NFL Odds & Betting Lines - NFL Betting Odds Guide 2024

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NFL Awards

The annual awards for each NFL season typically take place the night before the Super Bowl, during the NFL Honors presentation.

NFL Honors is a two-hour prime-time awards special that recognizes the NFL's best players, performances and plays from the regular season.

Some of the marquee awards that generate significant betting markets during the season include:

NFL Most Valuable Player

The NFL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is presented annually to a player in the NFL deemed to have been the “most valuable” in the regular season.

A panel of 50 sportswriters vote on the winner of the MVP award at the end of the regular season and before the start of the playoffs (check out our NFL schedule page for the full dates and details of the 2022 season). The results are announced the day before the Super Bowl.

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While any player on a team is technically eligible to be named MVP, offensive players have a monopoly on the award. In fact, in the 65-year history of the AP NFL MVP award, offensive players have won the award on all but three occasions. Quarterbacks (QB) are most likely to win the award; the last non-QB to be named MVP was running back Adrian Peterson in 2012.

NFL MVP Betting Tips

When considering who to bet on for NFL MVP, focus on quarterbacks who rank in the top three for passing touchdowns and play for teams with strong records (since 2010, quarterback Matt Ryan is the only player to win the MVP on a team that had fewer than 12 wins).

NFL Offensive Player of the Year

As the name suggests, the NFL Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY) trophy is awarded to the top-performing offensive player in the league during the regular season.

Running backs (RB) lead the all-time OPOY leaderboard with 26 awards, followed by quarterbacks (20) and wide receivers (WR) (3).

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp is the reigning OPOY, having received the award following a superb 2021 season in which he led the NFL in receptions, touchdowns, and yards.

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NFL OPOY Betting Tips

Only two players have won back-to-back Offensive Player of the Year awards, and voters have historically rewarded players after record-breaking or near-record-breaking offensive seasons.

NFL Defensive Player of the Year

The best player on the defensive side of the ball gets recognized every year as well, with the NFL Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award.

Linebackers (LB) have won the award 17 times, a defensive end (DE) has won thirteen times, followed by ten defensive tackles (DT), six cornerbacks (CB), and five safeties (S).

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt received the award for the 2021 regular season after tying Michael Strahan’s single-season NFL record for most quarterback sacks with 22.5.

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NFL DPOY Betting Tips

In recent years, defensive players who led the league in either interceptions or sacks are typically considered favorites for the DPOY. Other key statistics include tackles, tackles for loss, fumbles forced, and passes defended.

NFL Rookie of the Year

The NFL Rookie of the Year award (ROY) is given annually to the top offensive and defensive rookies in the league deemed to have had the best regular season.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase received the defensive and offensive awards respectively for the 2021 season.

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NFL Coach of the Year

It's not just the players that get recognition in the NFL; at the end of every season, the coach deemed to have had the most outstanding regular season receives the Coach of the Year award (COY).

Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel won the award in 2021 after leading the Titans to a 12-5 record and the AFC South division title.

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NFL COY Betting Tips

The NFL Coach of the Year award typically goes to the coach of a team that has one of the best records in the league, and/or has surpassed expectations entirely. For example, in 2020 Kevin Stefanski was named COY after the Cleveland Browns finished third in the AFC North with an 11-5 record. However, the Browns had done enough to progress to the playoffs for the first time since 2002, and Stefanski was recognized for the achievement.

NFL Playoff Odds

Unlike the other major North American pro sports leagues, which utilize a best-of-seven series to determine the winners of each postseason round, the NFL playoffs are a unique entity - each round consists of one game.

So either win, or pack your bags.

This creates amazing opportunities from a betting standpoint, given that single-elimination games often produce unique outcomes - like underdog wins, overtime thrills and cinderella teams that defy the odds to progress right to the Super Bowl (see: Cincinnati Bengals in 2022).

Check in with your favourite bookmakers as the postseason edges closer to get the best NFL playoff odds for each round, and of course for the Super Bowl!

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest events in all of sport, drawing millions of viewers across the globe every year.

As you’d expect, the game comes with a great variety of betting options, from player prop bets and point spreads to the length of the national anthem. You could even consider placing a bet before the season even starts on which two teams will make it to the big game.

Check back with us throughout the season as we bring you the latest betting odds, tips, and information surrounding Super Bowl LVII!

What are NFL Betting Lines?

There are three common betting lines you’ll see when it comes to the NFL: the point spread (also known as "the spread"), total, and moneyline.

How do NFL Point Spreads Work?

A point spread, also known as “the spread”, is a bet on the point margin between two teams in a game.

Point Spread Betting 101

In point spread betting, a team that’s favored must win by a specific number of points to cash your bet. If you wager on the underdog, that team can lose by fewer than that same amount of points, or just win the game, in order for you to win your wager.

