NFL Odds

What are NFL Odds?

NFL Odds are a predetermined betting value created and generated for a respective game or outcome. Oddsmakers manufacture these betting odds based on many factors such as strength of teams, location, injuries, recent performance and weather. There are many facets of an NFL game you can bet on like which side will win (moneyline), how many points a team will win by (point spread) and how many points each team will combine to score (total). It’s up to you as the bettor to find the right side.

Keeping track of the latest NFL odds has never been easier thanks to FTNBets.The leading sportsbooks offering NFL betting odds for every game are here for you to compare to ensure you are getting the best possible odds for your wager.

How to understand NFL odds

The key to understanding NFL odds is recognizing what each of the numbers means alongside each team. Each figure represents a piece of information that can correlate to betting value. Point spreads, moneylines and totals are the holy trinity of conventional bets to make for a respective NFL game. Below we will explain what each of those terms mean and how to interpret the betting odds or lines:

What are NFL point spread odds?

Points spread betting for NFL games is king when it comes to betting on NFL odds. For a novice bettor, point spreads can be hard to understand and wrap your head around but it’s quite easy to comprehend once you see what each number represents.

The odds listed below are for a point spread for the opening game of the 2021 NFL season involving the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

As you can see, sportsbooks have the Buccaneers as 6.5-point favorites versus the Cowboys as 6.5-point underdogs. To understand what those numbers mean, you first need to understand the symbol in front of each figure. If a team has a number with a minus sign (-) in front of it, this means that the respective team needs to win the game by that many points to win their side of the bet. If you backed Tampa Bay in this spot and the Buccaneers beat the Cowboys 34-20, you would win your wager.

On the flip side, if a team has a plus sign (+) in front of it, that means the team needs to either win the game or not lose by more than six points. If you bet on the Cowboys as +6.5 underdogs and they lose 34-30 to the Buccaneers, you would still win your wager as Dallas only lost by four points.

A common misconception is that oddsmakers with sportsbooks set these betting lines as the likeliest margin of victory, but it’s actually intended to be a balance for bettors who want to back the underdog or the favorite.

For point-spread bets, the majority of sportsbooks will be aligned on the respective spread for an NFL game. However, with FTNBets and our up-to-the-minute sportsbook odds comparison tool, you can see what each sportsbook in your respective state is offering and whether you can get a better line. For example, some gaming sites may offer the Buccaneers at -6.5 but others could have them at -6. With how sharp NFL betting markets are, a half point on a spread bet can make a huge difference between winning and losing your bet.

What are NFL moneyline odds

Even the most novice of NFL bettors can likely understand the concept of betting on a moneyline and the odds attached to it. For a moneyline bet, this is when you choose which side will win the game with no preset or determined amount of points to win by. We’ll go back to the same example of the Dallas Cowboys playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the opening game of the 2021 NFL season:

From this example, we can see that the Buccaneers are home favorites with moneyline odds of -295 while the Cowboys come back as +235 road underdogs. These numbers are considered “American” odds with $100 being the key reference. For example, if you think the Bucs will win the game, a bettor would need to wager $295 just to win $100 in profit. It’s a bit steep of a price, but if a bettor feels the Buccaneers are a lock to win, that’s all that matters.

If a bettor feels the Cowboys will go into Raymond James Stadium and win the game outright as an underdog, a lot of profit can be made. If you wagered $100 on the Cowboys to win at +235 odds and they pull off the upset, you’d see a return of $335 -- your $100 bet is returned and you’d get $235 in profit. However, with +235 odds, this has an implied probability of 29.9%, so Dallas winning the game would be a huge long shot.

What are NFL totals odds?

NFL totals are a number set by sportsbooks that estimate how many combined points will be scored for the duration of the game. Bettors must predict whether the teams will go “OVER” or “UNDER” the set amount or “total.” Let’s continue to use the Cowboys/Buccaneers game as our example:

Oddsmakers have set the betting line for the total between these two teams at 52.5 combined points. As the bettor, you need to determine whether these teams will surpass and score 53 points or more in the NFL game or if they will fall short and score 52 or less. If you think the game will be a defensive battle and points will be hard to come by, then taking the UNDER would be the best way to go. However, if you think these teams will light up the scoreboard and easily put up a lot of 53 points or more, then you would want to bet the OVER.

Bettors tend to gravitate to betting totals for NFL games when the spread is very tight or the game is a toss-up as to which side will win. That’s why it’s imperative for bettors to do their research before betting a total as many factors can impact a game and whether it’s a slog or a shootout on the gridiron.

Variables that bettors need to consider are style of play, key injuries, recent performance and most importantly, weather. Nothing impacts an NFL game more than the elements and if it’s a rainy day in Seattle at CenturyLink Field or the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, this could hinder a great offense in scoring lots of points.

NFL Prop Odds

NFL props, or propositions, are the latest craze in sports betting as they are considered a “game within a game” and don’t necessarily impact the final result. There are literally hundreds of NFL props for any given game and you can find NFL betting odds for nearly any market. These include, but are not limited to, how many yards a quarterback will pass for, if there will be a safety in a game or even if a certain player will score a touchdown.

Some of the most popular NFL betting props are for individual players and usually are statistical in nature, like how many catches a respective wide receiver will have in a game or how many yards the receiver will have. Similar to totals, bettors can bet on these props with an OVER or UNDER option.

This is just the tip of the iceberg for NFL prop odds and we’d recommend to check out the "Prop Shop" with FTNBets to see all the different markets available for key players in the NFL. Another added bonus of the Prop Shop is it also offers an odds comparison tool to see which sportsbooks are offering better odds for a certain prop. It’s imperative for bettors to shop around and get the best value when betting on the NFL

Bet on NFL Odds

At FTNBets, you can find top handicappers for the NFL for all sorts of NFL betting markets with the FTN Bet Tracker. Check out our Prop Shop to find the best NFL player props and prices. For the best parlay odds, use our parlay calculator.