NFL Props Betting

NFL props betting has evolved from a single novelty bet in a single game to one of the dominant ways to bet in just a few decades. Props are simply outcomes that are not related to the actual score of the game and can be based on team stats or player performances.

By now, most football bettors know the story of how football props got started. But we’ll give the quick recap if you haven’t.

How did props betting get started? What was the first prop?

The year was 1986, the game was Super Bowl XX (20 for normal people who don’t use Roman numerals) and there was a huge rookie lineman named William Perry who had scored a few offensive touchdowns during the season for the Chicago Bears.

When the Bears earned a trip to the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, oddsmakers in Vegas thought it would be fun to offer a prop bet on whether ‘Refrigerator’ Perry would score a TD in the game. He did, bettors loved the prop and oddsmakers started adding a few, then dozens, then hundreds and now there are thousands of football props every week.

What is an example of a football prop?

• Who will be the first NFL coach fired this season? That is a prop bet.
• Who will pass for more yards in the Saints-Falcons this week – Drew Brees or Matt Ryan. That is a prop bet.
• Will Ezekiel Elliott rush for more than 89.6 yards this week against the Eagles? That is a prop bet.

Basically, any question or game-within-a-game you can dream up can be turned into an NFL prop or a college football prop.

Is season props betting the same thing as team or player future bets?

A prop bet that looks ahead to the end of the season to decide the outcome is sometimes called a player future bet. In football, futures are traditionally odds to win the Super Bowl and odds to win the college football national championship.

But they can also be odd to win each NFL division, odds to win each college conference, odds on who will win NFL offensive Player of the Year or Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Futures that focus more on player stats (which QB will throw the most passing yards this season or which receiver will score the most TDs) are hybrid props/futures.

Mostly, props focus on a single game. You can bet:

• which team will score first
• will the first drive result in a punt, FG, TD or turnover
• who will score the first TD
• will Player X score two or more TDs
• which team will have the most sacks, most rushing yards
• etc etc

You get the idea. Fantasy football gurus will understand this level of statistical fun and will recognize the profit potential from playing daily fantasy sports. To see the full list of football props each week, click on the game matchup and then drill down to ‘more bets’ and you will find plenty of options on every NFL game and every NCAA game every week.

Props are fun – they can add enjoyment and excitement to the game so that bettors have more to consider than the final score. They can also be super profitable if you study your stats and understand the matchups each week!

Check out props betting menus at the best sportsbook in your area – visit the sportsbook review pages for the list of best betting sites in your state.