As we inch ever closer to the 2024 NFL season, it seems like more and more futures bets keep popping up on every major sportsbook. Hundreds of different season-long props can be found ahead of opening day, so the futures market can be an overwhelming place for new bettors simply trying to find value.
Luckily, the Sporting News betting team has been sussing out the highest-value futures props all offseason. We'll share our three favorites with you today, all of which we have uncovered from Sports Interaction, and explain why each bet yields value thanks to pricing and probability.
Let's get right to the three futures bets every bettor should consider making ahead of the 2024 NFL season. Good luck, have fun, and may all your futures be lucrative!
MORE: 2024 QB rankings | 2024 RB rankings | Final rosters for all 32 teams
NFL futures bets 2024: Three bets to make this season
All odds courtesy of Sports Interaction.
Tyreek Hill to record the most receiving yards in the NFL (+450)
Futures props involving stats and league leaders typically yield larger payouts, because they tend to involve some luck. With this sort of prop, you need Hill to ball out and stay healthy and his QB Tua Tagovailoa to stay healthy. You would also need no other receiver to go crazy and post an insane statistical season that one-ups Hill's total count.
We're okay with all those needs. Hill has easily been the most dominating wideout in the NFL over the better part of the past decade, and he has remained remarkably durable during that span (knock on wood). Coach Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins also have a sound strategy in place to avoid major Tua injuries like he encountered with Miami two years ago. Tua gets the ball out quicker than any QB in the league, keeping the pressure at bay and his head off the turf.
As long as Hill is active for 16 or 17 games, he's racking up the most receiving yards. He's the fastest offensive player in the NFL on the fastest team in league history, and he always plays like he has a chip on his shoulder. This offseason, he even told media members that he felt he could beat American Olympian Noah Lyles in a 100-meter race. Don't be surprised if the Cheetah tries for an NFL-record 1,965 yards this season.
Hill had a league-leading 1,799 yards in 16 games last season, 50 more than runner-up CeeDee Lamb recorded in 17 games. In 2022, Hill finished second to Justin Jefferson despite Tua missing four games — but remember that Jefferson is now coming off a major injury and has Sam Darnold at QB (SN's 30th-ranked QB). Hill is a very strong bet here with big plus odds.
AFC North dual forecast: Ravens/Bengals (-105)
Just like exacta box bets in racing, dual-forecast wagers allow bettors to pick two different teams or players to finish in the top two in any order. So, in this case, the bet is on the Ravens and Bengals to finish first and second in the AFC North in any order. If Baltimore finishes first or second and Cincinnati finishes first or second, it's a winning bet.
The average sports fan will look at this division and say 'Cleveland has a great D, Deshaun Watson's back, and the Browns just made the playoffs last year' and 'Pittsburgh always shows up for Mike Tomlin.' But those paying more attention realize that Watson has a 59.8-percent completion rate as a Brown — and maxed out at six games in each of the past two seasons — and a washed-up Russell Wilson is now the QB in Steel City.
The Ravens have a two-time MVP in Lamar Jackson, a two-time rushing champ in Derrick Henry, and one of the most elite defenses in the NFL. The Bengals were able to keep the wideout tandem of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins together for a healthy Joe Burrow, SN's second-ranked QB and the only AFC QB not named Patrick Mahomes to make the Super Bowl since the Tom Brady Patriots era. These are easily the two best teams in the division, so this bet feels safe.
Chiefs to win all six division games (+375)
Many casual fans don't realize this, but Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the reigning champs have a daunting schedule outside of their divisional games this season. The Chiefs' first three games will be against the Ravens, Bengals, and Falcons, and they also have non-divisional opponents like the 49ers, Bills, Texans, Browns, Buccaneers, and Saints. To put it bluntly, Kansas City might have to win out in the AFC West to win the division.
The Chiefs have gone 15-3 against AFC West opponents over the past three seasons, and they were one of only two NFL teams to go unbeaten against divisional foes in 2022. The Chargers, Raiders, and Broncos are also all in rebuilding mode after they combined to go 21-30 last season. There's a reason these three teams are +375, +1100, and +2200, respectively, to win this division.
Jim Harbaugh's Bolts will likely be the only other AFC West team to even sniff playoff contention this year, and that's more dependent than ever on Justin Herbert's health now that Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, and Mike Williams have departed Los Angeles. Considering KC visits LA early this season (Sept. 29), the chances of the high-flying Chiefs winning that game and going on to sweep the division seem strong.