NFL Futures I’m Betting On Before Week 16

As we get closer to the close of the NFL season, I hope you have made some profitable future bets throughout the course of the year. It’s always a great feeling to have that money come back into your account on a bet you placed weeks prior. The bets I’ve selected in this article have been something of a mixed bag, but there have been some great values along the way. While the board is undoubtedly drying up as we’re only a couple of weeks away from the end of the regular season, let’s see if we can find a couple of good plays to close the year.

Futures We’ve Bet On

*Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook

• Arizona Cardinals Under 13.5 Wins; Current Odds: 11.5 Wins
• New England Patriots to Make the Playoffs at +350; Current Odds:
• Seattle Seahawks to Make the Playoffs at +230; Current Odds: +2000
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers to be the #1 Seed in the NFC at +490; Current Odds: +350
• Cleveland Browns to win the AFC North at +420; Current Odds: +550
• Denver Broncos Over 8.5 Wins; Current Odds: 8.5 Wins
• Kansas City Chiefs to win the AFC West at -110; Current Odds: -1800
• Philadelpia Eagles to Make the Playoffs at +200; Current Odds: +150
• Tennessee Titans Over 12.5 Wins; Current Odds: 10.5 Wins
• Miami Dolphins to Make the Playoffs: +1000; Current Odds: +700
• Jonathan Taylor Offensive Player of the Year: +225; Current Odds: -110
• Green Bay Packers to Win the Super Bowl: +750; Current Odds: +450
• Cincinnati Bengals to Miss the Playoffs: -110; Current Odds: +110
• Jaylen Waddle to Win Offensive Rookie of the Year: +6500; Current Odds: +6500
• Jacksonville Jaguars Under 3.5 Wins: -120; Current Odds: 2.5

San Francisco 49ers to Win the Super Bowl: +3000

If you have been tracking this column, then you should have grabbed the Packers at +750 to win the Super Bowl a couple of weeks ago. They are up to +450 after their win over the Ravens, and a Buccaneers’ loss put them in the driver’s seat to earn the #1 seed in the conference. The Cardinals are reeling off the DeAndre Hopkins injury and a loss to the lowly Lions, while the Buccaneers will be without Chris Godwin for the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL. The Cowboys haven’t looked right for weeks with Dak Prescott in a slump, and the Rams are arguably the most top-heavy team in the league with a quarterback who has never won a playoff game. It’s not that outlandish to think the 49ers could emerge from the NFC as a true Super Bowl contender.

George Kittle is on an epic historic run, the likes of which we’ve rarely seen from a tight end in the NFL. Deebo Samuel is not only one of the best receivers in the NFL, but he’s evolved into a damn good running back, as well. Trent Williams is arguably the best offensive tackle in the league. Along with those three blue-chip offensive players, Jimmy Garoppolo has been playing very efficient football lately and has experience winning playoff games, something you can’t say about most of the quarterbacks in the NFC. Defensively, the Niners have been rounding into form, as well, with first-year defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans improving week by week. I still like the Packers as the favorite to come out of the NFC, but the Niners are one of the healthiest teams in football, and 30-to-1 odds make this way too enticing to pass up.

Indianapolis Colts to Win the AFC South: +550

I recommended the Titans over 12.5 wins a few weeks back, but that team is reeling right now, and I don’t see how they can beat the 49ers on a short week. The Colts, meanwhile, are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, with Jonathan Taylor playing like a potential MVP candidate. A road game against the Cardinals seems far less daunting after they lost to the Lions last week, and Taylor will overwhelm an Arizona run defense that just allowed Craig Reynolds to run for over 100 yards. Indianapolis’s defense is also getting healthy at the right time, and they were dominant on Saturday in picking off Mac Jones twice and holding the Patriots to 17 points. If the Colts beat the Cardinals and the Titans lose to the 49ers, both of which I am currently predicting in my Week 16 picks article, Indianapolis would have a 48% chance of winning the division, according to FiveThirtyEight.

If the Colts can get past the Cardinals, they should be able to win out with very winnable games against the Raiders and Jaguars to end the year. Meanwhile, a Week 17 loss to the Dolphins, who are fighting for playoff positioning, would not be the craziest outcome for Tennessee. The Titans would need to lose two of their final three games not to win the division, and they will be favored against both Miami and Houston to end the year. Therefore, it’s still likely the Titans will win the division, but I wouldn’t call it a lock after they struggled to get to 13 points last week against a Pittsburgh defense that has been hemorrhaging points lately. If the Colts and Titans played this week, I’d be betting on the Colts, and while that doesn’t matter to the outcome of the division, it does instill some confidence that Indy could spoil Tennessee’s division title at close to 6-to-1 odds.