We’re still about three weeks from the official start of summer, but the NFL futures betting markets are heating up!
In this article I’m going to walk you guys through my top five can’t-miss NFL futures bets for the 2015-16 season.
Melvin Gordon Will Win the OROY Award
Look for Melvin Gordon to win the NFL offensive rookie of the year award this upcoming season at 6/1 odds. Jamies Winston is a 4/1 favorite to win the award, but there are a plethora of other suitable contenders as well.
Amari Cooper (7/1), TJ Yeldon (10/1) and Tevin Coleman (12/1) are my three other strongest candidates.
Todd Gurley (10/1) is banged up and has to compete with Tre Mason for carries, Marcus Mariota (8/1) is in a tough situation in Tennessee and he has limited weapons and I believe Nelson Agholor (10/1) is being hyped up way too much this off-season.
Gordon isn’t a power RB, but he has some incredible moves and he has decent size. He’ll be the go-to guy in the run game for the Chargers this season, which is a perfect situation. Philip Rivers commands respect from defenses – leaving the run game open.
St. Louis Rams Are Going to Struggle Again in 2015-16
The Rams finished 6-10 last season and have a regular season win total of 8 wins (Over +110 vs. Under -140).
You have to bet the under 8 wins at -140 while you still can get this line. I can see why the Rams wanted to cut ties with Sam Bradford – he could never stay healthy. But, Nick Foles isn’t the answer and I expect Foles to regress big this season.
Todd Gurley will be brought around slowly and may not see the field until well into the regular season. The Rams have some nice young WR’s, but no superstars. St. Louis will be lucky to win six games again this season – I believe they’ll win 4-5 games.
This offense is going to be brutal, especially to start the season, and the defense won’t be able to win games for them.
The Philadelphia Eagles have the 10th Easiest SOS
Chip Kelly has made a lot of moves in his time in Philadelphia and he has to see results this season.
Philadelphia finished 10-6 last season, but they missed out on the NFL playoffs. That can’t happen again for Chip’s sake and he’ll be all-in with his unit in 2015-16. Sam Bradford should be ready to go for week 1 and the season is riding on him staying healthy.
However, the Eagles should be more of a running team, as they have DeMarco Murray and Ryan Matthews in town now.
LeSean McCoy is gone, but he had a rough season last year anyways. Philly plays the 10th easiest strength of schedule and should have no problem hitting 10 wins. The pass game won’t be as good, but the Eagles defense and run game will be fierce.
Cincinnati Bengals Getting No Respect in the AFC North
The Bengals went 10-5-1 last season and finished just behind the Steelers (11-5) in the AFC North.
Bookmakers have the Bengals priced 3rd to win the AFC North at +245 odds – behind Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
We’re getting great value on the Bengals to win the division. This team may have problems come playoff time like in year’s past, but they should have a strong regular season. The offense and defense are both strong, with very few question marks on either front.
Andy Dalton isn’t a great QB, but he gets the job done. Jeremy Hill is primed for a big season and A.J. Green will improve upon his numbers if he can stay healthy. As long as the Bengals don’t regress – I believe 10 wins will be enough to win the division.
Written by Ray Monohan.
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