It'd be fair to say the NFC has less depth than the AFC, but the former still has plenty of high-ceiling players and teams.
The latest: The San Francisco 49ers have reached the NFC championship (or further) in four of the past five seasons, but they don't have any rings to show for it. I'm picking a different team to win the conference this year as one of my eight favourite NFC futures picks.
Check out the best NFC futures bets to place ahead of the new NFL season.
NFC futures
Lions to win the NFC (+550)
Let's start with the obvious point. The Detroit Lions should be the reigning NFC champion ... but it fumbled a three-score lead in last year's championship against San Francisco.
Don't panic, Lions fans. There's still a lot to be excited about.
Detroit has the league's top-ranked offensive line — per Pro Football Focus — as well as an accomplished veteran QB and stars at every offensive skill position.
Even if Jameson Williams doesn't meet expectations as a productive WR2, there are plenty of playmaking options wearing Honolulu Blue. And if Williams does take a big step forward, that'll only make Detroit a scarier unit to face.
The secondary is probably the Lions' biggest question mark. But they addressed that by drafting two early-round defensive backs and inking Carlton Davis II to a free-agent deal.
We could see the Lions and Niners in an NFC title game rematch this winter. Based on what I know now, Detroit has what it takes to get revenge.
Another way to back the Lions is betting on them to be the NFC's top seed at +600. San Fran has some early-season uncertainties, such as Brandon Aiyuk's trade market, Trent Williams' contract holdout and Talanoa Hufanga's health.
Best divisional bets
Eagles to win NFC East (-125)
Barring some remarkably unforeseen gains by either the Washington Commanders or New York Giants, this should be a two-horse race between the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
With that in mind, the minus odds should be palatable. We'll just need Philly to finish a lot stronger than last year.
The Eagles went 1-5 down the stretch (after a 10-1 start) to cough up the division to the Cowboys.
Like Detroit, Philly drafted a pair of early-round defensive backs to improve a suspect secondary. On offence, the Eagles signed Saquon Barkley and traded for Jahan Dotson, who immediately becomes an interesting WR3.
Jason Kelce retired, leaving a notable hole at centre. But PFF still ranks the Eagles as the No. 2 o-line in the league.
Finishing behind Dallas in the standings means Philadelphia will have a slightly easier out-of-division schedule. The Cowboys face three division winners that the Eagles won't see: 49ers, Lions, Texans.
Lions to win NFC North (+130)
For the first time in 30 years, the Detroit Lions clinched a division title last year. I see no reason why they won't do it again.
Sure, the Green Bay Packers flashed plenty of promise over the back half of the 2023 season before also winning a road playoff game. And yes, the Chicago Bears loaded up on offensive weapons while drafting Caleb Williams with the coveted No. 1 overall pick.
There could be a bit of cannibalizing among the NFC North contenders, though, and I think Detroit is still well-positioned to be the best of the bunch.
Last year's 12-win season was huge for head coach Dan Campbell, the players, and the fanbase at large. Decades of futility for this franchise have been washed away and replaced by legitimate Super Bowl beliefs.
You don't have to win the division to win the conference, but it's certainly a nice place to start.
NFC futures: Top player props
Click link to add selection to betslip. Note: Lines have changed/market no longer available if grey.
| NFC best bets | Odds | Bet now ⬇️ |
| Kupp over 900.5 receiving yards | -124 | Add to betslip |
| Nabers over 850.5 receiving yards | -112 | Add to betslip |
| McBride over 80.5 receptions | +100 | Add to betslip |
Kupp over 900.5 receiving yards (-124)
Any time you're talking about an over-30 receiver or running back, there's going to be injury risk. Kupp has missed 13 games over the past two seasons, so he's no stranger to it.
Still, I'm ready to get hurt again (in hopes that he doesn't).
Kupp has played above a 1,000-yard receiving pace in all seven seasons of his NFL career. The biggest highlight in there was his 2021 receiving triple crown, when he led the league in catches, yards and TDs.
