Part of the fun when betting on the NFL, or any sport, are the unique futures bets you can make. Instead of betting on a single team or player in a given week, futures betting allows you to stay engaged in certain players and teams throughout the entire season. In addition to the benefit of being engaged for the entire year, another benefit is that you can still win your bet even if the player you bet on has a really good or really bad game. One game doesn’t determine the bet. A downside to this is that your bet will be subject to injury. So, if you bet the Over on Aaron Rodgers’s passing yards, and he misses a few games with an injury, by the rule at most, if not all, sportsbooks, your bet will still stand. Of course, that’s a good thing if you bet the Under on his passing yards for the year.
With that being said, here’s a few QBs who have the potential to do some big things through the air in 2023:
C.J. Stroud – Houston Texans – Over 3,075.5 Passing Yards
It’s important to remember that there’s an extra game in the NFL season. 17 games is a lot of time! For Stroud to have 3,076 passing yards, he will need to average approximately 181 passing yards per game. It stands to reason that the Texans will be behind in many games this year, which means Stroud will have to throw to keep his team in the game. Last season, QB Davis Mills started only 15 games for the Texans and still managed to accrue 3,118 passing yards. Stroud is a better overall talent than Mills and barring injury, will play all 17 games. Add in some favorable matchups outside the division, like facing Tampa Bay and Arizona at home, and that’s a recipe for success.
Desmond Ridder – Atlanta Falcons – Over 2500.5 Passing Yards
At first look, asking a QB to throw for 2501 passing yards shouldn’t be a lot. However, it’s important to remember that Ridder is a very good running QB, and will surely utilize his legs throughout the season. That will also increase the risk of injury. However, 2501 passing yards is still a very attainable number. If he plays all 17 games, he will only need to average 148 passing yards to go over 2500. In 3 of his 4 starts last year, he threw for 169 or more yards. He also went over 200 twice. Now he has a full offseason to get in those all important 1st-team reps. The Falcons also have several games on their schedule facing poor defenses, such as the Lions, Tampa Bay, Cardinals, and VIkings. The Falcons also play in a dome, so they’ll be less susceptible to cold weather as the season progresses.
Jared Goff – Detroit Lions – Over 3875.5 Passing Yards
The Detroit Lions have been one of the darlings of the NFL in the offseason. After seemingly decades of futility, they managed to go on a run towards the end of the year, finish the year above .500, and as an added bonus, knock the rival Packers out of playoff contention with a win in Lambeau Field. They come into this season with big expectations. Fortunately for anyone betting on Jared Goff, however, their defense is still atrocious. It was not a good unit last year, and there’s no reason to think they will be much better this year. The Lions also play in a dome, play the Vikings twice a year, and have two games against the Bears as well. They also have favorable out of division matchups against Tampa Bay, Falcons, and Raiders. Their first round pick from last year, wide receiver Jameson Williams, will also be healthy at the start of the season.
It’s important to keep in mind that any of these players can get hurt, which would significantly hurt your chances of cashing these tickets. However, these are QBs that are set up to succeed this year. Time will tell if these signal callers will live up to the hype!