We've been day-dreaming about the NFL a lot the last few days since the schedule was released, and we want to take that a bit further.
While we may need to wait months until football is back in our lives, it's never too early to secure some futures bets, and there is a trio of team win totals at plus-money that catch our eye.
New England Patriots under 4.5 wins (+135 DraftKings)
The Patriots seem poised for another tough season. It seems unlikely Drake Maye plays in Year One, and while Jacoby Brissett is a cromulent option, he's not going to lift a team much, and this New England team is far more than a quarterback away from competing again.
It doesn't help that they play in what might be the toughest division in football. The Bills with Josh Allen remain a contender, the Dolphins and their explosive offense are still a problem, and the Jets should have Aaron Rodgers back and be in the mix this year.
That is a major reason why the Patriots enter the 2024 season with the hardest schedule in the NFL. Now, that is all relative, but Deniz Selman on Twitter aimed to quantify that by looking at each team's opponents's Super Bowl odds to determine who had the toughest path.
With the Pats at the top, and lacking high-end talent and going into the year with a new coach, we'll fade their season here.
Arizona Cardinals under 6.5 wins (+115 DK)
We're not so sure the Arizona Cardinals can exceed their win total either. They have another gruelingly difficult grind ahead when you just consider their game-by-game schedule.
Arizona could arguably go into their Week 11 bye with maybe two wins. They start their season with the following: Bills, Rams, Lions, Commanders, 49ers, Packers, Chargers, Dolphins, Bears, Jets.
You could argue the Chargers will have a rough season, but the only other team there is Washington, and by all accounts they've gotten much better this offseason. We're not seeing it from Arizona here, and we're not a believer in Kyler Murray. Fade them here with under 6.5 wins.
Philadelphia Eagles over 10.5 wins (+105 DK)
We have to throw in an over, and Philadelphia sitting at +105 to log 11+ wins is a bet we just have to make. The Eagles have locked up their offensive core and added Saquon Barkley, and assuming health (a big if), we're not seeing many who slow them down.
They added key pieces on defense, namely in the secondary with rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean and through free agency with the return of Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and adding Bryce Huff.
The Eagles are going to be a contender out of the NFC, and their strength of schedule sits as sixth-easiest in the NFL. We're backing Jalen Hurts and the Birds to have a strong 2024 season.
