Football season is upon us, and that means it’s time to start previewing some NFL divisions from a DraftKings Sportsbook perspective. Below, I’ll break down all the odds in the futures market for the four teams in the AFC East.
Buffalo Bills
Super Bowl Odds: +1000
AFC Conference Odds: +500
AFC East Division Odds: -150
Team Win Total: 11
To Make Playoffs: -350
Week 1 Spread: -6.5 (vs. PIT)
Award Contenders
MVP: Josh Allen (+1200)
DROY: Gregory Rosseau (+2000)
COY: Sean McDermott (+1800)
The young and upcoming Bills turned a corner in 2020, becoming one of the elite franchises in the NFL. Buffalo finished 13-3 and made a run to the AFC Championship, becoming the first team besides the Patriots to win the AFC East since 2008. That success is expected to carry into the 2021 season, with the Bills relatively heavily favored in the division. Josh Allen has been rewarded with a monster six-year extension that could potentially exceed $258 million ($100 million guaranteed).
All the pieces seem to be in place for the Bills to continue to move forward, with good coaching and a solid defense to go with their franchise QB. I don’t think I can lay the juice on the division, so if you forced me to back Buffalo in some fashion this season, I’d probably play the over on the win total. Getting to 11-6 for at least a push seems reasonable, but the road ahead is tougher this time around, especially with a target on their back and the division potentially improving a bit.
New England Patriots
Super Bowl Odds: +3000
AFC Conference Odds: +1800
AFC East Division Odds: +350
Team Win Total: 9.5
To Make Playoffs: +110
Week 1 Spread: -2 (vs. MIA)
Award Contenders
OROY: Mac Jones (+1000)
DROY: Christian Barmore (+2000), Ronnie Perkins (+2800)
COY: Bill Belichick (+1200)
As mentioned, the Patriots are not the reigning AFC East champs for the first time in 12 years, and they’ve still won 17 of the last 19 division titles entering 2021. The rare down year saw the Pats go 7-9 due to poor QB play and lack of weapons on offense. Belichick responded by going out and spending significantly more than he ever has in free agency, adding two of the top TEs on the market, some WR help and some defensive pieces. While we should certainly see improvement, the QB questions still remain.
Mac Jones was drafted to hopefully address the long-term issue in New England. But for now, it seems Cam Newton will have to show some serious improvements, at least until Jones is ready to takeover (whether it be in 2021 or 2022). I tend to think the improvements across the field should help this be a 10-win team. I don’t hate the idea of backing the Pats to get back on top of the division. It’ll be a grind. Maybe they tie Buffalo at 11-6 and own the tiebreaker. But at the odds, I’ll consider it.
Miami Dolphins
Super Bowl Odds: +3500
AFC Conference Odds: +1800
AFC East Division Odds: +350
Team Win Total: 9.5
To Make Playoffs: +110
Week 1 Spread: +2 (at NE)
Award Contenders
OROY: Jaylen Waddle (+1800)
DROY: Jaelen Phillips (+1000)
DROY: Xavien Howard (+2000)
COY: Brian Flores (+1600)
The Dolphins took a step in 2020, finishing 10-6 and just missing out on a playoff berth. But it still seemed obvious the goal was to play for the long term. Ryan Fitzpatrick got off to a very good start, but the team still went to Tua Tagovailoa at QB, which felt like a predetermined decision.
But Flores knows how to get the most out of his defense, and Tagovailoa is surrounded by big-time weapons to throw the ball. DeVante Parker and Preston Williams showed upside at WR, and Miami only went on to add Will Fuller and invest a top-10 pick in Tagovailoa’s college teammate, Jaylen Waddle from Alabama. I have Miami behind New England this season, but Miami’s upside is what makes this division so exciting. Given the win totals, seeing three 10-win teams wouldn’t be shocking.
New York Jets
Super Bowl Odds: +15000
AFC Conference Odds: +7500
AFC East Division Odds: +2500
To Make Playoffs: +550
Week 1 Spread: +4.5 (at CAR)
Award Contenders
OROY: Zach Wilson (+1000), Elijah Moore (+2500), Michael Carter (+2500)
COY: Robert Saleh (+2000)
You have to at least be a little excited if you’re a Jets fan, with three candidates listed high up on the Offensive Rookie of the Year board. The potential QB of the future is in place and the WR position around him has been somewhat addressed, all with a new coach to provide optimism. But that’s where the excitement ends. Moving on from Adam Gase will really help this team get away from its dumpster fire ways of last season, but there are still plenty of holes.
While the win total being set at six wins even doesn’t seem that difficult to reach, just go through the schedule here. It’s likely the Jets will be an underdog in all six division games. Just going week by week, games against the Bengals, Jaguars and Texans might be the only three games New York is favored in this season — and the Jets very well could be a dog in a couple of those. I have to stay away from this team and make them prove it to me. A well-coached, more veteran-filled Panthers team might be an appealing home favorite in Week 1.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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