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2023 NFL Futures Bets: Best Odds & Picks for Every NFC Team

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As the 2023 NFL season approaches, the anticipation and excitement among football fans continue to build. With every new season comes the opportunity to place bets and predict the outcomes of our favorite teams’ performances. To help guide you through the plethora of options, we have assembled a team of expert analysts to provide their best bets for each NFC team.

We’ll be featuring the insights and expertise of Andrew Erickson, Pat Fitzmaurice, Derek Brown, and Sam Hoppen, four seasoned analysts who have spent countless hours studying team dynamics, player performances, and market trends to identify the best betting opportunities for the upcoming season.

From perennial powerhouses to rising contenders, the NFC boasts a wide array of teams, each with its own unique strengths and challenges. Our panel of experts will offer their predictions and delve into the reasoning behind their chosen wagers, providing you with a thorough analysis of the NFC landscape.

2023 NFL Futures: Best Bets for Every NFC Team

Here’s a look at each of our featured analyst’s predictions and best bets for each of the 16 AFC teams.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys

Bet: Micah Parsons to be named Defensive Player of the Year (+700)

Parsons has been in the league for two years and has finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting both times. Bet on the third time to be a charm. After recording 13 sacks as a rookie, he bumped his sack total up to 13.5 last year. The Cowboys are a high-profile team, which means Parsons is going to be playing in a lot of stand-alone games and getting a lot of attention.
-Pat Fitzmaurice

New York Giants

Bet: New York Giants OVER 7.5 wins (+100)

The Giants surprised the NFL by winning nine games last year, and while I don’t think they will improve upon that win total in 2023, taking over 7.5 wins feels like easy money. Brian Daboll was one of the league’s best coaches last year. With more pieces added to this offense and another offseason for the defense to gel, the Giants should coast to at least eight wins.
-Derek Brown

Philadelphia Eagles

Bet: Rashaad Penny OVER 600.5 rushing yards (-110)

An injury could certainly derail this bet, and Penny has had an injury-riddled career. But if we get anything close to a full season out of Penny, he’ll smash this number. Eagles beat writers are saying Penny is the favorite to be Philadelphia’s primary early-down back. He’ll be running behind a terrific offensive line, and playing with ultra-mobile QB Jalen Hurts should maximize the efficiency of a running back who already has a career average of 5.7 yards per carry. Yes, Penny’s injury history is worrisome, but in 2021, he played 10 games for Seattle and still had 749 rushing yards. If he plays at least 10 games for the Eagles, he should clear this number with ease.
-Pat Fitzmaurice

Washington Commanders

Bet: Washington UNDER 4.5 wins (+270)

I’ll take plus money to bet on the Washington Commanders to become a dumpster fire this season. The Commanders will field an offense with a new starting quarterback teamed with Eric Bieniemy, hoping to improve upon last season’s 25th rank in EPA per play. If their defense can’t will them to victories and the offense craters with the unproven Bieniemy, it’s easy to see Washington falling apart under the weight of the ninth-hardest strength of schedule in 2023.
-Derek Brown

NFC North

Chicago Bears

Bet: Chicago Bears to win the NFC North (+420)

We see this all the time. Every year a team goes from worst to first in their division. Considering all the improvements the Bears have made to get the most out of third-year quarterback Justin Fields, betting on Chicago at +420 is by far my favorite plus-money bet in the division-winner streets.
-Andrew Erickson

Detroit Lions

Bet: Amon-Ra St. Brown to lead NFL in receptions (+1800)

As much as I’d like to back the Sun God at +4000 (FanDuel Sportsbook) to win Offensive Player of the Year – three of the last four seasons, the winner of AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year has been a WR that led the NFL in receiving yards – Amon-Ra St. Brown might not have the explosiveness to his game to rack up enough yardage compared to Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. However, 18-1 odds for ASRB to lead the NFL in receptions are valuable. Since Week 12 of 2021, St. Brown is second in receptions and 1st in target rate per route run. And if you’d prefer a “safer” bet, consider the over on St. Brown’s 5.5 TD prop (+110). He scored 6 TDs last season despite getting tackled inside the 5 six times.
-Andrew Erickson

Green Bay Packers

Bet: Christian Watson OVER 4.5 receiving TDs (-125)

Packers QB Jordan Love is a wild card because of his sparse track record, but Love would have to be terrible for Watson not to clear this number. Watson had seven TD catches in 14 games last year as a rookie, with all seven coming over a torrid four-game stretch in the second half of the season. With his 6-5 frame, Watson is an inviting red-zone target, and his 4.36 speed makes him a threat to score from long distance. Watson has an impressive set of tools, and he’s going to be Green Bay’s No. 1 receiver. Pound the over on this one.
-Pat Fitzmaurice

Minnesota Vikings

Bet: Vikings UNDER 8.5 wins (+110)

Last year the Vikings were the only NFL team to win more than nine games with a negative point differential, so we can safely say that regression is coming in the win column in 2023. This season Minnesota is staring down the eighth-hardest strength of schedule with a Swiss cheese defense and lofty prayers that their offense can outscore the opposition weekly. Thanks but no thanks. I’ll happily bet the under 8.5 wins at plus money.
-Derek Brown

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons

Bet: Atlanta Falcons to win the NFC South (+220)

The NFC South is the league's worst division, with question marks up and down all the teams. I want to take advantage of the unknown by betting on the team that improved dramatically in free agency and through the NFL Draft. And let's not forget that the Falcons scored the most points in the division last season, with Marcus Mariota at the helm through the vast majority of the year. Per Sharp Football, Atlanta won or lost by one score or less in 15 of 17 games played. The Chiefs and Bills were the only other teams to do so.
-Andrew Erickson

Carolina Panthers

Bet: Carolina Panthers OVER 7.5 wins (-120)

The Panthers were plucky down the stretch last season, going 5-3 from Week 10 on. Their talented young defense ranked 12th in DVOA over that stretch, according to Football Outsiders. Carolina gets a coaching upgrade with Frank Reich replacing Matt Rhule as head coach, and the Panthers have the fourth-easiest schedule in the league, per Sharp Football Analysis.
-Pat Fitzmaurice

New Orleans Saints

Bet: Saints to win the AFC South (+120)

With a new quarterback and still stout defense backing this hopefully improved offense, New Orleans should take the division. The Saints sport the NFL’s easiest schedule in 2023 while residing in arguably the NFC’s weakest division. New Orleans might only need nine wins to secure the crown.
-Derek Brown

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bet: Mike Evans OVER 850.5 receiving yards (-112)

Sure, the Buccaneers’ QB situation is bleak, with Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask sitting 1-2 on the depth chart. But Evans is 9-for-9 in surpassing the 1,000-yard mark since entering the league in 2014. This probably won’t be a banner statistical season for him, but barring injury, he should have little problem surpassing this modest yardage total.
-Pat Fitzmaurice

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals

Bet: Arizona to finish third in the NFC West (+330)

The Rams are a shell of their former selves. The defense has nothing outside of Aaron Donald. The team reportedly shopped Matthew Stafford all off-season without finding a taker. We can’t rule out this team tanking for Caleb Williams. This makes the Cardinals an interesting bet to finish above Los Angeles in the NFC West standings.
-Derek Brown

Los Angeles Rams

Bet: Cooper Kupp to have the most regular-season receptions (+600)

In 2021, Kupp led the NFL with 145 receptions, finishing with 22 more than his closest pursuer, Davante Adams. He was on a 142-catch pace last year before an ankle injury cut his season short after nine games. Since 2019, Kupp has averaged 7.1 receptions per game. He figures to be an extremely busy man again this year since the Rams don’t have a lot of other WR talent on the roster. These odds seem generous for such a prolific pass catcher.
-Pat Fitzmaurice

San Francisco 49ers

Bet: 49ers OVER 424.5 regular-season total points (-110)

Under Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers have scored at least 427 points in three of their last four seasons. In Brock Purdy’s five starts last year, the 49ers were on pace to score 506 points across a full 17-game regular season. With the skill positions still fully stocked and the reports on Purdy all returning positive, this is an easy over.
-Derek Brown

Seattle Seahawks

Bet: Seattle to win the NFC West (+200)

The first off-season NFL wager I placed was on the Seattle Seahawks to win the NFC West. Their division is very weak between the Rams/Cardinals (who Seattle swept last year), and the 49ers have lingering question marks at quarterback. Call me skeptical that Brock Purdy, off a major elbow injury, can replicate an insane TD rate. There's an argument that Seattle boasts one of the most complete teams in the NFC.
-Andrew Erickson


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