Best bet to make on every NFL team this season

The Cardinals should be competitive. They won 4 games last season with a terrible roster and probably should have won 7. They have a very tough early schedule but the offense should be great with Kyler Murray starting the season healthy, with a top-five running game, a top young tight end now a young stud receiver in Marvin Harrison Jr. 

They went 3-5 in Murray’s 8 games last season. With an improved defense and an offense that should be dangerous, hanging around .500 is what should happen. They might just miss the postseason, but they should be in the mix down the stretch of the season.  – Jess Root, Cards Wire

The Falcons have missed the playoffs each of the last six seasons, but there’s reason to believe the streak will end in 2024 under the leadership of head coach Raheem Morris. The team addressed its biggest weaknesses over the offseason, adding outside linebacker Matthew Judon, safety Justin Simmons and quarterback Kirk Cousins. If Atlanta can win the NFC South for the first time since 2016, Morris has a realistic chance at taking home AP Coach of the Year in 2024. With +1400 odds, the payoff could be massive for those willing to put their money on Morris. – Matt Urben, Falcons Wire

There have been five players in NFL history who have won back-to-back MVP Awards. Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Joe Montana, and Jim Brown. Peyton Manning won back-to-back twice, while Brett Favre won three MVPs from 1995-97. Aaron Rodgers, most recently, won recent player to win back-to-back MVPs in 2020 and 2021 while playing for the Packers. The Ravens’ star quarterback has an excellent shot at repeating. The expectation was that Jackson would play well in 2023, but he improved leaps and bounds under first-year OC Todd Monken. Jackson, the 2023 NFL MVP, threw for 3,678 yards and 24 touchdowns and ran for 821 yards and five scores. He helped the Baltimore Ravens (13-4) finish with the best record in the league and led them to a playoff win over Houston. Jackson received 45 of 50 votes for AP first-team All-Pro. With the addition of Derrick Henry at running back and Isaiah Likely making a big jump at tight end, Jackson could be more explosive in 2024. – Glenn Erby, Ravens Wire

The Buffalo Bills might not have their star playmaker in Stefon Diggs anymore and that has people around the NFL low on them. But those who were paying attention to the latter half of the 2023 season in Buffalo will know that might not matter all that much. While Diggs rightfully is among football’s best receivers, one of the reasons the Bills were fine with trading him was that half of the season. At that point in time, Buffalo was on the outside looking into the playoff picture but got there winning six of their final seven games. Diggs was not a big time contributor during that stretch. The Bills should be able to get up to double-digit wins again without him. – Nick Wojton, Bills Wire

Coming out of 2023 with an NFL-worst 2-15 record and coming into 2024 with a first-year head coach, the Panthers probably won’t be very good once again. But they could be better than at least one divisional foe—the New Orleans Saints. Between a potential power struggle under center with struggling veteran Derek Carr and rookie Spencer Rattler and a line that could get either hospitalized, New Orleans may be undergoing a bit of an identity crisis on offense. So if the Panthers have something figured out with Dave Canales and quarterback Bryce Young and can stay relatively solid on defense, they may finish a step ahead of the Saints.– Anthony Rizzuti, Panthers Wire

Is there a No. 1 pick quarterback who’s ever landed in a more ideal situation than Bears rookie Caleb Williams? Not only does he have an arsenal of weapons at his disposal, including DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, and a proven offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron, but he has a potential top 10 defense that will help take the pressure off him. While it’s unfair to expect a C.J. Stroud-level rookie year, Williams has the tools and supporting cast around him to make a substantial impact in his season – and perhaps even finally break Chicago’s streak of never having a 4,000-yard passer.​​ – Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire

The fact Burrow is in contention for his second Comeback Player of the Year award after winning it in 2021 is a little problematic. And yet…he’s already shown he can do it, which is pretty rare. There have been zero concerns about the wrist injury that cost him most of last season (which, in part, stemmed from the non-contact calf injury the summer before). He’s bigger than ever, has the right zip on all the throws and is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in league history while throwing to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in an offense that will finally incorporate some under-center looks. As always, all that’s really stopping him is health. – Chris Roling, Bengals Wire

While Deshaun Watson certainly has not lived up to the hype of the player the Browns were getting when they acquired him in the Spring of 2022, this number is extremely low. Even in a couple of small sample sizes in down years, Watson was still on pace to break this 3351 number. The concern here is obviously the health of Watson, but he has only suffered two significant injuries in his career and has no long-term impact from the first one. Not only that, but the Browns have also revamped their entire offensive staff, marrying Ken Dorsey’s passing concepts with Kevin Stefanksi’s playbook. If Watson plays 17 games in 2024, this is free money.– Cory Kinnan, Browns Wire

