Week 18 NFL Futures Report

Now that the 2023 NFL regular season has concluded, Sports Hub is ready with its Week 18 NFL Futures Report. How are your futures bets looking? 

As we head into the postseason, there’s still plenty of time for bettors to make their futures bets. Below, I will be examining the latest odds for markets such as the Super Bowl winner, Super Bowl MVP and the AFC and NFC champions. 

It’s an exciting time across the NFL right now and we all love playoff football. If you fancy a punt in predicting some of the futures, be sure to read my Week 18 NFL Futures Report! 

Week 18 NFL Futures – Top Markets 

I have loved exploring the odds for some of the main NFL futures markets throughout the regular season. Now, we’ve got a much clearer picture of who is going to win certain futures bets after the playoff teams were finalized during Week 18. Nevertheless, the postseason always throws up some surprises. 

Here is a full list of markets I will be examining in Week 18 NFL futures:

• Super Bowl Winner 
• AFC Champion
• NFC Champion
• MVP & Super Bowl MVP
• Offensive Player of the Year
• Defensive Player of the Year

I stopped analyzing the prices for Defensive Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year earlier on in the season. That’s because the likes of C.J. Stroud (-3431) and Jalen Carter (-200) have been absolutely dominating the markets. 

Despite them two looking extremely likely to win the awards, I thought I would give you a quick update. It’s a testament to how well the likes of Puka Nacua (+900) and Will Anderson Jr. (+300) have performed in 2023 that there’s still an outside chance for them to win. They both have longshot odds to win the awards, in comparison to the favorites. But, who knows, maybe they could surprise us. 

Super Bowl Winner

Week 18 NFL futures will kick off by taking a look at the most recent odds for the Super Bowl winner. Firstly, here’s a quick recap of the odds for the top-ten contenders through Week 17:

• San Francisco 49ers (+215)
• Baltimore Ravens (+330)
• Buffalo Bills (+800)
• Dallas Cowboys (+850)
• Kansas City Chiefs (+950)
• Philadelphia Eagles (+1100)
• Miami Dolphins (+1300)
• Detroit Lions (+2000)
• Jacksonville Jaguars (+3500)
• Cleveland Browns (+3500)

The San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens continue to dominate the market. It’s not a surprise that the two No.1 seeded teams are the frontrunners. They both receive a bye for the Wild Card round and will face the lowest seeded team in the Divisional Round. Their paths to the Super Bowl are a lot easier compared to the rest of the playoff teams. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars had to suffer disappointment as they failed to clinch a playoff spot following their 28-20 loss to the Tennessee Titans. They were +3500 to win the Super Bowl after Week 17. However, it was AFC South rivals the Houston Texans that were able to clinch the division title with a crucial 23-19 win over the Indianapolis Colts. They are now +5000 to win Super Bowl LVIII. 

You can find the updated odds for Super Bowl LVIII winner after Week 18 below: 

• San Francisco 49ers (+220)
• Baltimore Ravens (+320)
• Buffalo Bills (+650)
• Dallas Cowboys (+750)
• Kansas City Chiefs (+1000)
• Philadelphia Eagles (+1700)
• Miami Dolphins (+1800)
• Detroit Lions (+2000)
• Cleveland Browns (+3500)
• Houston Texans (+5000)

Now that the Buffalo Bills have secured the AFC East with their Week 18 win over the Miami Dolphins, their price has been cut from +800 to +650. Meanwhile, the Fins have gone from +1300 to +1800. The Bills have now secured home field advantage and will face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round. 

Seedings are incredibly important when it comes to the playoffs and that explains why Buffalo are a lot shorter than Miami. The Dolphins now have to go on the road to face the Kansas City Chiefs. 

AFC Champions

Let’s move on now and focus on the odds for the AFC champion. As expected, the Ravens are the market leaders to win the conference. However, could we find some better value elsewhere?

Here’s a reminder of the odds for the top-five candidates after Week 17: 

• Baltimore Ravens (+140)
• Buffalo Bills (+380)
• Kansas City Chiefs (+420)
• Miami Dolphins (+550)
• Cleveland Browns (+1600)

As previously discussed, the Bills’ easier run in the postseason has seriously helped their chances. Momentum is also key heading into the playoffs, and they managed to win their last five regular season games. That has seen their price cut from +380 to +280. 

Check out the updated odds after Week 18 here:

• Baltimore Ravens (+125)
• Buffalo Bills (+280)
• Kansas City Chiefs (+490)
• Miami Dolphins (+900)
• Cleveland Browns (+1200)
• Houston Texans (+2000)
• Pittsburgh Steelers (+5000)

I have now added the full list of candidates to win the AFC in my Week 18 NFL Futures Report. The No. 7 seed in the Steelers are, as expected, the longest priced team to win the AFC. They won their final three games heading into the playoffs, but Mason Rudolph has been named the starting quarterback and star defensive player T.J Watt is out. 

Teams such as the Cleveland Browns and the Texans are also outsiders at this stage. With no Nick Chubb or Deshaun Watson, it’s quite remarkable that the Browns have still managed to reach the playoffs. However, the incredible performances by veteran QB Joe Flacco have given them hope. 

Houston is dealing with issues in the receiver room, with guys like Tank Dell on IR. They are also dealing with key injuries to the likes of Jonathan Greenard, Will Anderson Jr. and Robert Woods. All three are currently questionable to feature in the Wild Card matchup with Cleveland. 

NFC Champions 

Week 18 NFL futures will now examine the odds for the NFC champion. Of course, the Niners are the market leaders. Below you can find a recap of the Week 17 odds:

• San Francisco 49ers (-120)
• Dallas Cowboys (+375)
• Philadelphia Eagles (+500)
• Detroit Lions (+800)
• Los Angeles Rams (+2500)

The Philadelphia Eagles’ demise to end the regular season means it will come as a big surprise if they are to have success in the playoffs. They have lost five in six heading into the postseason, and will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round. Philly’s odds to win the NFC have gone from +500 to +750, and they have been getting longer and longer each week. 

