The New Orleans Saints are poised for another run to the NFL postseason in 2020. Fans and bettors have a wide array of options for the upcoming season at DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook. Below, we’ll break down all the betting terms you need to know before diving into the Saints’ 2020 NFL futures odds on their 2020 win total, as well as their odds to win the NFC South and Super Bowl LV.
We’ll also recap the Saints’ top free agent moves to date and look at their 2020 opponents. New Orleans has won three straight NFC South titles heading into 2020, but the Saints are still looking for their first trip to the Super Bowl since the 2009 season. Last year’s 13-3 campaign came to a sudden halt with a 26-20 overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the wild card round at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Quarterback Drew Brees was named to his 13th Pro Bowl in 2019 while leading the league with a 74.3 completion percentage across 11 games played. Wide receiver Michael Thomas won the Offensive Player of the Year award and backup QB Teddy Bridgewater went 5-0 as a starter in place of an injured Brees to earn himself a full-time gig with the Carolina Panthers.
The Saints ranked third in the NFL in 2019 with 28.6 points per game on offense. The defense ranked a middling 13th with 21.3 points per game allowed, and it gave up 241.8 passing yards per contest. Still, the Saints ranked second in the league with a plus-15 turnover differential. They forced 23 takeaways and committed a league-low eight turnovers.
The season came crashing down with the home playoff loss to the Vikings in the NFC wild card round. Vikings RB Dalvin Cook racked up 130 yards from scrimmage with two rushing touchdowns, while Brees tossed an interception and lost a fumble.
While going 13-3, straight-up, to finish atop the NFC South and fall just shy of a first-round bye, the Saints went a league-best 11-5 against the spread in the regular season. They won games by an average of 7.3 points and covered the spread by 3.1 PPG. New Orleans went 9-7 against the Over/Under and topped the point projections by 2.9 PPG.
Saints schedule and odds
| Week | Date | Time | Opponent | Opening spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sunday, Sept. 13 | 4:25 p.m. ET | vs. Tampa Bay | Saints -4 |
| Week 2 | Monday, Sept. 21 | 8:15 p.m. ET | at Las Vegas | Saints -4.5 |
| Week 3 | Sunday, Sept. 27 | 8:20 p.m. ET | vs. Green Bay | Saints -6 |
| Week 4 | Sunday, Oct. 4 | 1:00 p.m. ET | at Detroit | Saints -8.5 |
| Week 5 | Monday, Oct. 12 | 8:15 p.m. ET | vs. LA Chargers | Saints -9.5 |
| Week 6 | Sunday, Oct. 18 | BYE | ||
| Week 7 | Sunday, Oct. 25 | 1:00 p.m. ET | vs. Carolina | Saints -13.5 |
| Week 8 | Sunday, Nov. 1 | 4:25 p.m. ET | at Chicago | Saints -4 |
| Week 9 | Sunday, Nov. 8 | 8:20 p.m. ET | at Tampa Bay | Buccaneers -0.5 |
| Week 10 | Sunday, Nov. 15 | 4:25 p.m. ET | vs. San Francisco | Saints -1.5 |
| Week 11 | Sunday, Nov. 22 | 1:00 p.m. ET | vs. Atlanta | Saints -8 |
| Week 12 | Sunday, Nov. 29 | 4:05 p.m. ET | at Denver | Saints -4.5 |
| Week 13 | Sunday, Dec. 6 | 1:00 p.m. ET | at Atlanta | Saints -4.5 |
| Week 14 | Sunday, Dec. 13 | 4:25 p.m. ET | at Philadelphia | Saints -0.5 |
| Week 15 | Sunday, Dec. 20 | 4:25 p.m. ET | vs. Kansas City | Chiefs -1 |
| Week 16 | Friday, Dec. 25 | 4:30 p.m. ET | vs. Minnesota | Saints -6.5 |
| Week 17 | Sunday, Jan. 3 | 1:00 p.m. ET | at Carolina | N/A |
Saints odds: Futures
New Orleans Saints odds: Super Bowl LV
The Saints opened the offseason +1200 to win Super Bowl LV and still sit at that number. Odds will be adjusted based on the Saints’ perceived chances of winning and will also be impacted by the performances of the other teams in the NFC South, the NFC or top contenders in the AFC.
