NFL futures: Woe for Belichick equals dough for you

Anyone else joined us on those NFL preseason bets Friday? We are somehow 3-0 in this market, and we're licking our chops for more action to see if we can carry this approach over. We'll have to wait for the tail end of this week for that, but with the NFL top of mind, why don't we discuss a few divisional futures we like in 2023?

Fading a few inside their own division

Rams to finish third in the NFC West (+125 DraftKings)

If you'd like to bet against the Los Angeles Rams in 2023 and would prefer a plus-money play to their under 6.5 wins at -115, consider threading the needle with them to finish exactly third in the NFC West.

This is an all-encompassing type of wager, meaning the analysis is not at all siloed to the Rams' situation. The Cardinals figure to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season. With Kyler Murray not expected back until at least halfway through the year and a new coach in Jonathan Gannon who doesn't inspire, things could get ugly. It would be a massive surprise for Arizona to be competent this year. Pencil them in for a last-place finish in the NFC West.

Meanwhile, both San Francisco and Seattle are viable contenders to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. The 49ers have been one of the conference's best teams for the past four years, while the Seahawks had a strong 2022 and only got better. Both should be in the playoffs.

That leaves Los Angeles, who have extremely concerning depth beyond their big three of Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald. The Rams are a few seasons away from regaining their footing, third in this division seems like where they'll snugly fit.

Patriots to finish last in AFC East (-120 DK)

The AFC East is vying for the best division in football, and as such, the best value might lie in fading the New England Patriots, who haven't finished last in this division since 2000.

New England finished in third last year at 8-9, one game above the New York Jets. One has to imagine the Jets improve on that 7-10 mark with Aaron Rodgers at the helm, and we're not seeing that same improvement coming from the Patriots. The Bills and Dolphins are both Super Bowl contenders and should be at 10+ wins.

New England's defense will be a strength, but unfortunately, their offense leaves much to be desired, especially with Mac Jones at the helm. Someone has to finish last, why not bet on the team with the worst quarterback?

In the news ...

Lucas Glover wins back-to-back tournaments — For two straight weeks, it's Lucas Glover alone at the top. Glover held on to beat Patrick Cantlay in a playoff on Sunday, coming into the week at 100-1 to win. His win last week at the Wyndham Championship was enough to qualify him for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and now he's projected to shoot up to fourth in the standings. Glover becomes the first golfer to win back-to-back weekends since Tony Finau did so in 2022, and Glover is +3300 to win the BMW Championship this coming weekend.

Star-studded Class of 2023 is enshrined in basketball's Hall of Fame — Headlined by Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki, the Class of 2023 was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame on Saturday night. The group runs deep, with Gregg Popovich, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker and Becky Hammon also being honored. Wade closed the night out with a terrific speech. If you've got some time, it's worth a watch. 

Neymar closing in on joining Saudi professional league — Neymar is reportedly nearing a deal to leave Paris Saint-Germain and join the Saudi league. The deal will reportedly pay him the equivalent of $88M per year on a two-year deal with Al-Hilal. The 31-year-old star joining the Saudis would be another major get for the league that recently signed Christian Ronaldo.

Women's World Cup heads to semifinals — And then there were four, including our pre-tournament darlings Australia! The Australians will see England on Wednesday, with Spain and Sweden facing off tomorrow morning. England is the current favorite to win it all at +155. 

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll