Vikings

Looking at Futures and Prop Bets for the Upcoming Minnesota Vikings Season

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesotans have a reputation for caring a little too much about what others think of them. As a lifelong resident of this great state and someone who’s probably older than most of the people reading this, I’m allowed to say this kind of thing. Maybe it’s this way a lot of places, I don’t know, though I sense certain pockets of the country could give a rip what others think. Anyway, caring about what others think can be a good thing to an extent, but when overdone it can lead to anxiety.

This nervous, insecurity-tinged, obsession with what the world thinks manifests itself amongst Minnesota sports fans, and it’s especially true with Vikings fans. Some people’s self-worth is too entangled with how their football team performs and whether others think they are good. It’s probably a topic in a very prestigious psychology journal somewhere out there. If not, it should be. Why wouldn’t it be? Minnesota sports fans are worthy of such a study, aren’t they? This isn’t flyover country! We have lakes! Prince is from here!

Wait a minute. <practices square breathing>

See? It’s a slippery slope in these parts.

Okay, let’s continue.

One really good way to get a sense for what “the national media” thinks of the Vikings – in other words, what others think — is to take a gander at props and futures bets. Granted, it’s not a perfect correlation because Vegas and other online sportsbooks gear themselves toward what the sports-betting public thinks. However, “the public” gets most of its information from none other than “the media,” so make of this exercise what you will.

Before we delve into the meat and potatoes of this article, let’s make a few things perfectly clear:

  • I’m a meat and potatoes guy, so I got a little hungry just typing that last sentence.
  • Prior to that, when typing the headline, I almost went with “Perusing Purple Props;” however, I’ve been told to always avoid alliteration.
  • The various prop and futures odds below are being put forth for entertainment purposes only. The lawyers didn’t tell me to write that; I’ve just been doing this long enough to cover my bases.

Now on to the meat and potatoes… err, I mean the Las Vegas stuff. I dug around the Interwebs for a bit and uncovered some of the more interesting odds involving the Vikings.

All of the numbers cited below were as of Monday, May 18, 2020. Enjoy!

Team Futures

From vegasinsider.comOdds to win Super Bowl LV

Vikings (25/1)

This makes the Vikings the ninth-best bet to win it all. Ahead of Minnesota are the: Chiefs (6/1), Ravens (7/1), 49ers (10/1), Saints (13/1), Buccaneers (13/1), Cowboys (18/1), Eagles (20/1), Patriots (22/1), and Seahawks (22/1).

From Caesars SportsbookNFC North Division Winner

Vikings (+170)

Packers (+175)

Bears (+275)

Lions (+750)

From pointsbet.comNFC North Division Winner

Vikings (+160)

Packers (+160)

Bears (+360)

Lions (+650)

From vegasinsider.com – Odds to win NFC North

Vikings (33/10)

Packers (17/10)

Bears (4/1)

Lions (11/2)

From Caesars Sportsbook – Vikings make the playoffs? Yes/No

No (+105)

Yes (-125)

From pointsbet.com – Make the playoffs?

Vikings (-134) – even with the Packers (-134)

There are 11 teams (five from the NFC) deemed more likely to make the AFC or NFC playoffs: Chiefs (-1429), Ravens (-834), 49ers (-323), Saints (-264), Buccaneers (-250), Cowboys (-233), Eagles (-213), Patriots (-200), Colts (-186), Bills (-179), and Steelers (-154).

From pointsbet.com – NFC Champions

Vikings (+1300) – even with the Packers (+1300) again.

There are six teams listed ahead of them: 49ers (+425), Buccaneers (+500), Saints (+525), Cowboys (+800), Eagles (+950), and Seahawks (+950).

From Caesars Sportsbook – NFC Champions

Vikings (+1300)

This puts the Vikings even with the Rams (+1300) in the NFC. According to Caesars, there are seven teams more likely to represent the NFC in the next Super Bowl: 49ers (+375), Buccaneers (+600), Cowboys (+600), Saints (+650), Seahawks (+700), Packers (+750), and Eagles (+900).

Kirk Cousins

From Caesars Sportsbook – Futures NFL Passing Yards Leader

Cousins (+5000)

Bengals rookie Joe Burrow (+5000) is listed even with Cousins to lead the NFL in passing yards. The 17 quarterbacks listed ahead of Cousins: Patrick Mahomes (+350), Dak Prescott (+700), Jared Goff (+900), Tom Brady (+1000), Matt Ryan (+1000), Drew Brees (+1400), Russell Wilson (+1400), Matthew Stafford (+1400), Kyler Murray (+1500), Ben Roethlisberger (+1600), Aaron Rodgers (+1800), Baker Mayfield (+2200), Derek Carr (+2500), Philip Rivers (+2500), Deshaun Watson (+3500), Carson Wentz (+3500), and Jimmy Garoppolo (+4000).

From Caesars Sportsbook – Cousins’ season total passing yards

Over 3,831.5 (-110)

Under 3,831.5 (-110)

From BovadaCousins’ regular-season passing yards

Over 3,750.5 (-125)

Under 3,750.5 (-105)

From Bovada – Cousins’ regular-season passing touchdowns

Over 25.5 (-115)

Under 25.5 (-115)

Dalvin Cook

From Bovada – AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year

Cook (+2500)

There are just eight players with better odds than Cook: Patrick Mahomes (+500), Lamar Jackson (+750), Russell Wilson (+1600), Tom Brady (+1800), Christian McCaffrey (+1200), Saquon Barkley (+1800), Michael Thomas (+1800), and Derrick Henry (+2200).