Parsons has a couple of things working in his favor. For one, he’s among the best pure pass rushers in the NFL. He also has the versatility to play off-ball linebacker, which only increases his value in the eyes of voters. Plus, there could be some voter fatigue with recent winners such as T.J. Watt, Nick Bosa and Myles Garrett. Since they’ve all won in the last three years, Parsons could be the next edge rusher in line to win the award. It helps that Aaron Donald is retired, too. – Cameron DaSilva, NFL Wires

Sean Payton salvaged Russell Wilson last season and improved the QB’s touchdown-to-interception ratio from 16-11 the year before to 26-8 under Payton. He is a QB guru, so pundits expecting the team to take a step back with rookie Bo Nix under center might be overreacting with five-win predictions. The Broncos went 8-9 last year and they have improved their defensive line this spring and have a similar supporting cast returning on offense. So long as Nix is competent – and preseason suggest he will be – Denver will get to (at least) six wins this fall. – Jon Heath, Broncos Wire

Hutchinson progressed up to 11.5 sacks, 14 TFLs and over 100 QB pressures in his second season. Now entering Year 3, Hutchinson looks stronger and more confident. He’s been dominant all summer, and that includes consistently beating All-Pro tackle Penei Sewell in team drills throughout Lions training camp. With a significantly better supporting cast around him, Hutchinson is poised to have a monster statistical season on a defense that might be the most improved in the league. Playing in a bright national spotlight will shine more attention on a big season like that, too, and that level of exposure matters in the voting. – Jeff Risdon, Lions Wire

Maybe a long shot, but LaFleur is long overdue for this kind of honor. If Jordan Love and the Packers offense explodes like many believe they will in 2024, LaFleur should get much of the credit. He built a dynamic offensive scheme and developed Love to be the point guard of operation. The Packers are a legitimate contender in the NFC and have a real chance to improve on their nine wins from a year ago. If the Packers are one of the top seeds in the postseason field and Love is an MVP candidate, LaFleur deserves to finally get some credit. – Zach Kruse, Packers Wire

This feels like a long shot, but Hunter has been perhaps the most underrated defensive player in training camp this offseason. He’s constantly winning battles against Tytus Howard, Blake Fisher and even Laremy Tunsil during practice. Over the past two preseason games, he totaled four QB hits, six pressures and a sack. 

If Hunter, who’s posted five 10-plus sack seasons in eight years with the Vikings, can do that consistently on Sundays, he’ll lead the team in nearly every defensive pass rush metric. Coordinators also have to game plan for Will Anderson Jr. on the opposing, so double-teaming either side could be out of the question. 

Hunter, who last year led the NFL with 23 tackles for loss, has been a dark horse multiple times in the past for this year’s award. By midseason, he could be a favorite. – Cole Thompson, Texans Wire

Laiatu Latu was the first defensive player taken off the board in this past April’s draft and has looked the part since arriving in Indianapolis. Whether it be in one-on-ones, the team portion of practice, or in preseason games, Latu has been extremely disruptive and appears poised to make a very quick impact. Also contributing to Latu’s potential success is the depth of the Colts’ defensive front. With opposing offenses having to contend with DeForest Buckner, Kwity Paye, Grover Stewart and others, there should be one-on-one opportunities each week for Latu to exploit. – Paul Bretl, Colts Wire

If the Jaguars finish No. 2 in the AFC South behind the Texans for the second year in a row, or Jacksonville is competitive enough to steal the division from the offseason-crowned Houston in 2024, you would at least triple what you put in for either of these bets. So why not place one on both?

Jacksonville and Houston have unquestioned quarterbacks in place, Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Stroud, respectively, and each squad dedicated its offseason to supporting its franchise passer with ample free-agent signings and trade acquisitions to pair with their draft classes. 

Tennessee was similarly aggressive in adding talent this spring, while Indianapolis largely stuck to its draft-and-develop philosophy. But both teams feature unproven young quarterbacks with Will Levis leading the Titans and Anthony Richardson the Colts, who combined to start just 13 games as rookies. Both appeared in more games than they threw touchdown passes (although Richardson added four rushing touchdowns in as many starts).

