It’s hard to believe 11 weeks of the NFL season are already in the books. Seven weeks remain before the playoffs hit, and the league has been loaded with surprises so far. Some teams are far better than expected, and there are a few teams that would shockingly miss the playoffs if they started today. There’s no better time to reassess the NFL futures market than right now. Let’s dive into the NFL futures update and find our best bets going into Week 12.
Yes, there are seven weeks left in the season, and a ton will change. However, if the playoffs started today, a few of the teams that would not be there include the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, and Baltimore Ravens. Probably not something a lot saw coming, but the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots hold the first two seeds in the AFC. The NFC is a little more chalky, with the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams atop the conference standings.
The Eagles and Rams have the best odds to win the Super Bowl heading into week 12. Buffalo, Indianapolis, and Kansas City make up the top five teams on the odds board. Teams like Kansas City (10/1) and Detroit (11/1) still have much better odds than their counterparts, the Jaguars (55/1) and Bears (70/1), who would both be in as of today.
NFL Best Bets: NFL Futures Update
Detroit Lions NFC North Winners (+135)
The great part of some of these good teams being down, it gives us a chance to jump on them at good numbers. In the NFC North, the Chicago Bears currently lead the division at 7-3. The Packers and Lions are right behind them at 6-3-1 and 6-4, respectively. The Bears have looked good, but have a brutal schedule ahead. The Steelers this week, the Eagles, and the Packers the next two weeks. They face Cleveland before finishing up with the Packers again, the 49ers, and the Lions.
Green Bay has an equally tough schedule. While the Lions have had their losses this year, they’re schedule was harder to start, and gets much easier later in the season. They have teams like the Giants, Cowboys, and Vikings left. Even with Sam LaPorta missing the remainder of the season, the Lions are a good team, and their schedule sets up nicely. It’s a steal getting them at plus money.
New England Patriots AFC #1 Seed (+200)
The Broncos and Patriots are tied at the top of the odds to win the conference, which is how they stand, with the Broncos having the edge in the tiebreaker. The Broncos’ schedule is much tougher than the Patriots’ for the remainder of the year. They have the Packers, Chargers, and Jaguars left to play. They also have a tough rematch with Kansas City in Week 17 at Arrowhead.
New England, on the other hand, has the Bengals, Giants, Jets, and Dolphins left. Their tough games are against Buffalo and Baltimore. New England has had an easy schedule and taken advantage of that so far. The Colts are the other team within spitting distance, and their schedule is brutal down the stretch. The Chiefs, the Texans twice, with that defense we saw Thursday night. The Jaguars twice, the Seahawks, and the 49ers. There are no “gimmie” games left on their schedule.
San Francisco 49ers NFC Champions (+1600)
Here’s the “longshot” of our futures bets. The San Francisco 49ers have been a beat-up team, that’s getting healthier and looking really good. The NFC is tough, with the Eagles being the best team in football. The Rams, Seahawks, Lions, Packers, and Buccaneers are going to make it a tough conference to win. San Francisco has been there before. Kyle Shanahan knows how to get to the Super Bowl, and so does Brock Purdy. They were just there two years ago. Don’t be shocked if this team finds a way to get back there, and 16/1 in the crazy NFL season we’ve seen so far, sign me up!
Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Winners (+1000)
They may not be in the playoffs, but how can you ever count this team out? Just a few weeks ago, we were all saying they looked like they were back and to watch out. With Andy Reid in charge and Patrick Mahomes, do not ever count this team out. This is likely our one chance to buy the dip. Before last week’s loss to the Denver Broncos, they were still the favorites to win them all. Think about it, if they do make the playoffs, which is the likely outcome. Do you want to miss out on the chance to be holding a 10/1 ticket on Patrick Mahomes? If you are not a Chiefs fan, it’s really a win-win. Either this cashes, or you are happy when they lose! An emotional hedge is never a bad thing.
