Longtime gaming reporter Bill Ordine looks ahead to the 2025 NFL season, from intriguing Week 1 lines to the best way to bet on the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles and more.
This has been edited for clarity. All odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook in mid-June.
PressBox: When is it reasonable to start laying down futures bets on teams ahead of training camp?
Bill Ordine: It depends. If you want to go on the assumption that life will not change dramatically — meaning a star quarterback doesn’t get hurt — and you just want to go on the knowns that you have now, betting early in the summer is OK. But because life is uncertain, I wouldn’t put very much money down early in the summer because we just don’t know what’s going to happen before we get to Week 1 of the regular season. If you believe in your understanding of the game and have confidence in your opinion, I think now is when you get the opportunity for the best odds.
PB: Are there any games you like as you sift through the Week 1 lines?
BO: My No. 1 game is a game that if you’re a fan in Baltimore you may not pay very much attention to, but I think it’s pretty much a lock and that is Denver at home against Tennessee. The Broncos are 6.5-point favorites. The disparity in those two teams is so huge. Bo Nix looks like the real deal, and Denver has a bunch of really good defensive players. If you look at Tennessee’s roster you’d say, “Oh, those are good players.” But they were all good players two or three years ago. They’re going to be starting a rookie quarterback. Denver’s going to be playing at home, and that place is still a very difficult place to play. Denver was 12-6 against the spread last year. On top of that, Tennessee last year was 2-15 against the spread. I don’t think they’re going to get a whole lot better.
The other game is the Washington-New York Giants game. The Giants are at Washington, which is a 6.5-point favorite. I don’t think the Giants stand a chance in that game. I don’t know if that game is going to be a three-point game or a 30-point game, but Washington’s going to have more points than the Giants at the end of that game. The Giants are again trying to cobble together a quarterback. I think Washington’s going to be a little miffed about how last season ended against Philadelphia. The Giants are simply on thin ice. It’s not going to be too long into the season when questions are going to be asked about, “Well, do you think the coach is going to get fired?”
PB: What’s the best way to bet on the Eagles considering they’re favored to win the Super Bowl?
BO: If in fact one were to bet the Eagles in any way, shape or form, if you are compelled to jump on the Eagles bandwagon, I think the best way to do so is actually the best way to bet on the Ravens — that is a round robin on Super Bowl matchups and matching up the Eagles against a handful of AFC opponents. That way you will get some odds. You could pit the Eagles against other AFC contenders. For instance, if you’re a believer in the Eagles and Ravens — which are good teams to be believers in — it’s +2100 for these guys to be the dance partners in the Super Bowl. That sort of wager gives you a little better bang for the buck. … There are not nearly as many formidable challengers in the NFC as there are in the AFC. Let’s say you are just unsure of who’s going to be the AFC Super Bowl contender and you like the Ravens, Bills and Chiefs and you’re absolutely certain about the Eagles. I think that’s a better way to bet the Eagles. If I were to bet the Eagles in any way, it would be in pairing them with a prospective opponent in the Super Bowl.
PB: What division futures bets do you like?
BO: Tampa Bay to win the NFC South. I’ve become a believer in Baker Mayfield over the last two seasons. At first, you watched Mayfield’s career and you thought, “This is just another overhyped guy who’s not going to amount to an NFL quarterback.” But now, I see him as a tough guy with talent who his team can rally around. They’re even money to win the NFC South. I think that is a pretty good bet. You look at other favorites for their divisions — the Eagles, Bills and Ravens are all minus money. Tampa Bay to be even money is a good, reasonable, solid bet to win a division.
PB: What other futures bets do you like?
BO: If I were to maybe go out and buy a lottery ticket, I’m going to go back to the well that I’ve been talking about. Bo Nix is +3500 to be the passing yardage leader. He’s not surrounded with great receivers, but it’s a lottery ticket. The chalk is Joe Burrow, smart money at +650. I’m going to go with Justin Herbert, who is +2400. Jim Harbaugh is wrapped pretty tight, so I don’t know how much he’s going to trust Herbert. He’s got to be at the point where he’s got to let this quarterback win for him. That would be my dark horse in terms of a guy who I think has a reasonable shot at being the passing yardage leader and has decent odds on him.
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