Now is the best time to find value on NFL Futures, and the Chargers are great bargains at 16/1 to win the Super Bowl with Chicago also a nice price to reach the Big Game.
It is never too early to take a look at NFL Future wagering possibilities, and in fact, now may be the best time to find some gems before the value in these wagers decreases as the season gets closer.
To this end, we feel we have found a couple of nice Super Bowl and conference champion futures, and we will also recommend some future bets for every single division. All posted lines are available at The Greek.
San Diego Chargers +1615 to win the Super Bowl: What a difference a year makes! Last season, the Chargers were decimated by injuries coming into the season, as Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates were all coming off of serious injuries, and it showed in the performances of LT and Gates, although Rivers did come into his own despite coming off a torn ACL.
All three of those studs are healthy now, and we look for Tomlinson to silence his critics that claimed he lost a step by regaining his 2007 form this year. Remember, although they finished at just 8-8, the Chargers may have been the best team in the NFL over the final month of last season, and with a healthy corps group from the outset this year, we feel this team is very capable of winning the whole thing at this great price.
Chicago Bears +1415 to win the NFC: In Jay we trust! Besides adding one of the best young quarterbacks in the game in Jay Cutler, the Bears also added Orlando Pace and Kevin Shaffer to protect him, and they had a great draft that should help their defense. Grabbing cornerback D.J. Moore with pick 119 may be the best value pick in the entire draft. The Bears do not have much to beat to win the NFC North, and it looks like their only potential roadblock to the Super Bowl may be the NFC East winner. Still, at this price, they are worth the risk.
San Diego Chargers +805 to win the AFC: Even if you are leery of making a Super Bowl wager on this team, this is still nice value for just reaching the Big Game. Thus, it may not be a bad idea to wager on both the Super Bowl and the Conference Championship, as the Super Bowl would then be some nice gravy if the Chargers make it.
And now, let us move on to each division.
Philadelphia Eagles +225 to win NFC East: The Eagles reached the NFC Championship Game last season, and we feel they made more off-season improvements than did the current NFC East and NFC Conference favorites, the New York Giants. It is not untypical for Philadelphia to tease their fans with a great season and a weak finish, and we feel this year will be no exception. Look for the Eagles to pull away from the Giants and Cowboys to win the division, only to get upset by the Bears in the playoffs.
Chicago Bears +185 to win NFC North: The Minnesota Vikings are the favorites to win this division, but we do not see them winning anything as long as Brad Childress is their coach. The Bears may end up being the second best team in the NFC before all is said and done, so we will gladly snare them as the second choice in their own division.
New Orleans Saints +205 to win NFC South: The Saints were the best 8-8 team in the NFL last season, as they easily could have been 11-5 if former kicker Martin Grammatica was able to make a few pressure kicks. We do not feel that either the Carolina Panthers or especially the Atlanta Falcons are as good as their records last season, and those two having natural regression and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a transition period, we like getting better than 2/1 odds on New Orleans.
Seattle Seahawks +245 to win NFC West: The Seahawks were a disastrous 4-12 last season, but they had so many players on the injured list that you can almost throw the whole season out. Look for vast improvement this year with a healthy Matt Hasselbeck and a great new target for him in newly acquired T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Also, do not forget that the offensive line that carried them to the playoffs in 2007 is nor back in tact. Do not be surprised if this team goes from 4-12 to 10-6 in one year, and this price seems right.
New England Patriots +260 to NOT win AFC East: Many experts are just putting the Patriots in the Super Bowl right now, but we are not even convinced that they are a given to win their division. People are underestimating just how serious the knee injury to Tom Brady was, and it is not at all a given that he will return in peak form. Also, their lack of a pass rush is another serious concern. Now we have no idea who will win the AFC East as every team seems to have holes, but we are convinces that the Patriots are overpriced here.
Baltimore Ravens -105 to win AFC North without Pittsburgh Steelers: This prop is available at The Greek, and we simply feel that the Ravens are clearly superior to both the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns. Sure, their defense is a bit long in the tooth, but we still feel that Ray Lewis & Co. have at least one more good year in them, and that unit will always ensure that the Ravens are not out of a game.
Tennessee Titans +265 to win AFC South: We felt that the Titans were good last year, but even we were surprised that they ended up with the best record in football. Still, their defense is legitimate, and that unit gives them the edge over the favored Colts and the overrated Jaguars. Now the Houston Texans may soon be ready for prime time, but not just yet. This looks like great value at the price.
San Diego Chargers -235 to win AFC West: Granted, this does not have the line value of our other selections, but face it, does anyone else have a chance to win the West? The Raiders and Chiefs are both still in rebuilding mode and the Broncos were questionable even before treading away Cutler and getting not enough in return in our opinion. This price is high, but it is still not as high as it should be.