3 Best NFL Futures Bets to Make or Miss the Playoffs in 2025

Every year, we'll see the stats about all the year-over-year playoff turnover in the NFL.

We know the playoff field won't look exactly the same as it did; that'd be a pretty boring product.

But actually predicting how it'll change? That's a tough ask.

Today, we're going to try to do exactly that. FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL betting odds include odds on whether each team will make or miss the playoffs. If you think one of the juggernauts comes crashing to the ground, you can bet on it. Same thing for an under-the-radar team blasting off.

Below, I'm going to run through which of those playoff bets I think present the best value for this year. It's three teams on the playoff fringe, and I think we can find leverage with each.

Best NFL Playoff Futures Bets

Cardinals to Make the Playoffs (+126)

The NFC West looks a little shaky, and the Arizona Cardinals are frisky. I think they could break through this year.

I'm fully on board with the San Francisco 49ers, and they are my favorite bet to win the Super Bowl at +1900. But they've got key injuries already, meaning their floor isn't steady.

The Los Angeles Rams are already dealing with Matthew Stafford back issues, dinging their floor.

And the Seattle Seahawks will roll with Sam Darnold, who hasn't proven he can be efficient outside of a Kevin O'Connell-led offense.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, made good strides on offense last year with above-average efficiency both on the ground and through the air. They've now had a full offseason to help Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. develop better chemistry together, as well.

Even while being high on the 49ers and projecting Stafford as fully healthy, I've got the Cardinals projected at 9.15 wins. If each team played to exactly their expectation, the Cardinals would be one spot out of the playoffs. Given they're only 0.18 wins behind other NFC wild card contenders, I think the +126 we're getting here is enough for me to give them a ride.

Cowboys to Make the Playoffs (+194)

It's not often you can get a team with a quality quarterback at +194 to make the playoffs. The Dallas Cowboys check that box, pushing me to bet on them despite the obvious question marks.

Dak Prescott has been a top-10 quarterback in numberFire's Total Net Expected Points (NEP, their EPA equivalent) four times in his career. The most recent appearance was 2023 when he was third behind just Brock Purdy and Josh Allen. One down year seems to have fully erased that from our minds.

That's why we can have faith in the offense: Prescott is a quarterback who has proven he can excel when the system around him is competent, and it looks like it should be this year.

The risk comes with the defense, given Micah Parsons' continued holdout. If they have to play without Parsons, they'll have to press their luck in shootouts, and that's a tough recipe for success across a full season. But they played much better when Parsons was healthy last year, giving me hope they can be passable should they resolve that situation.

My win total model has the Cowboys in line with the market at 7.82 wins, mostly due to a pretty tough schedule in the NFC East. I just have a hard time ignoring a number this long when it's tied to a quarterback as savvy as Prescott.

Chargers to Miss the Playoffs (-106)

As has seemingly always been the case, the AFC West is a brute. A good team is probably going to miss the playoffs. For me, the team most likely to get squeezed is the Los Angeles Chargers.

Earlier this summer, I was excited to see what a fully healthy Justin Herbert could do in this Jim Harbaugh offense. Harbaugh always gets efficiency out of his quarterbacks, and Herbert showed flashes when he wasn't hobbled last year.

Then left tackle Rashawn Slater went down with a season-ending injury, and images of Herbert constantly under pressure during the team's playoff loss flooded back into memory.

It's true that Joe Alt is arguably the best backup plan at left tackle a team could have, but losing Alt at right tackle downgrades a unit that could have used a boost this year. With how thin the margins are in their division, it's a tough pill to swallow.

As things stand, I have the Kansas City Chiefs projected at 11.2 wins, the Denver Broncos at 9.4, and the Chargers at 8.6. At least for me, they're a distant third in their division, and they're projected for just the eighth-most wins in the AFC. That'd leave them on the outside looking in, so -106 looks like a decent value in my eyes.

Futures Day is August 26th — and you’re officially on the clock. Enjoy 24 hours of boosts, bonuses, and bragging rights. Check out the latest futures odds and learn more here.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.