Be sure to see the updated odds after Week 18 here:

• San Francisco 49ers (-129)
• Dallas Cowboys (+320)
• Philadelphia Eagles (+750)
• Detroit Lions (+900)
• Los Angeles Rams (+2100)
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3100)
• Green Bay Packers (+4000)

The Bucs and the Green Bay Packers are the most unlikely teams to win the conference according to the bookmakers. They only just managed to secure their spots in the postseason after Week 18, but we could find some good value here. Tampa Bay are facing an out-of-form Philly team, whilst Green Bay won their last three regular season games to clinch a playoff berth. 

The Los Angeles Rams have come in from +2500 to +2100, and their run of form to make the postseason is impressive. They won seven of their last eight games to make the playoffs, with their record going from 3-6 to 10-7 following their Week 10 bye. 

The Rams have a tricky matchup against the Detroit Lions in the Wild Card round, but their price is offering some enticing value. Could the Lions crumble under the pressure of playing in their first home playoff game in 20 years? 

MVP & Super Bowl MVP

Oddsmakers have priced Lamar Jackson at -20000 to win MVP and now that the regular season is over it appears that the Ravens QB has the award locked up. 

There’s a few other candidates that could make some strong claims to win MVP this season, but you’ve only got to look at the odds for Lamar to win it to know that it’s essentially already in his hands. 

Now that the playoff teams have been determined, we have started to get odds for the Super Bowl MVP. That is the new market that we are looking at in Week 18 NFL futures. Here are the latest odds for the top-five candidates as we head into the postseason: 

• Lamar Jackson (+380) QB Baltimore Ravens 
• Brock Purdy (+450) QB San Francisco 49ers
• Josh Allen (+750) QB Buffalo Bills 
• Christian McCaffrey (+950) RB San Francisco 49ers
• Patrick Mahomes (+1048) QB Kansas City Chiefs

LJ won the battle against Brock Purdy when Baltimore beat the Niners 33-19 during Week 16. That catapulted Lamar into pole position to win MVP. There’s a chance that the two signal callers face off again in the Super Bowl. They are the current frontrunners for Super Bowl MVP. 

Offensive Player of the Year 

We have two candidates who are primarily in contention to win Offensive Player of the Year. Right now, it looks like it will be one of either Christian McCaffrey or Tyreek Hill. 

Take a look at the odds to win OPOY after Week 17:

• Christian McCaffrey (-300) RB San Francisco 49ers
• Tyreek Hill (-108) WR Miami Dolphins 
• Ceedee Lamb (+2000) WR Dallas Cowboys 
• Lamar Jackson (+10000) QB Baltimore Ravens
• Dak Prescott (+15000) QB Dallas Cowboys

However, Ceedee Lamb still has a shot and he has moved from +2000 to +1600 to win OPOY from Week 17 to Week 18. The award is typically given to either a running back or wide receiver, with MVP usually reserved for a QB.

Here’s a quick look at the most recent odds for OPOY:

• Christian McCaffrey (-299) RB San Francisco 49ers
• Tyreek Hill (-108) WR Miami Dolphins 
• Ceedee Lamb (+1600) WR Dallas Cowboys 

Leading the league in rushing yards with 1,459 yards, CMC is the heavy favorite. He also has the joint-most total touchdowns this season. His price is indicating that he will win the award, deservedly so as well. Arguably, he should be winning MVP this season. 

Hill is also a contender as he leads the league in receiving yards (1,799) and is also minus money to win OPOY. Cheetah has been dominant on the explosive Dolphins offense, but he failed to have a 100-yard game across any of the final four regular season games, scoring just one TD. Lamb follows closely behind with 1,749 yards and his rapport with QB Dak Prescott this season has been electric. 

Defensive Player of the Year

Week 18 NFL futures will finish up by examining the odds for the Defensive Player of the Year market. Myles Garett is the odds-on favorite, but the likes of Watt and Micah Parsons are still priced relatively short to win the award. 

Below is a reminder of the prices to win DPOY after Week 17:

• Myles Garrett (-240) DE Cleveland Browns 
• Micah Parsons (+250) LB Dallas Cowboys 
• T.J. Watt (+380) LB Pittsburgh Steelers 
• Maxx Crosby (+5000) DE Las Vegas Raiders
• Matt Judon (+6349) LB New England Patriots

Garret has gotten slightly longer to win DPOY from Week 17 to Week 18, moving from -240 to -200. Nevertheless, he still looks like the most likely candidate to win. He has been the star player on one of, if not, the best defense in the NFL this season. Garrett ends the regular season with 14 sacks, 57 hurries, 14 hits, four forced fumbles and 86 total pressures. 

Below you can find the latest prices for DPOY after Week 18:

• Myles Garrett (-200) DE Cleveland Browns 
• T.J. Watt (+214) LB Pittsburgh Steelers 
• Micah Parsons (+250) LB Dallas Cowboys 
• Maxx Crosby (+5000) DE Las Vegas Raiders
• Matt Judon (+6349) LB New England Patriots

Watt’s price to win DPOY has come in a lot over the past few weeks. He was as long as +515 after Week 16, but is now priced at +214 and is now the second favorite. The Steelers linebacker won the sack race with 19, picking up two of those in Week 18 during the 17-10 win over the Ravens. 

Parsons has also had an incredibly strong campaign himself, racking up a total of 14 sacks and 103 total pressures. Just like Garrett and Watt, Parsons has been the best player on defense for his team.