In July, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the Los Angeles Rams' offence "clearly runs through" Kupp. I'm not using a midsummer training camp report as the foundation of my bet, but I think it's okay to keep it in mind.
Ultimately, this should come down to the unpredictability of injuries.
Kupp had a 25.6% target share when healthy last season, per Player Profiler, which was the 16th-highest in the NFL. If he's on the field, Matthew Stafford will get him the ball.
Nabers over 850.5 receiving yards (-112)
The Giants were a dumpster fire last year, with three QBs making five-plus starts and zero receivers hitting the 800-yard mark.
In desperate need of an offensive alpha, New York brought in Nabers with the No. 6 pick in the draft. He should be the clear-cut WR1 on a team brimming with mediocrity.
Preseason play certainly doesn't mean everything, but it's probably more valuable for rookies than for other players. In limited action, Nabers commanded a 31.6% target share, per TruMedia (anything above 25.0% is elite).
Malik Nabers preseason breakdown:
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 20, 2024
31.6% - Target share when on the field
43.7% - Air yardage share when on the field
13.3 - Average depth of target
(Data per @TruMediaSports)
Nabers has been used as the pre-snap motion man five times and targeted on two of those five routes.… pic.twitter.com/mA8nr57Q7Q
The Giants have -560 odds to miss the playoffs, which is one way to indicate their low expectations this year. They should frequently be playing from behind and giving Nabers some chances to rack up yards.
McBride over 80.5 receptions (+100)
McBride landed on 81 receptions last year, which is impressive considering he spent a good chunk of the season as the Arizona Cardinals' TE2 behind Zach Ertz.
When Ertz suffered a quad strain in Week 7 and was placed on injured reserve, McBride had a clear path to TE1 production. And the second-year tight end feasted.
Over his final 10 games, McBride snagged 66 receptions for 655 yards. That put him on a season-long pace of 112 receptions — more than Travis Kelce has ever had.
A 100-catch season isn't likely, especially with Marvin Harrison Jr. now in the mix. But asking McBride to merely repeat last year's catch volume while spending the full season as Arizona's TE1 is more than reasonable.
Also, keep in mind that Kyler Murray made his season debut in Week 10 last year after nursing a knee injury. From Week 10 onward, McBride maintained a 113-reception pace and demonstrated that his connection with Murray is strong.
NFC win totals
Buccaneers under 7.5 wins (+112)
Riding a career year from Baker Mayfield, the Bucs won the shaky NFC South last year with a 9-8 record.
The good news? They can hang a new banner at Raymond James Stadium.
The bad news? They'll have a tougher schedule than the rest of the division this year.
Tampa Bay plays each of the top five Super Bowl contenders in 2024: Chiefs, 49ers, Ravens, Lions, Eagles. Oh, and they'll be on the road to face the Cowboys.
Ex-offensive coordinator Dave Canales skipped town to be the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, which could be a huge blow. Tampa now has new faces at offensive coordinator, pass game coordinator, wide receivers coach, offensive line coach and special teams coordinator.
If Mayfield takes a step back, or if 31-year-old Mike Evans finally slows down a bit, I'm skeptical that the Bucs' run game can buoy the offence. Last season, Tampa was dead last in rush success rate (32.0%), per rbsdm.com.
Seahawks over 7.5 wins (-143)
I just mentioned coaching changes being a negative for Tampa Bay, but I have hope that Seattle's coaching shuffle will be a plus.
After an atrocious defensive season in which the Seahawks ranked 30th in yards allowed and 30th in EPA per play, they brought in Mike McDonald to take the reigns from Pete Carroll as head coach.
McDonald was the Ravens' defensive coordinator in 2022-23. Baltimore had a top-three scoring defence in both seasons.
Even with a woeful defensive group last year, the Seahawks still clawed out a 9-8 record.
I think the offence could find a new gear this year under incoming offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. This will be Grubb's first year with Seattle, but he's been local since 2022 (previously the OC for the NCAA runners-up Washington Huskies).
Seattle has posted nine wins in both seasons with quarterback Geno Smith at the helm.
NFC futures picks made at 3:00 p.m. ET on 08/27/24.
