The NFL season only spans about 22 weeks of the calendar year. Most people think it’s too small of a time window to have fun betting on the current season. If you’re one of these people, there’s no need to be upset since NFL betting is not limited to that small window of time. Enter NFL futures.
Sportsbooks everywhere offer bettors plenty of chances to bet on NFL futures, and if you haven’t heard of them yet, then you’re in luck. In this article, we will be talking about NFL futures, how it works, and the different types of NFL future bets you can wager on. Let’s start.
What are NFL Futures Bets?
NFL futures bets are wagers with uncertain outcomes that are commonly far away from the future, some even spanning until next year. One good example of this is betting on the next Super Bowl winner. As soon as the final whistle of the Super Bowl of the current year is blown, you can start betting on which team will win the Super Bowl for the following year.
Of course, since this is pretty much undetermined yet and is highly risky, the payout can be ridiculous, and some of them can go to thousands. This is why NFL futures bets are prevalent among NFL fans. That said, what types of bets can you bet on NFL futures? Here are some of them.
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So How Does Futures Betting Work?
Futures betting odds usually open before the start of the season. However, bookies often keep the lines open even if the season starts. This is because they want to adjust the odds throughout the whole season until the start of the Super Bowl. Why? It’s because there are a lot of factors that should be considered. These factors are then taken into account to adjust the lines. Factors include injuries, trades, etc.
For example, let’s say that you bet on the Chiefs to win the next Super Bowl at +600. You will then be locked into those odds. However, what if Patrick Mahomes gets a season-ending injury in week 3? Chances are that bookies will then adjust the odds of the Super Bowl bet to +2500 to consider the season injury that Patrick Mahomes had.
Of course, bettors can still bet on the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl, but since Patrick Mahomes is out of the picture, most would stay away from betting that. He’s an integral part of the Kansas City Chiefs, and if he isn’t on the team, it’s probably doubtful for them to win the Super Bowl.
Team Win Totals
This one is one of the most popular NFL futures bets out there. In this bet, you will have to guess how many wins a specific team will have at the end of the current season. The bookies will publish a prediction, and if you think the total wins will be more than what’s predicted, you can bet on the over. If you think otherwise, you can bet on the under.
Super Bowl Futures
This is perhaps the most popular type of future bet out there, and it predicts which team will be winning the Super Bowl next year. This one is very lucrative, as the payout can be ridiculous. Case in point, let’s take a look at the 2021 preseason odds. The LA Rams have about +1500, while the Bengals have +15000.
If you bet on the Rams and they win the Super Bowl, you would have to take home $1600 with your $1500 and your original $100 bet. However, if you bet on the Bengals and they win, you would go home with a ridiculous amount of $15100 with $15000 winning and your original $100.
Division and Conference Winners
Yet another popular bet is betting on which team will win their respective division and conference. Unfortunately, this one is quite difficult to predict since both the AFC and NFC are highly competitive, with divisional rivalries trying to dominate each other throughout the regular season alone.
The number of teams alone can be pretty complicated for you. For example, betting on the AFC championship winner will have your pick from different pools of a team from the AFC south, north, west, and east divisions. This is also the same for the NFC.
Individual Awards
If you’re keener on betting on NFL lines, this one’s for you. In individual awards, you can bet on specific awards and which players will most likely get them. One of the most popular bets is the Super Bowl MVP award, NFL comeback player, NFL season leader, rookie of the year, etc.
Final Words
NFL futures bets are entertaining and exciting. This is probably because most bets are long shots, which makes it satisfying if you win the bet. However, as the name suggested, they are pretty hard to win since they are far into the future, and a lot could happen throughout the season. But then again, NFL futures betting is lucrative, so it’s worth the wait.
