Top 10 NFL future bets for the 2023 season

I don’t know about you, but the start of the 2023 NFL season can’t get here soon enough. Yes, I know it’s only a month away, but it feels like forever. So in between conducting my mock drafts for my fantasy football leagues, today I present my top future bets for the new season.

10. Best regular season record
Now I’m not saying this team will raise the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season, but if there’s ever going to be a time to strike it’s now for the Buffalo Bills. Kansas City Chiefs (+450), Philadelphia Eagles (+650), and Cincinnati Bengals (+750) are the favorites to record the most wins this year, but they all have targets on them, plus at the moment Cincy signal caller Joe Burrow is dealing with a calf injury that he suffered during training camp.

Add in the fact that Buffalo is in the AFC East with the Miami Dolphins, who are a play away from being without Tua Tagovailoa; the New York Jets, who are going to have growing pains with Aaron Rodgers at the helm; and the New England Patriots, who are void of a high-powered offense. Long story short, quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs, along with the Bill’s defense, are going to take advantage of their relatively weak divisional schedule enroute to a season high in victories. The Bills, who will likely be favored in 14 of their 17 games, won 13 games last season with their only three regular season losses by a field goal.

Bet the Buffalo Bills to record the most regular season record at +800 at bet365 Sportsbook & Racebook.

Sundays are for football.#BillsCamp | #BillsMafia
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 6, 2023

9. Comeback Player of the Year
Who doesn’t love a comeback story? After all, it’s these players and moments that make for Hollywood movies. I’m not going to lie, if it wasn’t for money, then everyone would pick Buffalo Bill’s safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest on the field last season. Thankfully, the paramedics and medical professionals in Cincinnati saved his life on the field and in the hospital in the moments and days after his near tragic injury, following a tackle of a Bengal’s wide receiver.

However, since money is involved, I’m going with New York Jets’ Breece Hall. The running back out of Iowa State was on pace to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2022 award as he racked up 463 yards, and four touchdowns on 80 carries to go along with 19 receptions for 280 yards and one score. Hall, unfortunately, suffered a torn ACL during Week 7. According to reports, he’s looking good and should be off the PUP list by the opening weekend. Now, you add him to an offense with three-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and, well, you have the makings of a happy ending.

Bet Breece Hall to win Comeback Player of the Year at +2500 at bet365 Sportsbook & Racebook.

8. Offensive Rookie of the Year
The leader in the clubhouse to take home this award is Atlanta Falcons’ first-round Top 10 draft pick Bijan Robinson at +280. He’s coming off winning the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best college running back while at Texas in 2022. But, let’s be honest. With Desmond Ridder as the quarterback, defenses are going to stack the box against the run game.

The next three favorites – top pick of the Carolina Panthers’ Bryce Young (+280), fourth pick of the Indianapolis Colts’ Anthony Richardson (+550) and second pick of the Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud (+800) – are all quarterbacks who were taken ahead of Robinson. However, there’s a reason their teams all needed a quarterback and they’re not ready yet.

This is why my favorite to take home this hardware is Baltimore Ravens’ wide receiver Zay Flowers. The 22nd pick in the first round out of Boston College is on a team with former MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and word out of camp is that his separation speed and cuts are going to make people take notice this season.

Bet Zay Flowers to win OROY at +2000 at bet365 Sportsbook & Racebook.

7. Wide receiver to break yards record
He started last season with the goal of 2,000 yards. And while he came up short, he still had a pretty good year as he finished the season as the league leader in receptions and yards. The “he” is Justin Jefferson, the fourth-year burner of the Minnesota Vikings. Last year, he totaled 128 receptions and 1,809 yards.

This year, Jefferson will again take aim at former Detroit Lions’ wide receiver Calvin Johnson’s 2012 record of 1,964 yards. Megatron racked up these yards on a 4-12 team led by Matthew Stafford. Jefferson; however, will be trying to break the record on a team with the 16th best odds to win the Super Bowl, led by signal caller Kirk Cousins, who has the 19th best odds to win the MVP.

Bet Justin Jefferson to win break the NFL receiving yards record of 1,964.5 at +400 at bet365 Sportsbook & Racebook.

6. 17-0 or 0-17
Ah the holy grail. One team would have the distinction of finishing the regular season with a perfect record, while the other team would hold the winning lottery ticket to USC quarterback Caleb Williams. The New England Patriots were the last team to finish the regular season with an unblemished sheet as they went 16-0, but came up short in the 2007 Super Bowl. The Cleveland Browns were the last team to finish the regular season with zero in the win column, before they went on to select quarterback Baker Mayfield with the top pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.

If you ask me the leaders in the clubhouse to take home either prestigious distinction are the Kansas City Chiefs for a perfect score sheet, while the Arizona Cardinals are the easily the worst team on paper and from reports out of training camp. But this year neither leader is going to take home the prize.

The odds are, of course, quite heavy here, but I still think it’s worth a small play as there is value on both bets.

Bet No to 17-0 at -5000 and No to 0-17 at -5000 at bet365 Sportsbook & Racebook.