From pointsbet.com – Offensive Player of the Year

Cook (+2500)

Only seven players enjoy better odds than Cook on this site: Patrick Mahomes (+650), Lamar Jackson (+900), Christian McCaffrey (+1400), Russell Wilson (+1500), Saquon Barkley (+1500), Michael Thomas (+1600), and Derrick Henry (+2200).

From Caesars Sportsbook – Futures NFL Rushing Yards Leader

Cook (+1800)

The seven running backs listed ahead of Cook are Derrick Henry (+300), Ezekiel Elliott (+600), Nick Chubb (+800), Saquon Barkley (+1100), Josh Jacobs (+1200), Christian McCaffrey (+1300), and Devin Singletary (+1600).

From Caesars Sportsbook – Cook’s season total rushing yards

Over 1,049.5 (-110)

Under 1,049.5 (-110)

From Bovada – Cook’s regular-season rushing yards

Over 1,160.5 (-115)

Under 1,160.5 (-115)

From Caesars Sportsbook – Cook’s season total rushing touchdowns

Over 8.5 (-125)

Under 8.5 (+105)

Justin Jefferson

From Bovada – AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

Jefferson (+2800)

Jefferson is even with both Denzel Mims (+2800) and Henry Ruggs III (+2800). There are 10 rookies with better odds: Joe Burrow (+250), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (+400), Jonathan Taylor (+925), Tua Tagovailoa (+1000), Cam Akers (+1200), Ke’Shawn Vaughn (+1500), Jerry Jeudy (+1600), Ceedee Lamb (+1800), D’Andre Swift (+2200), and JK Dobbins (+2200).

From pointsbet.com – Offensive Rookie of the Year

Jefferson (+2500)

There are 12 rookies in front of Jefferson: Joe Burrow (+225), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (+480), Tua Tagovailoa (+700), D’Andre Swift (+1000), Jonathan Taylor (+1100), Ke’Shawn Vaughn (+1500), Jerry Jeudy (+1800), Ceedee Lamb (+1800), Justin Herbert (+2000), Denzel Mims (+2000), Henry Ruggs III (+2000), and Cam Akers (+2000).

From Bovada – Jefferson’s regular-season receiving yards

Over 800.5 (+110)

Under 800.5 (-145)

From Bovada – Jefferson’s regular-season receiving touchdowns

Over 5.5 (+105)

Under 5.5 (-135)

Adam Thielen

From Caesars Sportsbook – Futures NFL receiving yards leader

Thielen (+4000)

Robert Woods (+4000), D.J. Moore (+4000), and Michael Gallup (+4000) are all even with Thielen. By the way, Stefon Diggs (+10000) is way down the list.

The 17 players listed ahead of Thielen are Michael Thomas (+350), Julio Jones (+700), DeAndre Hopkins (+900), Mike Evans (+1200), Tyreek Hill (+1500), Chris Godwin (+1500), Amari Cooper (+1800), Devante Adams (+1800), Odell Beckham Jr. (+2000), Kenny Golladay (+2000), JuJu Smith-Schuster (+2500), Travis Kelce (+2500), Allen Robinson (+2800), Cooper Kupp (+3000), T.Y. Hilton (+3000), Courtland Sutton (+3000), and DeVante Parker (+3000).

From Bovada – Thielen’s regular-season receiving yards

Over 1,199.5 (Even)

Under 1,199.5 (-130)

From Bovada – Thielen’s regular-season receptions

Over 84.5 (-115)

Under 84.5 (-115)

From Bovada – Thielen’s regular-season receiving touchdowns

Over 7.5 (-115)

Under 7.5 (-115)

Danielle Hunter

From Bovada – AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year

Hunter (+2500)

The 11 players listed in front of Hunter with better odds are Aaron Donald (+700), Nick Bosa (+850), T.J. Watt (+1400), Khalil Mack (+1100), J.J. Watt (+1200), Myles Garrett (+1600), Stephen Gilmore (+1800), Joey Bosa (+2000), Chandler Jones (+2000), Von Miller (+2000), and Derwin James (+2000).

By the way, Eric Kendricks is down the list a bit (+7000), but hey, at least he’s listed.

From pointsbet.com – Defensive Player of the Year

Hunter (+2500)

There are 10 players ahead of Hunter on this list: Aaron Donald (+700), Nick Bosa (+1000), J.J. Watt (+1200), Khalil Mack (+1200), T.J. Watt (+1200), Stephon Gilmore (+1500), Joey Bosa (+2000), Chandler Jones (+2000), Von Miller (+2000), and Derwin James (+2000).

Kendricks (+6600) has a little better odds on this site.

So, there you have it. All those props and futures above represent windows into how “sports people” outside of Minnesota view the Vikings as a team as well as some of their more prominent players. There are obviously a lot more props and futures out there, but this is a solid sampling. If nothing else, they are good for conversation and lively debate – especially with your friends who like wearing those cheese wedges on their heads.

If you don’t agree with some of the numbers, don’t take them personally. Try not to let it ruin your day. There’s plenty of other things going on in the world right now that can do that.

Vikings
There’s Joy To Be Found In This Tumultuous Transition Period In Vikings History
By Tyler Haag - Mar 28, 2024
Vikings
Harrison Smith Has Become Minnesota’s Lone Survivor
By Kaleb Medhanie - Mar 27, 2024
Vikings

Andrew Van Ginkel Brings Versatility and Energy To Minnesota's Defense

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

When the NFL’s 2024 free-agency window opened, the Minnesota Vikings quickly attacked the defensive side of the ball, adding a trio of players, including Andrew Van Ginkel. […]

Continue Reading