NFL Futures to Bet Entering Week 3: Will the Bengals Miss the Playoffs?

Betting futures is a fun way to follow the NFL season.

From NFL awards markets to Super Bowl odds to NFL division odds, there are plenty of markets to dig into.

Heading into this week, which NFL futures bets are on my radar at FanDuel Sportsbook? Let's dive in.

Note: All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Best NFL Futures Bets Before Week 3

Los Angeles Chargers to Win the AFC West (+105)

Is this the year someone breaks the Kansas City Chiefs' stranglehold on the AFC West?

I think so.

The Bolts are 2-0 this year and have generally looked like a very good and well-rounded football team en route to notching a pair of wins over divisional foes. Our schedule-adjusted metrics have LA ranked fourth in defense and eighth in offense. It's only Year 2 of the Jim Harbaugh era, and he's already built one of the more complete teams in the league.

Maybe the most surprising thing thus far is the production LA is getting out of Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston as the secondary weapons behind Ladd McConkey. The passing game has been at the forefront of the Chargers' offensive success -- they rank first in schedule-adjusted pass offense while sitting 30th in run offense.

With what we know about Harbaugh's past teams, I trust that they'll get the run game figured out eventually, although the absence of stud left-tackle Rashawn Slater may cap their ceiling on the ground. If the Chargers get the run game cooking, look out.

LA's schedule is why I think now is a good time to jump on them. As crazy as it may sound, there's a chance the Chargers aren't an underdog until Week 14 or Week 15 -- assuming no key injuries.

Of course, that doesn't mean the Chargers are going to win all of those games, but they're currently listed at -135 odds to go over 10.5 wins. They are fully capable of taking advantage of their fortuitous slate.

On the other hand, Kansas City -- who is +230 to win the division -- is at +145 odds to go over 10.5 wins, and the Chiefs play the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4 and the Detroit Lions in Week 6, though both are in KC.

The Chargers are already two games ahead of the Chiefs, and that could be a three- or four-game lead after Week 6. Denver (+330 AFC West odds) might wind up being the Chargers' biggest competition for the division title.

While the best time to take LA to win the division was before Week 1, I think the buying window is still cracked open a bit and could be fully shut here soon.

Also, Justin Herbert's +850 MVP odds are worth a shout. Leading what is currently the NFL's best passing attack, Herbert may be making a leap into the ranks of the truly elite, and if he can pry the AFC West crown from Patrick Mahomes, that should give him a lot of momentum in the MVP race.

Cincinnati Bengals to Miss the Playoffs (-164)

In my eyes, the Cincinnati Bengals were far from a lock to make the playoffs even with Joe Burrow healthy. With a blah defense and an offensive line that PFF ranked next to last prior to Week 1, the Bengals were built on a shaky foundation -- one that was extremely reliant on Burrow and the skill players balling out.

Welp.

Now that Burrow is out for reportedly three months, I'm jumping at these -164 odds on Cincy to miss the playoffs.

Jake Browning isn't a bad backup. However, his Week 2 cameo was likely a fair representation of what we can expect from him. There will be some good (242 yards and 2 scores) and some bad (3 INT). Even if Browning is able to give the Bengals league-average QB play -- which is a big ask -- I'm not sure the other areas of the team are strong enough to propel Cincy to the postseason.

The AFC is tough. The Buffalo Bills (-4000 odds to make the playoffs) and Ravens (-2000) are near locks to make the postseason. With the Ravens a commanding -360 favorite to win the AFC North, the Bengals will probably be relegated to fighting for one of three Wild Card slots. Their main competition for those places figures to be two teams from the AFC West (the two that don't win the division between the Chargers, Chiefs and Broncos), same from the AFC South (Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars) and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It's going to be a tall task for a very flawed Bengals squad, one that couldn't make the playoffs last year with Burrow playing 17 games.

Last Sunday's win over the Jags could prove to be huge in potential tiebreaker scenarios down the line, but I just don't see things going well for the Bengals, especially over the next four weeks as they play at the Minnesota Vikings, at the Broncos, home versus the Lions and at the Packers. Cincy will surely be an underdog in all four of those games -- likely significantly so in the final three of that span.

The easiest game of the bunch is this week's clash at the Carson Wentz-led Vikings, and in that one, the Bengals are a 3.0-point 'dog and will have Browning on the road against Brian Flores' defense.

In short, the Bengals could easily lose their next four games.

Given the brutal upcoming stretch, now is a good time to take Cincinnati's odds to miss the postseason.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.