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NFL Week 5 Odds, Picks & Predictions: Best Futures Bets (2023)

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As the NFL season moves forward to Week 5, the NFL futures betting market continues to shift. Our goal is to take advantage of the ever-changing landscape.

This go-around, we’ll feature a favorite wager in the playoffs, awards and Super Bowl winner offerings. Let’s get to it!

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NFL Week 5: Best Futures Bets

Cleveland Browns To Miss the Playoffs (+130 via DraftKings Sportsbook)

A few weeks ago, I gave out the Browns to go under the posted in-season win total of 9.5 (that price has since dropped from +120), and this is essentially the same bet at a better price. I just can’t wrap my head around the love for this Browns team that lost their best offensive weapon in Nick Chubb and had their starting QB miss a game essentially out of the blue with a shoulder injury last week. Also, Myles Garrett left last week’s game in a walking boot and is considered day-to-day.

Defense is supposed to be this team’s calling card, yet they just became the first team to surrender two passing TDs and two rushing TDs to Lamar in the same game. That happened in a spot where John Harbaugh and the Ravens typically play down to their competition as a favorite. Cleveland is currently in third place within their own division, only one game ahead of a Bengals team that figures to turn their season around at some point.

Their remaining schedule contains way more coin flips than “guaranteed” wins, especially if Watson’s shoulder injury persists or re-emerges because Dorian Thompson-Robinson is not a starting-caliber NFL QB. The AFC is an absolute gauntlet that I think will require 10+ wins to make it to the postseason. So I’ll add on to my previous position at a better price against a Cleveland team that I just don’t believe in to win that many games.

Christian McCaffrey To Win Offensive Player of the Year (+225 via DraftKings Sportsbook)

I was surprised to see this at a plus-money on DraftKings, especially after Christian McCaffrey’s four-TD performance on Sunday. Since being traded to the 49ers last season, McCaffrey has tallied at least one TD in every game and has been the absolute catalyst of Kyle Shanahan’s offense. He’s leading the league in rushing by nearly 100 yards, averaging just shy of 115 yards on the ground per game. He’s also serving as Brock Purdy’s safety blanket, tallying five-plus receptions in all but one game so far and averaging 35 receiving yards per game. This brings him to 150 yards from scrimmage per game.

He’s also tied for the league lead in total touchdowns (seven). You have to go down to Tyreek Hill or Stefon Diggs (four each) until you find another name that would have serious consideration for this award. Justin Jefferson is currently the second favorite for this award, but with the Vikings’ struggles this season and the uncertainty of Kirk Cousins in Minnesota, I don’t find him enticing at his current price.

Barring injury, McCaffrey will continue to be the engine that drives this explosive 49ers offense to a top seed in the NFC. He will keep racking up yardage (both rushing and receiving), along with touchdowns. The 49ers have a huge home matchup against the Cowboys in primetime on “Sunday Night Football” this week. I would grab this price now before McCaffrey shows out in front of the nation and this price plummets farther than it already has.

Cincinnati Bengals To Win the Superbowl (+3500 @ BetMGM)

This is easily my longest shot mentioned in these future articles, but I think now is the perfect time to pull out some couch change and sprinkle it on the Bengals to win it all. There’s no question that the Bengals offense has been brutally bad, ranking dead last in both points scored and yards gained per drive, second-to-last in net yards per pass attempt and tied for 30th with only two passing TDs. So why should you consider this bet, then?

I think that there’s some reason for optimism on the horizon, with winnable matchups at Arizona and at home against a Seahawks team that lost to the Rams (Cincinnati’s only win) before a much-needed bye week. If the Bengals can pull off those two victories, they’ll be 3-3 coming out of their bye week, definitively healthier than they entered, with a much brighter outlook on the rest of the season. Burrow and Cincinnati lost their first two games of 2022 before reaching a 2-3 record through five games, which is exactly where they will be this season if they beat Arizona on Sunday. A healthy Burrow can get this offense clicking again. If that happens, I have no doubt that they can find their stride and regain the same confidence that had them playing in back-to-back AFC Championship games.

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Wednesday:

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