Through the first five-plus weeks of the NFL season, there have been a fair share of surprises 🫢. With the way that bettors have been wagering on division futures recently, we may just be getting started in that department.
In the month of October, the two most popular NFL division bets by both tickets and handle are the Bengals to win the AFC North and the Texans to win the AFC South. Both teams have the longest odds in their division to finish atop the standings, with Cincinnati priced at +425 and Houston positioned at +625.
We asked trader Jake Fisher for his take on these wagers.
Bengals to Win AFC North
25.2% tickets (1st) and 26.2% handle (1st) among all division bets since Oct. 1
ASK THE TRADER: There is perceived value at +425 considering Cincinnati opened the season as a +150 division favorite and currently stands just one game behind the Steelers and Ravens. While Joe Burrow is getting healthier, the Bengals have a challenging 💪 month after their Week 7 bye with matchups against the 49ers, Bills, and Ravens.
Texans to Win AFC South
14.0% tickets (2nd) and 22.2% handle (2nd) among all division bets since Oct. 1
ASK THE TRADER: C.J. Stroud’s Texans featuring a top-3 passing offense by yards through five weeks is something nobody saw coming. So a divisional price of +625 seems fairly appealing 👍 considering Houston owns the third-easiest strength of schedule remaining.