Projecting either team to surpass Houston or Jacksonville in the division this season, barring significant injuries for either team, seems unwise until Levis and Richardson produce bigger, positive sample sizes, at least. – Zach Goodall, Jaguars Wire

The Kansas City Chiefs managed to get even better during the 2024 offseason, and are currently the favorites to win Super Bowl LIX. Patrick Mahomes is also BetMGM’s favorite to win MVP, so this bet is ultimately a wager on whether the 2024 season will play out how the oddsmakers have predicted.  

Though it may feel like tempting fate to bet that Kansas City will achieve the NFL’s first-ever three-peat, the Chiefs have already proven that they can achieve the unthinkable with Mahomes under center. – John Dillon, Chiefs Wire

2023 was a down year for Adams. Dealing with terrible QB play from Jimmy Garoppolo and later rookie Aidan O’Connell. And Adams still put up 1,144 yards receiving. He’ll be fine with Gardner Minshew. And if at some point he grows tired of it, they’ll just trade him and he’ll get the rest of his yards elsewhere. Either way, he’s going over 1,000 yards. – Levi Damien, Raiders Wire

After finishing 5-12 a season ago, the Chargers have a good opportunity to turn things around under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, who has a proven track record of engineering winning teams. While they might be without the likes of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, they still have a revamped roster with plenty of talent, led by Justin Herbert. Additionally, Los Angeles has the second-easiest schedule in the NFL based on opponents’ projected win total.– Gavino Borquez, Chargers Wire

It’s a pretty chalky pick but one with an excellent chance of hitting. In 15 seasons, Stafford has gone over this number 10 times. In four of the five seasons where he fell below 3,840 yards, he played 10 or fewer games. The only season where he played a full season and had fewer than 3,840 yards was in 2018 and he still had 3,777 yards. 

All this is to say that if Stafford stays healthy and plays a full season, he’s going to clear his yardage prop. Even if the Rams are more of a run-heavy team, they have some tough opponents where they could be trailing and forced to throw the ball. With their receiving corps of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, Stafford should go over 4,000 yards pretty comfortably.

Bonus bet: Jared Verse to win Defensive Rookie of the Year (+1100) – Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire

Just a couple years ago, the Dolphins hadn’t had a 1,400-yard receiving season in their franchise’s history. But the record books in Miami have been rewritten since the arrival of Hill. He finished 2022 with 1,710 yards and managed to top himself in 2023 with 1,799 – becoming the first receiver in NFL history with two 1,700-yard seasons. Putting up those kinds of numbers again won’t be easy and an injury could easily derail things, but Hill has never missed more than four games in a season in his career and he’s shown zero signs of slowing at age 30. Yes, Miami added a few new targets to the mix in Odell Beckham Jr., Malik Washington, and Jonnu Smith. That shouldn’t stop them from feeding their best and most dangerous weapon often, though.  – Adam Stites, Dolphins Wire

The Minnesota Vikings would have been an easy over on this bet prior to J.J. McCarthy going down with an injury after his preseason debut. The replacements the Vikings are rolling out though are less than ideal. The combination of Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens simply isn’t going to cut it for the Vikings. They have a very tough non-divisional schedule, not to mention everyone else in the division is getting better, which leads me to bet the under on their wins. Personally, I have them predicted to win three games this year, which may be less than some predict, but I don’t see them winning seven games at all. Bet the under and sit back to watch the chaos that will be the Vikings 2024 NFL season. – Andrew Harbaugh, Vikings Wire

The Patriots are expected to be a walking disaster this season. Sure, they drafted a potential future franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, but the offense isn’t much better than it was when Mac Jones was getting body-slammed last year.

With that said, Jacoby Brissett is a more capable middle-of-the-road quarterback than the 2023 version of Jones, and Maye might be the quarterback who finally turns the tide in New England. Things will likely start off ugly for the team, but given the incredible defensive talent and renewed hope on offense, they can scrape together at least six wins. – Jordy McElroy, Patriots Wire

In his first two NFL seasons, Olave had 1,042 yards as a rookie and 1,123 last year. He missed one game last season and still cleared this number pretty comfortably, and that was despite getting inconsistent play from Derek Carr in Pete Carmichal’s offense. Now with Klint Kubiak taking over as the OC, and with little competition for targets, Olave should be in for another 1,100-yard season. – Cameron DaSilva, NFL Wires

Expectations are low for the Giants entering the 2024 season and the perception surrounding the team is an ugly one. However, a more injury-plagued, talent-depleted roster picked up six wins a year ago and arguably, did so with a more difficult schedule. This year, the Giants start the season relatively healthy, sport a vastly improved offensive line, a true WR1 for the first time since Odell Beckham Jr., and a fierce front 7 consisting of Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and the newly acquired Brian Burns. Since this isn’t an over/under set and six and it’s merely six-plus, this feels like an easy bet. – Dan Benton, Giants Wire

