The NFL season is fast approaching, and that leads us right into the “fast futures” bets available on DraftKings. Five weeks into the season, where will teams stand? Who starts fast, who starts slow? Let’s dive in and check out these 2026 NFL best bets, fast futures, and do it AFC style. For these fast futures bets, the rules are simple. You are predicting either how many wins a team has after their first five games, or who has the most wins in their division after the first five games.
Cincinnati Bengals 3 Wins (+175)
The Bengals traditionally start off slow every year. 2025 looked different, though. They started 2-0 after changing their approach to the preseason. Then, Joe Burrow went down, and so did the team. What does the start of 2026 look like for this high-flying team? They’ll be challenged right out of the gate as Baker Mayfield and the Bucs come to town. Week 2, they go on the road to what I expect to be a tough Houston Texans team.
Week 3 is a divisional rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, on the road. They host the Jaguars in Week 4 before heading to sunny Miami in Week 5 for a matchup with the Dolphins. I bounced between giving them two wins at 3/1, before settling on three wins here. The Dolphins are an easy win to chalk up. I expect them to lose to Houston, but then just need to snag two more wins between Tampa, Pittsburgh, and Jacksonville. Should be doable for a Bengals team that should be solid in 2026.
Los Angeles Chargers 4 Wins (+225) & 5 Wins (+800)
There are a few times I’m higher on going into 2026 than the Los Angeles Chargers. Year three of Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert, adding Mike McDaniel as the offensive coordinator. The team they are building. I love everything about it. Los Angeles will be a team to watch all season. They start with the Cardinals and Raiders. While Las Vegas might be slightly improved, those should be two easy wins for the Chargers. Then they go to Buffalo and visit the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks in back-to-back weeks. It’s going to be hard to come off that road stint with two wins. That’s why we’re betting four wins.
This team will absolutely be capable of winning both games, and if they can start 4-0 before the Denver Broncos come to town, watch out, NFL. Denver will be a tough foe, the reigning AFC West Champions. But at home, I’ll give the edge to Los Angeles. The Chargers start with four or five wins and cash one of these bets for us.
Indianapolis Colts 1 Win (+320) 0 Wins (+1100)
I have little to no faith in the Indianapolis Colts going into 2026, and their schedule starts off tough. Daniel Jones is returning from a late-season torn Achilles. Whether he is completely ready and healthy is a big question to start the season. They kick things off with a revitalized Lamar Jackson in a new system that should be successful. They go to Kansas City in Week 2, which has its own quarterback health questions, but they also have Andy Reid.
In Week 3, they host Houston, whose defense I expect to tear apart the Colts. Then it’s on the road to Washington, another team that is being underrated, and they stay on the East Coast and go to a Pittsburgh team that just might be okay. They’ll start 0-3. Washington and Pittsburgh are winnable games, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they lose both on the road. Fade the Colts this season.
AFC South Most Wins After 5 Games: Houston Texans (+175)
I just made my case against the Indianapolis Colts. So check them off this list. The Tennessee Titans, well, they are the Tennessee Titans. They should be improved, but not that much in the first five weeks of the year. That leaves the Jacksonville Jaguars vs the Houston Texans. I love Jacksonville, and was on their bandwagon before last season. But I’ve abandoned that AFC South ship and found myself high on the Houston Texans, especially their defensive unit.
Houston has two tough games against Buffalo and Cincinnati to start the season off. I think their defense will be too much for the new-look Bills in Week 1, and the Bengals game could go either way. After that, it’s the Colts in Indianapolis, the Cowboys at home, and on the road in Nashville against the Titans. The Colts and Titans I’ll chalk up as easy wins, and I think Houston is just simply better than Dallas. Houston starts at least 4-1, and has the best record in the division in the first five weeks.