Major trades and injuries can affect the odds for multiple teams at once. Recent performance and multi-game winning or losing streaks also have large impacts as bettors react to recency bias. Wins and losses in primetime with increased viewership will affect the odds more than either outcome in the standard 1 p.m. ET Sunday time slot as well.
New Orleans Saints odds: NFC South
The Saints are the heaviest division favorite in the NFC with -134 odds to win the NFC South. The Buccaneers are +160 while the Falcons are +900 and the Panthers are +2000.
The NFL standings will greatly impact the odds, as do the two head-to-head meetings between each set of division rivals in a given season. Be sure to not overreact to singular games and weigh weekly results against the season as a whole.
New Orleans Saints odds: Team win total
The Saints are again expressed as the favorites in the NFC South with the highest projected win total of the four teams at 10. Both the Over and Under are priced at -110 with a $9.09 profit on a $10 wager for either side. If the Saints were to finish the season at 10-6 or 10-5-1, it would be deemed a push and all bets would be refunded.
The projection may be lowered or raised based on how the Saints (and their competition) start the season. An early winning streak would see the number rise with a losing streak having the opposite effect.
How to bet on the New Orleans Saints
Before checking out the NFL futures odds at DraftKings and FanDuel Sportsbooks, be sure to study up on the most common betting terms and how the odds work in order to get the best value on your bets. Single-game lines for Week 1 will likely be released shortly after the 2020 NFL schedule comes out within the next couple weeks.
Moneyline
The simplest way to get betting action on NFL games. Pick one team or the other to win straight up with a winner and loser guaranteed with the exception of the rare tie. A tie results in a push and all bets on either side are refunded in full.
Odds will generally range from -200 for favorites to +200 for underdogs. More lopsided matchups later in the season can extend those odds in either direction. The Saints could be favored by as much as -550 in a Week 15 home date against the Panthers who could receive high +600 odds. A $10 bet on the Saints would be deemed a chalk play with a profit of just $1.82 with an outright win. The same bet on the underdog Panthers would turn a profit of $60 with the unlikely upset.
Current team performance, injuries, home-field advantage, and recent head-to-head matchups all go into setting the opening odds. Public betting action through the week of the game will shift the odds in either direction. Divisional games often come with tempered odds because the familiarity of the opponents can outweigh the current play of either side.
Against the spread
A lopsided on-field matchup with less profitable moneyline odds should turn bettors toward the spread.
Instead of picking a team to beat the other and win outright, each team is matched up against a projection of how many points they’ll need to either win or lose by for a bet to cash.
In the above scenario of the Saints being heavy home favorites against the Panthers, they’d be likely to have a spread of -7.5. This means they’ll need to win by 8 or more points. The Panthers would be +7.5 on the other side and they would need to lose by no more than 7 points or win outright in order to cover their side of the bet. Both sides are likely to have equal odds of around -110 with a profit margin of $9.09 on a $10 bet.
The most common spreads are set at 2.5, 3.5, 6.5 and 7.5 points to represent score differentials of field goals or touchdowns. Rare late-season spreads or matchups with one side dealing with significant injury concerns can extend spreads as high as 15.5 points in an anticipated blowout.
Odds can range from -120 to +120 but are often equal on either side. Spreads of +/-0.5 or +/-1 represent a pick’em and the moneyline would usually be the preferred play with more profitable odds. A push can occur when a line is bet down to a whole number (i.e. 3 or 7). If the Saints were to win by exactly 7 points, all bets would be refunded.
Total
Totals or Over/Under bets are very similar to spreads with a line being set by the books for how many points the teams will combine to score in a game. Lines generally range from the mid-30s to high-50s and are influenced by the matchup appeal, star players involved and the weekly time slot. Odds will range from -120 to +120 and are most often equal on both sides.
Primetime Sunday or Monday night contests are likely to see the total inflated by fans and bettors wanting to see touchdowns. Thursday night matchups usually come with lower total projections with the teams on short practice weeks.
A push can happen if the line is set at an integer number such as 47 and the Saints beat the Panthers 27-20.
Moneylines, spreads, and totals are available for a whole game or broken into each half or quarter. Alternate lines allow bettors to get more profitable odds by taking on more risk with a higher or lower number or to make a safer bet with lower odds.
