FUTURES

The NFL football season is a time for bettors to bet on individual football matches during the regular season. Because matchups and betting odds have already been set, all the bettors have to do is place their bets on their chosen teams or outcomes.

However, for postseason matches in which participating teams have not yet been decided, traditional betting methods like moneylines, spreads, or win totals might not be practical. In this situation, futures bets are the way to go.

MaximBet.com discusses NFL futures, how to make futures bets, what affects the futures odds, and the bets you can place with futures betting. This information can help you make informed betting decisions and increase your betting success.

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What Are NFL Futures?

As its name implies, NFL futures are bets that you place on football events occurring later in the year.

Some popular futures bets include:

• Which team is going to win the next season’s Super Bowl?
• Which team will win the next NFC or AFC Championships?
• Who will become the next Most Valuable Player (MVP)?

As early as the preseason, oddsmakers start setting NFL futures odds. Depending on how the various teams perform during the regular season, oddsmakers also adjust the futures odds.

While making NFL futures bets can be profitable, you must still practice caution, especially when betting large amounts. Early betting means your money will be tied to your bets for a long time.

NFL Futures Line-Movement

The regular season games do not officially start until September. However, NFL futures odds can change depending on preseason performances, injuries, and analyses from football experts.

A rule of thumb when betting on NFL futures is to look for bets with high rewards at the lowest prices.

You do not necessarily have to bet on which team wins the Super Bowl. If you think a match within the first few weeks of the regular season will give you the best value for your bet, go for that bet.

What Impacts NFL Futures Odds?

Factors such as injuries, player trades, and other movements within the roster can change NFL futures odds.

The impact of injuries or roster moves on NFL futures can vary. An injured star quarterback is likely to affect a team’s odds greater than a running back who is just starting out with the team.

NFL futures odds change every week. For example, losing three NFL games in a row can significantly affect the team’s odds. This opens up possibilities to place interesting bets since the likelihood of receiving higher payouts due to higher risks increases.

Futures odds can also shift during the NFL postseason. For example, when a team is eliminated from the playoffs, the odds for the remaining teams heading into the Super Bowl also drop because of decreased competition.

How to Bet on NFL Futures

In the United States, a popular question frequently asked by football fans and bettors alike is, “Who will win the Super Bowl?”

If you ask that question too early, you may not get a good answer. Meanwhile, the futures market is open, and you can bet on NFL futures odds at any time.

Oddsmakers usually start setting NFL futures odds in February, after the football season ends. Some oddsmakers set odds as early as January so you can place futures bets for the next season while the current regular season is yet to end.

The initial betting lines set by oddsmakers depend on how the teams are perceived at the end of the last season.

There are 32 NFL teams divided into two conferences, the AFC (American Football Conference) and the NFC (National Football Conference), composed of 16 teams each. 

The two conferences are then further divided into four divisions, East, West, North, and South. Each division is made up of four teams.

With NFL futures, you can bet on the Super Bowl and divisional events, like predicting which teams will win in each division.

How Are NFL Future Bets Paid?

NFL futures odds are usually displayed in relation to a $100 stake. For example, if you bet on the San Francisco 49ers to win the NFC Championship and their odds are at +700, you can win a $700 profit from a $100 bet.

Futures odds can also be negative. The Tennessee Titans odds might be at -130 to win the AFC West Division, meaning you need to bet $130 to win a $100 profit.

Parlays can be a little challenging to calculate. If you place a bet on the Los Angeles Rams at +140 to win the NFC West, then you bet on the Miami Dolphins at +340 to win the AFC East, it may take you a few minutes to compute the estimated return.

At MaximBet.com, you’re given a bet slip that automatically computes your estimated return each time you place your bets online. You just input the bet amount and bet type, and we do the rest for you.

Betting Strategies for NFL Futures

It is common for sportsbooks to have different prices for futures odds. Once you've picked a team to bet on, shop around and compare prices to find bets with the best value.

You can also bet on more than one team. This allows you to have a backup bet if one of the teams you bet on encounters some difficulty during the game.

When betting on favorites, remember that their odds do not usually pay out a large amount despite having higher chances to win. 

The term “any given Sunday” means any team can win the match. In other words, even an underdog has a chance to beat the favorite.

In NFL futures betting, especially with Super Bowl bets, it is not rare for underdogs to make an upset. Look into past odds of previous Super Bowl winners to know how much you could have won by betting on the underdogs.

Also, when betting on the NFL MVP, consider that nine of the last 10 recipients from 2011 to 2020 had been quarterbacks. Likewise, the NFL Offensive Player of the Year was won mostly by running backs and quarterbacks.

Futures Bets For the NFL Season

Super Bowl Futures

Among NFL futures bets, the Super Bowl futures odds get a lot of action due to its nature as the final championship match of the season.

At the start, all teams are on the board in the futures odds. As the season progresses and teams get eliminated, Super Bowl odds change even until the postseason playoffs.

Seasonal and Performance Awards

Most Valuable Player: This is the most popular player bet. The majority of players who have won this award from 1957 to 2020 were quarterbacks.

Since this award has nothing to do with match outcomes, the MVP award can be considered a prop bet.

Offensive Player of the Year: This award goes to players specializing in offense, such as running backs and even quarterbacks.

Defensive Player of the Year: Players who win this award must have shown exceptional defensive performance. Since many of this award’s winners were linemen, you can consider placing a bet on a player with that position.

Division and Conference Futures

Aside from Super Bowl futures, other common NFL futures bets are on the division and conference playoffs. Football bettors bet on teams that they believe will win either the AFC Championship or NFC Championship.

For football teams to participate in the Super Bowl, they first need to qualify for the postseason playoffs, then win the wild card and divisional matches. After that, the teams have to win either the AFC Championship or NFC Championship before proceeding to the Super Bowl.

AFC Divisions

AFC East

• Buffalo Bills
• Miami Dolphins
• New England Patriots
• New York Jets

AFC North

• Baltimore Ravens
• Cincinnati Bengals
• Cleveland Browns
• Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC South

• Houston Texans
• Indianapolis Colts
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• Tennessee Titans

AFC West

• Denver Broncos
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Los Angeles Chargers

NFC Divisions

NFC East

• Dallas Cowboys
• New York Giants
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Washington Football Team

NFC North

• Chicago Bears
• Detroit Lions
• Green Bay Packers
• Minnesota Vikings

NFC South

• Atlanta Falcons
• Carolina Panthers
• New Orleans Saints
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC West

• Arizona Cardinals
• Los Angeles Rams
• San Francisco 49ers
• Seattle Seahawks

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What other sports betting methods can I use in the NFL?

   Aside from futures bets, other betting methods you can use to bet on NFL games include moneylines, point spreads, and over/under (totals).

   Most sportsbooks also accept prop bets, like who will be next season’s Rookie of the Year or what color sports drink will be poured on the winning coach.

2. What other sports can I place futures bets on?

   Aside from football, you can make futures bets on basketball, soccer, ice hockey, and baseball. 

   At MaximBet.com, you can place your bets on various sporting events such as the NBA Finals, World Cup, US Open, or Triple Crown races.

   Sign up with us at MaximBet.com now and start making futures bets on NFL games. Place bets on other sports leagues as well, like the NBA, MLB, and NHL.

   Call our 24/7 chat for more information now.