Best Value Futures Bets For the 2026 NFL Season

Bettors are running out of opportunities to safely wager on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but at least the NFL season draws closer by the minute. 

We're just nine weeks away from the start of the new campaign, but you don't have to wait that long to make some bets on the 2026 action. 

With the preseason looming, here are eight high-value futures propositions you can land right now at DraftKings.

Denver Broncos to Win Super Bowl LXI (+2000)

AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File

Bo Nix

A dozen teams have better Super Bowl odds right now than a Broncos squad that took a significant step forward with a run to the AFC Championship in 2025 and should only keep improving. 

Denver went 14-3 last year, and it might have gone to the Super Bowl if not for an injury to quarterback Bo Nix. But Nix appears to be fully on track to return this summer ahead of his third pro campaign, and he'll be well-supported by quite possibly the best offensive line and the best defense in the NFL. 

To boot, Nix will now be working with an upgraded receiving corps following the addition of Jaylen Waddle, and new offensive coordinator Davis Webb could provide a boost to a staff already led by Super Bowl champ Sean Payton. 

Put it all together, and it's astonishing that teams like the Chiefs, Chargers and Texans have stronger title odds than this Broncos team.

Trevor Lawrence to Win MVP (+2200)

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Trevor Lawrence

Meanwhile, a dozen players have better MVP odds right now than Lawrence, despite the fact the Jaguars quarterback was arguably the most valuable player of the second half of the 2025 NFL season. 

The Jags finished the regular season on an eight-game winning streak, with Lawrence posting 19 touchdown passes to five interceptions and a 106.1 passer rating during that stretch. It appears the former No. 1 overall pick has finally found a groove in head coach Liam Coen's system, and it's entirely possible he puts it all together from start to finish in his age-27 campaign. 

Lawrence is by no means a top-tier candidate here. The schedule was relatively soft during that late-2025 run and the sample remains small. He'll have to overcome a lot of on-field demons from his first four and a half seasons in order to make a true run at MVP. 

But that volatile track record from his first few seasons is the exact reason we're getting such a long price tag. If he maintains that late-2025 trajectory, the path is absolutely there.

Aidan Hutchinson to Win Defensive Player of the Year (+800)

AP Photo/Stacy Bengs

Aidan Hutchinson

The gamble here—and the risk could theoretically be low at +800—is that heavy DPOY favorite Myles Garrett doesn't dominate from start to finish with his new team.

Maybe there are some acclimation issues there, or maybe injuries or wear and tear impact a 30-year-old who has played at least 750 snaps in each of the last six seasons. 

It's been nearly a decade since a player last won this award in back-to-back seasons, and if that trend continues, Hutchinson would likely become a hot candidate. 

It's really him, Will Anderson Jr. (+750) and Maxx Crosby (+800). Crosby is declining and in a bit of an odd spot with the Raiders as a soon-to-be 29-year-old, so I like the value with the emerging Hutchinson or Anderson. 

Hutchinson is one year further along than Anderson, and he's coming off a bigger campaign in terms of both sacks (14.5 to 12) and forced fumbles (4 to 3). He also has slightly more lucrative odds here, and he has more of a chance to be the guy while Anderson shares the spotlight with high-producing veteran Danielle Hunter. 

Caleb Downs to Win Defensive Rookie of the Year (+850)

AP Photo/Gareth Patterson

Caleb Downs

The Bleacher Report Scouting Department ranked Downs as the best player in this draft class, and the highly-refined defensive back is almost certain to play a major role on defense for the highest-profile team in the sport in 2026. 

As a do-it-all two-time unanimous All-American in that situation, it's surprising Downs takes a back seat to four front-seven defenders (Rueben Bain Jr., David Bailey, Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese) in the DROY odds picture. 

Sure, safeties rarely win this award. But Downs isn't an ordinary safety and this is a unique scenario. The former Ohio State star has been turning heads all offseason, and he should benefit significantly from the tutelage of incoming Dallas defensive coordinator Christian Parker. 

