Few major sports are able to offer the drama and entertainment provided by the NFL divisional races each season. This page will help you find the best bets for your money by identifying the best price for each team at the various legal American sportsbooks with our odds comparisons tables. We’ll also offer insight into the 2023 NFL season to help you make the best bets on division winners.
On most American legal sportsbooks, you can wager on NFL Division winners by selecting “NFL” at the top of the page. Look for some variation of “Futures” or “Team Futures” and then “Division Winners.” This will bring up a list of teams for each division with a few key numbers to focus on: Team odds, percent of the handle, and percent of bets. The odds tell you who is favored (favorites have lower numbers) and how much a successful bet would earn you. The percent of the handle is the percentage of the total amount of money wagered on one team by the public, and the percent of bets is the percentage of the amount of bets that have been wagered on one team.
Let’s dive further into the NFL division winner odds for the 2022 season.
NFL division winner odds 2023
NFC North
Despite losing playmakers Davante Adams and Za’Darius Smith, the Packers are odds-on favorites to win the NFC North. The Vikings are behind them, but are becoming a favorite among bettors to overtake Green Bay this season.
NFC South
Nobody in the NFL has a stronger hold on their divisional odds than the Buccaneers. Returning Tom Brady and adding a slew of veteran free agents makes the Bucs not only favorites to win their division, but among the favorites to win the Super Bowl. All the other teams in the division have taken steps backward or are in the process of rebuilding.
NFC East
Odds suggest the NFC East is a two-team race between the slightly-favored Cowboys and the Eagles. Both teams landed in the Playoffs last season. But as we’ve seen from this division in recent years, it’s unwise to totally count out the Commanders and Giants.
NFC West
Despite being reigning Super Bowl champions, the Rams aren’t odds-on favorites to win the NFC West. It’s an extremely competitive division with two clear favorites (Rams, 49ers), a strong contender (Cardinals), and a Seahawks team dived fully into a rebuild.
AFC North
While the Ravens and Bengals are vying for the role of favorite in the AFC North, no division has such volatile odds. Odds have been in flux all offseason long as the Browns await the ruling on a possible suspension for star QB Deshaun Watson, landed in a trade with Houston this offseason. The length of his suspension will certainly affect the price of every team in this division.
AFC South
The Colts took a big step forward in the eyes of oddsmakers and the Titans took one step back. Indianapolis is now the odds-on favorite in the AFC South after trading for veteran QB and former league MVP Matt Ryan. Tennessee, despite having reigning Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel, traded away star WR AJ Brown in a move that lengthened their futures odds across the board.
AFC East
Odds suggest the AFC East is the Bills’ to lose this coming season; Buffalo is also the Super Bowl favorite this coming season. Lagging behind are the Patriots and Dolphins, the latter of which landed a haul of free agents like Tyreek Hill. However, never count out Bill Belichick, who was firmly in the race last season with a rookie QB.
AFC West
No division in football is as tightly-contested as the AFC West. Four stud QBs reside in the division, with AFC newcomer Russell Wilson immediately making the Broncos relevant. Whoever takes home the AFC West crown this season is secondary to the fireworks fans can expect.
How to bet NFL division futures: A winning strategy
It seems every NFL season offers its share of sneaky good picks for division winners, but what are you looking for when trying to spot them? Before you analyze anything, come to this page to reference our updated odds comparisons table and shop different sportsbook offerings.
Next, consider the obvious like last year’s performance and whether the team improved in the offseason. Most importantly, consider the odds being offered. Reverting back to the AFC East, the Bills are certainly worth respect, but small returns on your money make wagering on them less worthy of your time and money. The Patriots, however, added a plethora of free agents and strategic draft picks to their arsenal and are profiting bettors who select them to win the division 3-to-1 on their money (meaning a $100 wager would profit $300).
Lastly, consider hedging your bets. Using the AFC South, if you feel it’s safe to go with either the Colts or the Titans to take the division title, it could be worth it to place bets on them both. If you put $100 on Indy (+110) to take the division, it might be worth throwing another $50 down on Tennessee (+110). A $200 bet on the Colts would have a total payout of $210. Should the Titans (+110) win, that $50 bet would pay out a total of $105, covering your original bet, but still small enough to reap a $160 win should the original bet succeed.