The NFL Draft is in the rearview mirror, so that means one thing. It’s time to look ahead to where we can start placing our futures bets for the 2023 season.
Now, I know there are a lot of fans and bettors high on the Eagles right now. That’s fair because Philly racked up in the draft. But instead of focusing on the overachievers from the NFC East, I’m buying a team out of the NFC West.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are teams that we should sell. The Panthers drafted their next star quarterback — or so they hope — but Carolina is still not a team bettors should be so fast to back. Instead, I will give you a squad to sell who, not too long ago, was enjoying the fruits of its dynasty.
Let’s dive into the teams I’m picking to buy and sell in the wake of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Buy Steelers +650 to win AFC North
Over 8.5 wins
The AFC North chatter is all about Lamar Jackson and the Ravens and whether Joe Burrow can get back to a third-straight AFC title game. But, the sneaky team to watch in the division is the Steelers.
Between the buy-low of Allen Robinson, the addition of a veteran cornerback in Patrick Peterson to tutor promising Joey Porter Jr., and the mammoth left tackle in Broderick Jones, Pittsburgh is primed to surprise some people this season. Tight end Darnell Washington is an excellent blocker, and the Steelers offense should look very different in 2023 as quarterback Kenny Pickett enters his second year.
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Buy Seahawks +260 to win NFC West
Over 8.5 wins
I’ve been on the “Geno Smith will regress” train this offseason. Water finds its level. But then Seattle went into the draft and grabbed him two more weapons — slot wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and running back Zach Charbonnet. With Bobby Wagner returning, Jamal Adams back from injury, and other pieces falling into place, this team could win the division.
Seattle will definitely be a candidate to exceed its win total.
Buy Jets +250 to win AFC East
Over 9.5 wins
Yes, I’ve rooted for the Jets for decades, and yes, they’ve often let me down in depressing fashion. But after nabbing Aaron Rodgers and strengthening their biggest weakness — the offensive line — if we’re being honest with ourselves, this team doesn’t really have any deficiencies.
You might argue that offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is a weak spot. I’d counter by pointing out that he wasn’t cut out to be a head coach, but he and Aaron Rodgers have a strong history together.
Meanwhile, the Bills will grapple with their bad playoff loss at home, and Miami hopes Tua can avoid injury.
Joel Klatt’s top 3 teams who won the 2023 NFL Draft
Joel Klatt talked about his top three teams that had an outstanding 2023 NFL Draft.
Arizona fans love to talk about the 2024 draft since they will have their pick and Houston’s.
The future is bright, but what about this upcoming season? They’ll start the year without QB Kyler Murray, their leaders are fleeing and there’s a strong case they have the weakest starting offensive line and defense in the NFL.
Rookie coach Jonathan Gannon is in for a long season. Fade ’em.
Sell New York Giants
Under 8.5 wins
A year after making the playoffs, the Giants made a poor decision to give Daniel Jones a lot of money, and it’s unclear if he can do much better than last year’s 15 touchdown passes. Sure, you can run him more, but that raises the injury risk. Oh, by the way, he’ll be working with a rookie center — second-round pick John Michael Schmitz.
Can Saquon Barkley stay healthy again? The defense played well … against bad teams. Here’s the list of QBs they beat in November, December and January: Taylor Heinicke and Nick Foles/Sam Ehlinger.
Let me get this straight. The Patriots offense, which was poor last year, overpaid for JuJu Smith-Schuster, grabbed Mike Gesicki from the Dolphins and then didn’t draft a skill position player until the sixth round?
They sure are putting a lot of eggs in the “Bill O’Brien can save us” basket.
This team has the weakest QB in the division, and their low season win total tells you what the market thinks of them.
Jason McIntyre is a FOX Sports betting analyst, and he also writes about the NFL and NBA Draft. He joined FS1 in 2016 and has appeared on every show on the network. In 2017, McIntyre began producing gambling content on the NFL, college football and NBA for FOX Sports. He had a gambling podcast for FOX, “Coming Up Winners,” in 2018 and 2019. Before arriving at FOX, he created the website The Big Lead, which he sold in 2010.
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