The 2015 NFL season is almost here folks. If you’re like me, you’ve been salivating over this very moment from the VERY SECOND the Super Bowl ended just 8 months ago. Well, the wait is finally over – and as ESPN would say, “It’s back to football.”
The great thing about the NFL is that there is always a variety of things to keep your interest piqued almost every week, from daily fantasy games or even just a friendly wager with a co-worker. However, we all know that with the NFL season comes a brand new season of NFL betting!
Booking your bets has never been easier with the advent of online sportsbooks. If you’re looking to bet on any of the futures listed today, don’t hesitate to check out our reviews of our most-trusted bookmakers at Bovada.lv and Sportsbetting.ag.
Popular Individual Player Futures Bets
Besides betting individual games and parlays, the most popular bet has traditionally been the “futures bet.” There is NEVER a shortage of props and futures bets to wager on – and for the 2015 NFL season this will be no different. From betting on who will win the MVP or who will lead the league in passing yards, rushing yards or receiving yards, sites like Bovada will provide you with an extensive list of futures that can lead to big-time returns on your money.
Betting on the who will win the 2015 NFL MVP
This is one of my favorite categories and usually one of the easier ones to bet on. Simply put, the NFL MVP is usually always won by someone on offense, particularly a quarterback or running back, which of course narrows down the options considerably. In fact, the last time a QB or a RB didn’t win the award was 1986, when linebacker Lawrence Taylor earned MVP honors for the New York Giants.
Last year’s winner was quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who took home the MVP hardware for a second time in his career. In fact, Rodgers is the front-runner (+500) to win the award again in 2015, just behind fellow quarterback Andrew Luck (+300) at Bovada.lv. Rounding out the early favorites for this particular futures bet are Tom Brady (+1000), Adrian Peterson (+1200) and Peyton Manning (+1600).
Other dark-horse MVP candidates include JJ Watt (+2000), Eddie Lacy (+5000) and Rob Gronkowski (+10000). You can bet on all these candidates and plenty others by signing up and getting your 50% instant bonus at Bovada today.
Futures bets on individual passing, rushing and receiving yards leaders
Another set of popular wagers includes the crème de la crème of offensive stats futures. The top scorers in each offensive skill position have normally dominated these in recent years.
For example, quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers have consistently been among the league leaders in passing yards over the past few years. They will once again be among a host of favorites before the 2015 NFL season gets underway, along with some strong dark-horse candidates like Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady and Eli Manning.
Favorites to lead the NFL in Passing Yards in 2015
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1. Andrew Luck (+350) << “The Beard” + TY Hilton + Andre Johnson = Even BIGGER #’s than last year.
2. Aaron Rodgers (+400)
3. Ben Roethlisberger (+700)
4. Peyton Manning (+750)
5. Drew Brees (+1000)
6. Matt Ryan (+1200)
7. Matthew Stafford (+1200)
8. Tom Brady (+1200) << “Deflategate” will only fuel Brady even more this year.
9. Eli Manning (+1600)
10. Tony Romo (+2500)
Like the quarterbacks listed above, running backs and wide receivers have also been apart of a consistent fraternity when it’s come to putting up top numbers for their positions over the years. This year’s top offensive favorites will feature the likes of running backs Adrian Peterson, Marshawn Lynch and Eddie Lacy. Receiving yards favorites include last year’s winner Antonio Brown, as well as Julio Jones, Dez Bryant and Randall Cobb.
Favorites to lead the NFL in Rushing Yards in 2015
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1. Adrian Peterson (+350)
2. Marshawn Lynch (+800)
3. Jamaal Charles (+800)
4. DeMarco Murray (+800)
5. Eddie Lacy (+900) << With no Jordy Nelson for 2015 this will be Lacy’s breakout year.
6. LeSean McCoy (+850)
7. Jeremy Hill (+1100)
8. Le’Veon Bell (+1400)
9. CJ Anderson (+1600)
10. Joseph Randle (+2000)
Favorites to lead the NFL in Receiving Yards in 2015
1. Antonio Brown (+600)
2. Julio Jones (+600) << New contract extension and Matt Ryan should make this a no-brainer.
3. Calvin Johnson (+900)
4. Dez Bryant (+900)
5. Odell Beckham, Jr. (+900)
6. Demaryius Thomas (+900)
7. Randall Cobb (+1000)
8. TY Hilton (+1200)
9. AJ Green (+2500)
10. Alshon Jeffery (+1800)
Other great futures bets for the upcoming 2015 campaign
Betting the over/under on season win totals – this has long been a favorite for bettors, especially the recreational one who is looking to send some good vibes to their favorite teams for the upcoming regular season. It’s a simple formula for bets like this one. Teams who made the playoffs the previous year usually have the over/under set a little bit higher than teams who had really bad seasons the previous year. Keep that in mind when betting this year as teams who had huge injury setbacks – or just plain bad luck – in 2014, should be shooting for playoff glory in 2015 (i.e. the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles).
Example: For the upcoming 2015 season, Green Bay’s over/under is 11 wins. This bet is tough because while the Packers are traditionally a 12-win team every year, they will be without powerhouse receiver Jordy Nelson for the year (ACL injury) and are working with a so-so defense. You can win even money if you think the Packers will win 12 or more games, or will have to bet $130 to win $100 (odds at -130) if you think the Packers will only win 10 games or fewer this season.
Betting on teams to make the playoffs – this one is unique because almost every year there are new teams getting into the postseason that weren’t there the previous year. So while the New England’s, Seattle’s and Green Bay’s of the world are virtual locks, sometimes it can be tough to choose which team might decide to crash the party in subsequent years.
Example: Seattle upgraded in a huge way at the tight end position by snagging TD-machine Jimmy Graham from the Saints this offseason. With “Beast Mode” returning and mostly all of the Seahawks elite level defensive players coming back it’s no surprise they have some of the highest odds to make the playoffs again (-800). If for some insane reason Seattle did NOT make the playoffs it would pay off huge with the line +500 at Bovada.