Early Season NFL Futures Bets
Gambling Opinion by Ethan Irish
We are now 3 weeks into the 2022-23 NFL season and have a good grasp of how each team will play this season. With that, I thought it would be good to go through a couple of different futures bets that may be worth taking before we get too far into the season and there is no value left.
Bet #1: Saquon Barkley Comeback Player of the Year (+350) (Fanduel)
To me, this bet just seems obvious. The only other potential candidate is Carolina Panthers running back, Christian McCaffrey but with the New York Giants off to a better than expected start at 2-1 I think this bet is a lock. Through 3 games Barkley is averaging 6 yards a carry and is very involved in the passing game with 13 receptions for 91 yards. With wide receiver Sterling Shepard going down to what looked like a season ending injury, that may put even more of the offense on Barkley's back to perform.
The only risk with this bet, in my opinion, is the potential of Saquon getting hurt. He obviously has been prone to injuries during his short time in the league so that is something to worry about. I think tripling your money now rather than waiting until his odds are at barely plus money or even higher is worth the risk even with the potential of an injury.
Bet #2: Romeo Doubs Offensive Rookie of the Year (+1000) (Fanduel)
This past week, Green Bay Packers rookie wide receiver Romeo Doubs, saw an uptick in usage with Sammy Watkins and Christian Watson being sidelined. He caught all 8 of his targets for 73 yards and his first career touchdown. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been very high on the rookie and it seems to me they will continue to increase his usage in this very odd Packers offense going forward, especially with Watkins going on the IR.
There are risks involved with this play only because we do not know how the Packers will perform throughout the entirety of the season but I do trust Rodgers to win games. He is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and if Doubs can get open often every week he will find him. Falcons wide receiver Drake London and New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave are currently the favorites to win this award at +500 so for double the odds Doubs seems like a good value play. Also with this awards a lot of it seems to come down to team results and the Packers have been better in that category than the Falcons and Saints in recent years.
Bet #3: [Risky] Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl Winner (+1800) (DraftKings)
Why not? Lamar Jackson bets on himself in the offseason and goes on to win the Super Bowl? Would be quite the narrative throughout the season. Jackson is currently the favorite to win the MVP award for the 2022-23 NFL season which I can definitely see happening so to add a ring onto that would be insane.
This bet also has some value. A lot of other books have the Ravens at +1400 to win the Super Bowl at the moment so whether DraftKings has them mispriced or actually are ahead of the game it is solid value for the time being. A lot will have to go right for the Ravens to hit this bet but honestly it could happen. The NFC North is not looking to hot right now, with the obvious down year for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the sluggish start for the Cincinnati Bengals, and the question marks surrounding the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens seem to be the only team with its head on its shoulders.