but are also notoriously hard to predict.
It’s common to find high odds, such as +5000 odds for a team to win the Super Bowl. Those odds show how difficult (yet profitable) it can be to win futures bets. Use the drop-down menu below to select your desired NFL futures market and you will be presented with the latest odds to select.
The lines for futures bets will shift significantly from the time they are released and as the season progresses. That’s due to team and player performance, news, injuries, coaching changes, etc.
You can bet on odds right when they are released, when they are at their highest, or you can wait until you have more information to process. The longer you wait, however, the more likely odds will shift downward as season-ending outcomes become more likely and easier to predict, which means a lower potential payout.
How to read NFL futures odds
Sports betting apps in the US most commonly use American Odds with negative and positive numbers.
Negative numbers tell you how much you need to wager to win $100. So odds of -110 would require you to wager $110 to win $210, which is your original stake plus your $100 profit.
Positive numbers, on the other hand, show you how much you stand to win for every $100 you bet. So odds of +225 would pay out $325 on a $100 bet, which is your original wager returned to you plus $225 in winnings.
How to bet on NFL futures at an online sportsbook
Once you’ve selected the NFL sportsbook you want to use, use our links to visit the site. You can either register for a new account on the website or download the app and register for an account on your phone or tablet.
You’ll be asked to provide personal information such as your name, address, Social Security number, and more, and you’ll be required to agree to the sportsbook terms and conditions.
Once you’ve finished that, you can make your deposit, claim any sportsbook bonuses and promos and you’re ready to bet.
Below, we list the steps to setting yourself up for sports betting.
- Which sportsbook is right for you? Once you’ve decided, follow a link from our site to get access to the best sportsbook bonuses currently available to new customers.
- Sign up: You’ll usually find a button to register for an account at the top of the home screen.
- Give them your details: Sportsbooks require you to provide personal information to set up an account.
- Terms and conditions: You’ll need to accept the sportsbook’s terms and conditions, which include allowing the company to use geolocation software to verify your location. This ensures you are in a legal state before allowing you to make a wager.
- Download the app: Download the betting app from your sportsbook. It will allow you to make bets from anywhere within a legal state, access your account and make deposits and withdrawals. Additionally, you can access live betting options through the app.
- Deposit funds: You’ll need to put some money in your account before you can start betting.
- Start betting: You’re ready to give those NFL futures bets a whirl.
Super Bowl futures odds
The discussion about which team will hoist the Lombardi Trophy starts as soon as the previous Super Bowl ends. Odds are released and bettors can start placing wagers almost immediately.
You don’t have to make your picks immediately after the Super Bowl to get involved in NFL futures bets. You can bet on which team you believe will win the Super Bowl all season long.
Remember that Super Bowl betting odds will change as the season progresses and the playoff picture clarifies. Those lines will shift for various reasons, but the NFL Draft, offseason moves, team and player performance, and even public betting will influence NFL betting lines at online sportsbooks.
The expanded NFL playoff format, which began with the 2021-22 season, will continue to be the standard for the foreseeable future. This allows 14 teams to make the playoffs with seven coming from the AFC and seven from the NFC.
NFL regular-season win totals
Betting on the over/under for a team’s regular-season record is another popular NFL futures bet. Plus, it gives you a reason to cheer for a specific team throughout the season.
This bet type requires you to pick whether you believe a team will win more or fewer games than the line the online sportsbook sets.
For example, let’s say the San Francisco 49ers are given the over/under of 9.5 wins for the season. You have to determine if the team can win more than 10 games, for which you would bet on the ‘over,’ or if they will win fewer than nine, for which you would bet the ‘under.’
If you’re right, you’ll be paid out based on the odds when you finalize your bet.
See more: NFL Win Totals odds
Other NFL futures bets you can make
Quite a few other NFL futures bets are available depending on the sportsbook. They all work the same way as the above-mentioned ones with you predicting the outcome of a season, or how a team will finish, or whether they’ll make the playoffs.
Every sportsbook has its own selection of NFL future odds, so line shopping is important. Here is a list of some other futures bets you might come across.
- Division winners: With four divisions in each conference, you have many options for betting on the winners. Some divisions are much stronger than others, but the best team in each will get crowned division champion and receive an automatic berth into the playoffs.
- Conference winners: Which two teams will rise to the top of the AFC and NFC conferences for a chance to play in the Super Bowl?
NFL MVP futures
The NFL Most Valuable Player Award is the most popular of NFL player futures. The player who wins is (theoretically) the best in the NFL that year, though the winner is almost always a quarterback on one of the top teams.
NFL MVP futures can be bet on from Super Bowl to Super Bowl with the winner being announced at the end of the season. Odds fluctuate quite a bit, depending on how well individual players perform throughout the season.
Here’s an example of what the odds might look like for MVP futures:
- Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals, (+650)
- Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (+650)
- Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (+750)
- Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (+900)
- Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (+1000)
See more: Current NFL MVP odds
Other NFL award futures
The Most Valuable Player Award isn’t the only individual honor given out at the end of the season, and it’s far from the only award you can bet on with NFL futures.
Below is a list of five other awards you can bet on at legal betting sites.
- NFL Offensive Player of the Year: Typically given to a non-quarterback who has had the best offensive season.
- NFL Defensive Player of the Year: Lately, the DPOY award has been given to the top pass rusher in the NFL. Only one non-pass rusher has won the award since 2014 and that was in 2019 when Stephon Gilmore took home the honor.
- NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year: This award tends to go to offensive players all over the field. Four running backs, three receivers, and three quarterbacks have been given this award in the last decade.
- NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year: This particular award has been given to just about every defensive position over the past 15 years, but it’s favored edge rushers a little recently.
- NFL Comeback Player of the Year: This is usually given to a player who has overcome a major injury. It’s often one of the more difficult individual awards to predict in the early stages of the season.
See more: NFL Rookie of the Year odds
NFL stat leader futures
Statistics and sports are a natural combination, so it’s no surprise that stat leaders and futures bets have found their way into NFL betting.
These bets are pretty self-explanatory with categories like NFL passing leader and NFL rushing yards leader. Keep in mind that these are difficult to predict, though they can be very entertaining to follow throughout the season.
- Passing yards: Which player will have the most yards through the air this season
- Passing touchdowns: The quarterback who throws the most touchdowns this season
- Rushing yards: A running back who finishes the season with the most yards from scrimmage
- Rushing touchdowns: The player who scores the most touchdowns in the ground game
- Receiving yards: The player who catches the most yards this season, which includes yards-after-catch statistics
- Receiving touchdowns: Interestingly, this is rarely the player with the most receiving yards, though that’s not out of the question
- Sacks: The pass rusher who collects the most sacks on the opposing quarterback
- Tackles: Any defensive player who leads the league in tackles for the season
- Interceptions: Typically a defensive back who hauls in the most interceptions from opposing quarterbacks
See more: NFL prop bets
Related Pages
- NBA Championship futures odds
- Stanley Cup odds
- NHL futures odds
- World Series futures odds
- MLB futures odds
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