5. Most sacks
The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa is the favorite at +800 to lead the league in quarterback takedowns. After all, he led the NFL last season with 18.5 sacks. However, as of now, the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive specialist is not at camp as he waits for a contract extension, rather than play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. It’s not an if, but when, this contractual stalemate will get done, but until that date is known, I have to go with another sack artist.

Cleveland’s Myles Garrett (+900), Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt (+1000), Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson (+1200), Philadelphia’s Haason Reddick (+1200) and Dallas’ Micah Parsons (+1400) are next in line in the odds’ race. And while all of them can lay their own claim as to why they think they’ll wrap up this award, my money is on Parsons.

The Cowboy finished seventh last season with 13.5 sacks and he’s getting closer to when Dallas is going to want to roll up the Brink’s truck.

Bet Micah Parsons to record the most sacks at +1400 at bet365 Sportsbook & Racebook.

Push up contest ??

Who do y’all got? RT for @TrevonDiggs or like for @MicahhParsons11.#CowboysCamp | @AmericanAir pic.twitter.com/L3OM58emD3
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 5, 2023

4. Most rushing yards
With all the talk about running backs lately, it’s easy to see why a rusher is going to go off to make a case how valuable this position is in the NFL. Sure, there have been teams that went on to win the Super Bowl which didn’t have an All-Pro running back, which I guess is part of the problem why the league isn’t valuing the position. However, all head coaches, offensive coordinators and most importantly quarterbacks will tell you, a balanced game plan between the pass and the run keeps the defenses honest.

Cleveland’s Nick Chubb (+650), Tennessee’s Derrick Henry (+800), Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor (+1000) are the top three backs favored to take this crown. Chubb and Henry are both in offenses with, until proven otherwise, average quarterbacks, while Taylor is currently on the PUP list and is in a very public fight with the Colts’ front office as he’s in the final season of his contract and wants a long-term deal.

Enter Jacksonville’s third-year running back Travis Etienne, who is fresh off finishing ninth in rushing yards last season with 1,125 yards on 220 carries, following a Lisfranc injury during the preseason of his rookie year in 2021. The operative word is not only is Etienne fresh as he’s got less miles on him than the players before him on this list, but he’s also playing in an up-and-coming offense with his former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Bet Travis Etienne to rush for the most yards during the regular season at +2200 at bet365 Sportsbook & Racebook.

3. Most receiving touchdowns
Whether you’re a child or an adult, everyone loves new toys. Enter Rodgers. There’s sure to be some bumps along the way as both A-Rod and the New York Jets get familiar with each other, but there’s no one happier to see Rodgers than second-year wide receiver Garrett Wilson.

If Wilson could put up 1,103 yards and four touchdowns with the likes of Zach Wilson and Joe Flacco and Mike White, think of what he can do with Rodgers, a healthy Hall, and new wideout Mecole Hardman. Talk about being wide open in the red zone.

Bet Garrett Wilson to finish with the most receiving touchdowns during the regular season at +1600 at bet365 Sportsbook & Racebook.

2. MVP
It’s the usual suspects and position on this list as it has been 10 years since a player other than a quarterback won this award. Mahomes (+550), Burrows (+650), Allen (+750), Los Angles Charger’ Justin Herbert (+1100), Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts (+1600) and Jackson (+1400) round out the top picks for this award. Mahomes (two) and Jackson (one) already have these trophies in their case.

This season will end no differently than the past decade as another signal caller will take home this award, but it won’t be reigning MVP Mahomes. Instead, it will be the signal caller of last season’s Super Bowl Champion runner up, otherwise known as Hurts. See, before most teams win the Super Bowl, their quarterback usually first picks up this award.

Last season, the former Alabama and Oklahoma college quarterback upped his game in his third year as he threw for 3,701 yards, 22 touchdowns, six interceptions for a 101.5 quarterback rating enroute to the big game. This season he’ll take his game to the next level to secure this trophy.

Bet Jalen Hurts to win MVP at +1600 at bet365 Sportsbook & Racebook.

1. Super Bowl LVIII Champion

It’s a who’s who of teams at the top of the odds list to take home the Lombardi Trophy at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. There’s the defending Super Bowl Champion Chiefs, the runner up Eagles (+800), the longtime-cursed Bills (+850), the loaded 49ers (900), the right-on-the-doorstep Bengals (+1100), and the trendy Jets (+1600).

The answer to which team will win though was already answered in June. After Bengals’ signal caller Burrow proclaimed Mahomes as the best quarterback in the NFL, Burrow’s receiver Ja’Marr Chase playfully said “Pat, who?” In a response, Mahomes tweeted a pic of himself with two rings and the tagline “That’s who.” This is all to say until Pat hangs them up, he’s going to continue to have the last laugh as he’s brought his team to two of the last three Super Bowls and only lost to the GOAT Tom Brady.

Bet the Kansas City Chiefs to be showered with confetti in Sin City at +600 at bet365 Sportsbook & Racebook.

One month ? @PatrickMahomes pic.twitter.com/2cBDl4pOdu
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) August 7, 2023