Top NFL Team Specials Odds & Picks (2022)

Aug 1, 2022 - 10:11 AM

The 2022 NFL season is less than six weeks away. While teams are preparing for the season with training camp, bettors are on the lookout for a bet they can’t pass up.

DraftKings has a “team specials” category, providing interesting bets for all 32 NFL teams. Below are five team special bets you should consider.

Check out our NFL Futures Betting Guide >>

The Safer Bets

Any team to go from worst to first in their division (-200)

A team that finished last in their division the previous season wins the division the following season almost every year. Last season, the Cincinnati Bengals won the AFC North with a 10-7 record after finishing last the year before. In 2020, the Washington Football Team won the NFC East with a 7-9 record after ending the 2019 season in last place.

While no team went from worst to first in 2019, we had two teams accomplish that feat in 2018 and 2017. The Houston Texans and Chicago Bears won their divisions in 2018 after finishing in last place the previous year. In 2017, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Philadelphia Eagles won their divisions after awful 2016 seasons.

The eight possible worst-to-first teams this year are the New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, and Carolina Panthers. Six of those teams have no chance of winning their division. However, the Broncos and Ravens are the two prime candidates to go from worst to first.

Last year, the Ravens were the No. 2 seed in the AFC despite all their injuries at running back and on defense until Lamar Jackson suffered an ankle injury. The Ravens lost their final six games and slid to last in the division.

The Broncos, on the other hand, landed the top trade target this offseason in Russell Wilson. After going 7-10 last season with Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock at quarterback, the Broncos are arguably the favorites to win AFC West, if not the entire conference.

Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd to combine for over 2,999.5 receiving yards (-120)

This bet is like taking candy from a baby. Last year, Chase and Higgins each had over 1,000 receiving yards. Chase had 1,455 yards, the fourth most in the NFL, while Higgins had 1,091 yards in only 14 games. Over a 17-game pace, Higgins would have totaled 1,325 receiving yards, the seventh most in the NFL.

Behind the two young star receivers is the trusty veteran Boyd. He had 828 receiving yards last season, making it his fourth year in a row with over 800 yards. The Cincinnati trio combined for 3,374 receiving yards last season. There is no reason why they can’t have a repeat performance in 2022.

Adjusting for a 17-game pace for Higgins, he and Chase would have combined for 2,780 receiving yards last season, only 220 short of the total. Even if all three see their receiving yards from last year drop by 10%, the trio would still total 3,037 receiving yards and hit the over.

Cole Kmet and Darnell Mooney over 1,499.5 combined receiving yards (+110)

This bet is another one that feels like stealing. Last year, Kmet and Mooney combined for 1,667 receiving yards in 34 combined games. More importantly, they had 233 combined targets and a 43% combined target share.

The Chicago Bears let Allen Robinson leave this offseason and replaced him by signing Bryon Pringle, drafting Velus Jones, and trading for N’Keal Harry. Even at his worst last season, Robinson is a better receiver than any of those three, maybe even combined.

More importantly, Kmet and Mooney are Justin Fields’ favorite targets. Last year, Kmet averaged 7.3 targets per game over Fields’ final three healthy games. Meanwhile, Mooney averaged 7.2 targets per game in the 10 games Fields started last season.

Chicago will lean heavily on these two pass catchers this season. They should have no trouble hitting the over on the combined total, especially given the lack of proven weapons around them. Even if this total was set at over 1,699.5 combined receiving yards, I would still make this bet.

Josh Allen over 4,499.5 passing yards and the Buffalo Bills win the AFC East (+200)

Ever since Tom Brady left the New England Patriots, the Bills have ruled the AFC East division. Last year, they won the division with an 11-6 record. In 2019, the Bills again won the division with a 13-3 record. While the Patriots, Jets, and Dolphins have all improved this offseason, the Bills are the heavy favorites (-225) to win the division, and rightfully so.

Allen had 4,407 passing yards last year and 4,544 in 2020. He has averaged 271.2 passing yards per game and 4,475.5 passing yards per season over the past two years. Furthermore, Allen hasn’t missed a game since his rookie season.

More importantly, the Bills have improved Allen’s supporting cast. Gabriel Davis is in a position for a third-year breakout. Meanwhile, the Bills added Jamison Crowder and O.J. Howard in free agency. Then they used a second-round pick on pass-catching specialist James Cook and a fifth-round pick on Khalil Shakir. Most important of all is Stefon Diggs. Since he joined the Bills, Allen’s passing yards per game, completion percentage, and yards per attempt have improved.

Barring an injury, Allen should have no problems throwing for over 4,500 yards this season, while the Bills are all but a lock to win the division.

The Appealing Long Shot

Any division to have all four teams make the playoffs (+1200)

Unlike the previous four bets, this one is a bit of a long shot. However, there is a real chance this bet could pay out. When the NFL expanded the playoffs before the 2020 season, it became possible for a division to have all four teams make the postseason. While that didn’t happen last year, it almost happened in 2020. The Pittsburgh Steelers won the AFC North that year while the Ravens and Bengals made the playoffs as wild card teams.

Even before the addition of a third wild card team in 2020, a division has won every wild card spot in recent memory. Over the past 11 years, a division has won every wild card spot five times.

The NFC South did it in 2017, with the Saints winning the division while the Falcons and Panthers secured the two wild card spots. In 2014 and 2011, it was the AFC North with the Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals. Meanwhile, the AFC West accomplished this feat in 2013 with the Chiefs, Chargers, and Broncos.

After a wild offseason full of blockbuster additions, the AFC West is the most likely division to see all four teams make the playoffs. Last year, the Chiefs won the division while the Las Vegas Raiders snuck into the playoffs on the final night of the regular season. The Chargers were the first team out, while the Broncos had a 7-10 record. However, the Chargers (-160) and Broncos (-150) are favored to make the playoffs this year after the additions they made this offseason.

At 12-1, the odds are too good to pass up. The rest of the AFC is very talented. However, the AFC West teams are on another level after the moves they made this offseason. While it’s a long shot, this is a bet I plan to make.

Matthew Freedman’s Best Bets After the 2022 NFL Draft >>

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