Hall was healthy for all 17 games last season and while it might seem like a disappointment that he only rushed for 994 yards, he was the catalyst for what was a bad offense due to awful quarterback play. With Aaron Rodgers back, the Jets will be much more balanced, preventing defenses from loading the box to stop Hall and the rushing attack. – Cameron DaSilva, NFL Wires

Last season, Hurts was named to his second Pro Bowl. The 26-year-old made his first Pro Bowl in 2022 but did not attend because the Eagles played in Super Bowl LVII. Last year, In 17 regular season games, Hurts completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 3,858 yards and a career-high 23 touchdowns. He also added 15 rushing touchdowns, setting a new NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season, matching Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Hurts also broke multiple franchise records – establishing team records in total yards (4,463) and total touchdowns (38), while finishing second in the league in total scores behind Allen (42). In 2024, the Eagles added Saquon Barkley, traded for Jahan Dotson, and hired Kellen Moore as the new offensive coordinator. – Glenn Erby, Eagles Wire

Watt got snubbed for DPOY last season after another incredible year. Watt finished 2023 with a league-leading 19 sacks. It was the third time Watt led the NFL in sacks, a feat no other player has ever accomplished. With the other improvements the Steelers made on defense we look for Watt to go after his own single-season sack record and force the NFL to acknowledge his status among the best of all time. – Curt Popejoy, Steelers Wire

There’s not much juice on picking the 49ers as the first-place finisher in their division. They’re favored at -200. It’s also difficult given how narrative-driven post-season awards are to draw a path to a 49er winning one of those. A second-place division finish is super intriguing. The Seahawks have a new coaching staff, the Cardinals are in Year 2 under Jonathan Gannon and finally healthy under center, and the Rams appear to be trending up again after making the playoffs last year. The 49ers are, on paper, the best team in the division. However, a Super Bowl hangover, the Brandon Aiyuk contract situation and the Trent Williams contract situation have cast a pall over San Francisco’s pre-season. It wouldn’t be a shock if they stumbled out of the gate and had to play catch-up the whole year. Perhaps they’re just so much better than the rest of their division that they overcome all of that to win the NFC West for a third consecutive season. We’re comfortable betting on that stumble and San Francisco settling for a playoff spot in the No. 2 spot in the division. – Kyle Madson, Niners Wire

By no means am I a financial expert, but if winning money interests you then look no further than betting the over on receiving yards for Seattle Seahawks second-year wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The first wide receiver taken in the 2023 NFL draft had a respectable rookie season last year, hauling in 63 receptions for 628 yards and four touchdowns. However, that certainly wasn’t what the 12th Man was hoping for with JSN. Now, the former Buckeye has an innovative new offensive coordinator in Ryan Grubb. It’s a crowded receiver room with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett ahead of him, but JSN stands to have a breakout sophomore season. If anything, the bar at 775.5 is too low for him. – Kole Musgrove, Seahawks Wire

Mayfield was quietly a good quarterback last season after throwing for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns. He threw 10 interceptions, but that was also in his first year in yet another new offense. The Bucs are going from Dave Canales to Liam Coen at offensive coordinator, a coach Mayfield worked with briefly with the Rams, so there could be some familiarity scheme-wise. – Cameron DaSilva, NFL Wires

The Titans have a rather punishing schedule in 2024 but they may surprise some people this season. We were even tempted to take the over on 6.5 wins but decided to play it safe in the event (and likelihood) that things get off to a slot start. Still, once the Titans settle in under Brian Callahan and behind quarterback Will Levis, they’ll be able to hold their own. They’re very talented across the board and so long as Levis develops as expected, there’s more than enough offensive firepower to keep up against playoff teams and pick up a minimum of six wins. – Titans Wire

Daniels has the second-best odds (behind Caleb Williams) to win the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Williams has maintained a solid lead over Daniels here because of the weapons around him. Daniels has one sure thing (Terry McLaurin) around him. Outside of McLaurin, the Commanders are counting on a mix of veterans (Zach Ertz, Austin Ekeler), two rookies (Luke McCaffrey and Ben Sinnott) and Brian Robinson Jr. to support Daniels. Daniels was phenomenal throughout the summer, in the joint practices and the two preseason games he played. Daniels is going to use his legs more than Williams, so that will give him a boost. People are sleeping on Daniels’ chances. The Commanders are quietly confident that Daniels will have a big season. – Bryan Manning, Commanders Wire