NFL Betting Tips

Tips for betting on NFL Futures

The NFL season is over now and the stadiums are completely empty and filled with winter's chill. But that doesn't mean the world is completely void of NFL betting because futures are currently available.

The majority of futures revolve around each team's odds of winning the following year's Super Bowl. And these wagers can be extremely fun because you stand to win lots of money with a relatively small bet. For example, the Oakland Raiders might be given 100:1 odds of winning the Lombardi Trophy. This means that you could earn $500 on just a $5 bet if they won.

But just because you're wagering a small amount to win big doesn't mean you should go into futures with no sense of strategy. That said, let's cover a few important tips for betting on NFL futures.

Tip #1 - Avoid putting too much Emphasis on Schedule

Many people like to wait until NFL schedules come out in the spring and heavily base their futures bets on this information. However, the thing to realize here is that teams which may have been great last year, don't always live up to expectations the following season. So trying to gauge a team's potential success based on who they play isn't always a wise decision.

Tip #2 - Watch for Big Impact Rookies

The old cliche rings true in that one man doesn't make a football team. But with a dynamic rookie and a few good offseason additions, a division cellar dweller can suddenly transform into a strong playoff team. Just look at the turnarounds that Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III helped engineer for their teams during extremely successful rookie campaigns. If you can spot a major impact rookie, you might be able to pick a long-shot club that rises to become a Super Bowl contender.

Tip #3 - Pay Attention to Free Agency

Rookies aren't the only players who can change around a team's fortunes. In fact, you're far more likely to see a dramatic turnaround based on the free agents that a team picks up. And a good thing to do involves closely watching the free agency market so you can get in on good odds as soon as a major move happens.

Tip #4 - Beware of Good Teams that could change Dramatically

Every season there's at least one team that made a strong playoff run, only to fall drastically short of expectations the next year. And when this happens, your futures wager will be completely derailed. In order to avoid falling into this trap, you need to be wary of teams that could undergo lots of changes over the offseason. Retirement, free agency and major injuries are some of the main things that can impact teams from one season to the next.

Tip #5 - New Coaches are a Huge Factor

One more main point you should be considering when betting NFL futures involves head coaching changes. This is especially the case with a talented, fringe playoff team that just needs a new philosophy to excel. And sometimes the headman can provide the big boost that teams need to reach the next level.

There is plenty of other advice that can help you make good futures bets, but these main points should definitely get you off to a good start.