This is entirely within the realm of possibility. 

Jadarian Price to Win Offensive Rookie of the Year (+750)

AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson

Jadarian Price

With Kenneth Walker III gone and Zach Charbonnet recovering from a late-2025 torn ACL, the path is pretty clear for the second running back chosen in the 2026 draft to make an immediate impact for the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks. 

Price, who averaged 6.0 yards per carry during his three-year tenure at Notre Dame, will likely face very limited competition (Emanuel Wilson?) for the lion's share of the reps to start the season. And the champs wouldn't have used a first-round pick on the guy if they didn't see that happening as well. 

Price's college teammate/position-mate, Jeremiyah Love of the Cardinals, is the current fave at +400, but Price is in a better situation with the Seahawks. Carnell Tate and Jordyn Tyson are top-10-drafted receivers with stronger odds, but there are a lot more questions surrounding them in Tennessee and New Orleans, respectively.  

Don't be shocked if Price wins this thing, and consider an isolated hedge with him fetching +225 to hit 1,000 yards on the ground in 2026. 

San Francisco 49ers to Win NFC West (+305)

AP Photo/John Froschauer

Kyle Shanahan

Despite being hammered by injuries in 2025, the 49ers went 12-5 and were in the mix for the NFC West crown throughout the season. If their injury luck can finally regress to the mean in 2026, they could absolutely get back on top. 

Kyle Shanahan's squad has won this division three times since 2019 and was in the Super Bowl just a couple years ago. We know the talent is there, and the competition is strong but vulnerable. 

The Rams are rightly viewed as favorites, but they'll be leaning heavily on a 38‑year‑old quarterback and a top‑heavy receiving corps led by a 33‑year‑old and a young star whose offseason availability has raised questions.

The Seahawks have already lost several key contributors from their championship roster and could easily battle a classic Super Bowl hangover. And the Cardinals remain deep in a long‑term rebuild and still look a long way from true contention.

Led by Shanahan and several elite stars on both sides of the ball, the 49ers could sweep in and take that division at +305. 

Chicago Bears to Win NFC North (+305)

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Caleb Williams

Remember, the Chicago Bears won this division last season by a fairly comfortable margin. And while the Lions and Packers should be expected to bounce back after underperforming in 2025, both teams are still flawed. 

Chicago is too, but this is a team that made massive strides with Ben Johnson overseeing Caleb Williams in 2025. There's little reason to expect them to give up the division crown, yet the Lions (+180) and Packers (+215) are much higher on the odds totem pole. 

That presents a lot of value for a team that is riding a positive trajectory in comparison to its top competition in that division. 

And while we're at it, don't rule out the long-shot Vikings with new quarterback Kyler Murray. That's a team featuring arguably the best receiver in the game, and it went 14-3 in 2024.

If Murray can find the magic and stay healthy in a new setting, Minnesota could be a candidate to win a shocker division title at +510. 

New York Giants to Make the Playoffs (+255)

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

Jaxson Dart

The Giants won just four games last season, but two of those wins came in Weeks 17 and 18 for a team that looked to be on a major rise even before bringing in highly-accomplished head coach John Harbaugh. 

The hype for the G-Men starts with intriguing sophomore quarterback Jaxson Dart, who registered 24 combined passing/rushing touchdowns to five interceptions as a first-round rookie in 2025 and is already the face of the franchise.

Beyond that, second-year back Cam Skattebo has already become a sensation, while pass-catchers Isaiah Likely (who followed Harbaugh from Baltimore) and Malik Nabers (returning from a torn ACL) should help solidify one of the best young offensive cores in the sport.

On top of that, the defense features top-five picks from each of the last two drafts in support of reigning NFC sack leader Brian Burns. 

If all of those guys can put it together for Harbaugh in 2026, the Giants will absolutely be in the wild-card picture and could even make a charge at the top in a division that is almost always a circus.