Prop bets
Props are the best way to get action on your favorite players or to bet on either team without worrying too much about the outcome of the game. Statistical projections are set up in Over/Under or Yes/No bets. Players or teams will need to reach certain yardage or reception totals for an Over to hit. Falling short of the projections would mean a win for the Under.
The Yes/No propositions are set up for whether or not specified players will score a touchdown or make an interception. Odds are conservatively set between -130 and +130 with either a $7.69 or $13 profit on a $10 bet, respectively.
The more profitable prop bets come with larger player pools for things such as who will score the first touchdown of the game or who’ll finish the game with more receptions.
The Saints have several MVP contenders in Brees (+2200), RB Alvin Kamara (+10000), Thomas (+10000), and Hill (+15000). A $10 bet on Brees turns a profit of $220, while the same wager on Hill fetches a profit of $1,500.
Cameron Jordan is the team’s top contender for Defensive Player of the Year at +4000. Jenkins is a more profitable +20000 for the same award. Head coach Sean Payton is +2200 to be named Coach of the Year.
Brees is projected for 4,075.5 passing yards with -110 odds on either side. His 30.5 passing touchdowns represent one of the highest projections among all QBs. Likewise, Thomas’ 1,500.5 receiving yards is the highest projection in the NFL and comes with equal -110 odds on either side. Kamara is projected for 850.5 rushing yards.
Futures bets
A form of prop bet, futures bets forecast outcomes that may not be decided for up to a year. Super Bowl odds are generally released immediately following the conclusion of the prior season’s big game. Team win totals, odds to win a division or conference, or player stat lines or awards are released throughout an offseason. All odds are routinely updated based on major events such as free agency, trades or the NFL draft.
Once a season has begun, odds and lines will shift according to the performance of players and teams and will be largely affected by major injury news. Odds will drop the closer a player becomes to achieving their statistical milestone or the more likely they’re perceived to be named MVP or Defensive Player of the Year.
With large pools of players for the awards or the rushing title and all 32 teams beginning a season with a shot at the Super Bowl, odds can be set as high as +30000 for a $3,000 profit on a $10 MVP wager placed months in advance. Over/Under lines for yardage or touchdowns will be set much more conservatively at -110 on either side. The books will alter these odds so the vig will help create equal action on either side of the bet. Teams will be dropped from the futures odds once eliminated from contention.
Teasers
A form of parlay bet whereby bettors “buy” or “sell” points to get more profitable odds or get a safer betting line with a more predictable outcome. Boosting a spread from -3.5 to -7.5 raises the odds and the profit margin. Lowering a line from -7.5 to -3.5 makes it an easier bet as the team will need to win by 4 or more points rather than 8 or more.
Multiple bet types from the same or different games are then grouped together for one singular bet with higher odds. The more bets included in the parlay the more difficult it is to cash a ticket as each individual part will need to play out correctly.
In-play/live
Get action on a game after the opening kickoff on your mobile device with in-play or live betting. Odds and lines will adjust based on the present score, big plays and field position, or key injury developments.
Back the home favorites on a live moneyline if they fall down a couple of scores early and become underdogs. Bet the losing team should the opposing starting quarterback or running back leave the game due to injury. Be ready to act quickly as the books are constantly adjusting lines and may even momentarily pull odds off the board following a score, turnover or big offensive gain.
Saints 2020 offseason moves
Key re-signings: QB Drew Brees (two years, $50 million), DT David Onyemata (three years, $26 million, G Andrus Peat (five years, $57.5 million), S D.J. Swearinger (one year, $1.1 million), DE Noah Spence (one year, $910K)
Key free agent losses: LB A.J. Klein (to BUF), QB Teddy Bridgewater (to CAR), S Vonn Bell (to CIN), WR Keith Kirkwood (to CAR)
Key free agent signings: S Malcolm Jenkins (four years, $32 million), WR Emmanuel Sanders (two years, $24 million), FB Michael Burton (one year, $1 million)
The Saints’ two biggest moves were keeping Brees from retirement and reuniting with Jenkins following his release from the Philadelphia Eagles. He’ll help bolster the secondary and overall defense. Losing Bridgewater to the divisional-rival Panthers means Taysom Hill will get his shot as the primary backup to Brees under center. Sanders is expected to supplant Ted Ginn Jr., who remains a free agent, as the No. 2 option to Thomas in the passing game.