Which NFL Teams Have the Easiest Early-Season Schedules in 2025?

When betting NFL futures, you have to know both which teams to bet and when to bet them.

Let's say you love a team's odds to win their division this year. You could bet them now to lock in that price.

But what if their toughest game of the year is in Week 1? Then it may play to your advantage to wait before buying in, hoping to get a better price on that team down the road.

The teams that could get off to hot starts are the opposite. There, if you want to bet them, it'd be wise to do so now because that desirable "better price" may never come.

We're going to run through the teams in that bucket today, focusing on teams that have advantageous early-season schedules, meaning the time to bet them -- if you're so inclined -- is sooner rather than later.

Rather than focusing on which teams have the easiest raw schedules, though, we're going to focus on whose schedule is easiest at the beginning relative to the rest of their schedule. If you want to see which teams have the easiest schedules overall in 2025, you can check out our post from earlier in the week on that subject.

Here are three teams that could get off to hot starts based on how things broke with their schedule.

Easy Early-Season NFL Schedules in 2025

Arizona Cardinals

If the Arizona Cardinals are going to make a leap in 2025, we'll know right away. Most of their easy games are front-loaded to the opening month.

The Cardinals open with a pair of NFC South opponents in the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, their third and fourth easiest games of the year. After a tough matchup on the road with the San Francisco 49ers, they then go on to face the Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans at home.

Within that five-week stretch are four of the Cardinals' five easiest games this year. They are also favored by about a field goal for me in Week 6, giving them five early games where they are favored by more than 2.5 points. They reach that threshold in only 2 of their final 11 games.

Thus, the best price you're going to get on the Cardinals will likely come before Week 1. And, quite frankly, I don't think enthusiasm here is unfounded. My model has them pegged to win 9.1 games this year, and they're +100 to go over 8.5 wins in FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL betting odds. You'll just have to hope they rack up dubs early because the road late is pretty brutal.

Minnesota Vikings

When we ran through the biggest winners of the 2025 schedule release, the Minnesota Vikings topped the list. They got there thanks to a pair of road games that became neutral-site contests.

Potentially even more important than that, though, is a relatively easy opening slate for J.J. McCarthy.

The Vikings play five games before their bye, including the two international games. Among those five are their first, third, and fourth easiest games of the entire season. I have them favored in four of the five, and the fifth -- at home against the Cincinnati Bengals -- is a pick 'em.

Things get tougher right out of the bye as they face the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions, and Baltimore Ravens in a four-week stretch. Thus, they'll have to hope McCarthy can build confidence early to get through that gauntlet.

Due to the uncertainty about McCarthy -- someone I liked a lot coming out -- I've got the Vikings projected at 8.4 wins, in line with the market at 8.5. It means I won't be betting the Vikings preseason unless things change. But if you want to buy in on Kevin O'Connell and company, you'd be wise to do so now.

Washington Commanders

The scheduling gods were unkind to the Washington Commanders. They will face an opponent coming off a bye a whopping four times this year, most of any team.

Before that deluge begins, though, they'll have some very winnable games.

In fact, the Commanders' easiest game of the season comes in Week 1 as they host the New York Giants. They then get the Las Vegas Raiders two weeks later, that being their second easiest game of the season. Third on that list is their Week 6 matchup with the Chicago Bears (though the Bears are one of the teams coming off a bye).

Across those first six games, I've got the Commanders favored by an average of 3.2 points. From Week 7 on, that falls to just 0.6 points, culminating in their toughest game of the year, Week 18 on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Thus, now's your best time to buy in if you think they take another step with Jayden Daniels. They may have to hold onto their butts late, but ideally, they can build a cushion early to help them ride that wave and help you cash tickets.

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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.