A team that is considered to be stronger than their opponents will be favoured by a certain number of points, depending on the perceived difference in quality between the teams.

Point spreads are used by sports bookmakers to ‘level the playing field’ in games, and therefore give bettors a chance at a near-even money bet as both teams have similar odds in an NFL point spread bet.

Unlike a moneyline bet (a bet on which team will win a game), a team can win the game and still lose the point spread. Likewise, a team can lose the game but win the point spread.

When betting a favourite, the figure next to the minus (-) sign indicates the money you need to risk to win $100.

When betting an underdog, the figure next to the plus (+) sign indicates the money you’ll win for every $100 risked.

If you're ever unsure as to how much profit you'll make if the bet you're planning to place wins, use our odds calculator to check your potential winnings.

How do NFL Moneylines Work?

A moneyline wager, in the simplest terms, is a bet on which team will win a game. That’s it.

Here's an example to show you just how simple a moneyline bet can be:

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS -125

HOUSTON TEXANS +105

In the above example, the Saints are favored against the Texans, as shown by the -125 odds.

These odds mean a bettor would have to bet $125 to win $100.

Conversely, a bettor wagering on the Texans would stand to win $105 if they bet $100 and the Texans pull off the upset.

How do NFL Over/Unders Work?

The over/under - sometimes called the total or shortened to O/U - is simply a representation of the listed odds for a game.

Let’s take a look at an example:

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS O33.5 (-110)

HOUSTON TEXANS U33.5 (-110)

For this game between the Saints and Texans, the total has been set at 33.5 points. This means that the oddsmakers think that both teams will combine to score 33.5 points in the game.

Obviously, there are no half points in a NFL game, so in this scenario a successful bet on the over would be 34 points or more, and a winning bet on the under would be 33 points or less.

Over/Under Betting Explained

In over/under betting, a bet on the over means you think both teams will combine to score more points than the total listed. A bet on the under means you think there’ll be fewer points than the total.

In situations where the total is an exact figure (let’s say 33 points as an example), and that figure is reached at the end of a game, the bet would be a “push” and bets would be refunded.

Why do NFL Lines Move?

During the week leading up to a game, NFL betting lines and odds will change as the market becomes active. Injuries and team news will be announced in press conferences which will trigger action on different sides of the lines, giving the oddsmakers no choice but to adjust them.

How do NFL Prop Bets Work?

A proposition bet, more commonly known as a prop bet or side bet, is a bet that is made on something other than the result of a game. Outside of spread, total and moneyline betting, virtually any other bet on a game can be considered a prop bet.

Let’s look at a couple of examples.

Using our scenario of the Saints - Texans game, one prop bet could center on how many passing yards Saints QB Jameis Winston will have. Another could look at which player will have the most rushing touchdowns in the game.

NFL Prop Bets Explained

Prop bets relate to a specific player or event in the game - not the result of the game itself. Odds are based on a $100 bet, just like game and point spread odds.

How are NFL Odds Determined?

There are many elements that can impact odds for NFL games, including things like injuries, weather, home advantage, winning streaks, whether the game is being played in a dome or outside, team statistics, and more. The oddsmakers that sportsbooks employ adjust NFL betting lines based on these factors.

Why Would You Bet on Negative Odds?

Negative odds represent the favorite for the game (as indicated by the minus (-) symbol. Since a wager on a favorite won’t return as much as a bet on an underdog, make sure to do your research on the game and the teams involved to make the most-informed decision possible before placing a bet.

What Does +200 Mean in NFL Odds?

Simply put, +200 means that for every $100 you wager, you stand to gain $200. So, if the Texans were +200 underdogs against the Saints and you place a $500 bet on Houston to win the game, you’d win $1500 ($1000 in winnings plus your original $500 stake).

What are NFL Vegas Odds?

In short, Vegas odds is an all-encompassing term used to describe the Vegas betting lines system used in US sportsbooks today. This unique system enables gamblers to quickly read all the stats needed to make a bet on the moneyline, point spread, or other wagers in a game.

How to Bet on NFL Futures Odds

As the name suggests, a futures bet is a wager on an event that will be determined later in the NFL season. These can be things like end-of-season results, which teams will make it to the Super Bowl, or which players will finish at the top of particular statistical category.

Because there is generally more at stake with futures bets as it can be difficult to predict an outcome months in advance, futures odds can be fairly high (think +6000), which means bettors who pick correctly are rewarded with larger payouts.

Futures odds become available prior to the start of an NFL season, and will update throughout the year as rankings and player performances come into shape. So while bettors can place an NFL futures wager at any time during the season, the longer a bettor waits, the lower odds become as the results of a futures bet become more obvious.