How to Bet on NFL Games: A Beginner's Guide
How to Bet on NFL Games
Before betting on NFL games, it's important to understand the basics, including betting strategies, how to place wagers, and the different bet types available. Mastering these fundamentals will give you the basis to have fun and manage your bankroll.
In this guide, we’ll cover the key aspects of betting on football, including understanding the different bet types, looking at some key terms, understanding the odds, and identifying value. Dive into the guide below to learn about different wagers, turning your knowledge into a fun and thrilling NFL betting experience.
The Fanatics Sportsbook promo code is FAN2026. New customers who sign up with code FAN2026 get up to $1,000 in FanCash — Fanatics matches 100% of your qualifying daily wager (min odds -200), up to $100 per day, for your first 10 days. Available to new users 21+.
NFL Moneyline Bets
Moneyline bets are the simplest bet you can place here at Fanatics. A moneyline bet tasks you with answering the most fundamental question: “Who will win the game?” Forget margins of victory, points spreads, or totals, with a moneyline wager, you’re simply picking who will be victorious when the clock strikes zero. If your chosen team wins, your bet wins - it’s that straightforward.
The odds attached to each team will tell you two crucial things: the team favored to win and your potential pay out. Odds are usually displayed using a plus (+) or a minus (-) sign.
If the team is expected to win, the odds will usually be negative. Negative odds indicate the amount you’ll need to wager to win $100. For example, if the New York Jets are -110 to beat the New England Patriots, you’ll need to wager $110 to win $100 in profit.
If the team is expected to lose, the odds will be positive. Positive odds indicate the amount of profit you’ll win on a $100 bet. For example, if the LA Rams are +120 to beat the LA Chargers, then if you wager $100, you’ll receive your $100 stake and $120.
Moneyline bets are popular because they are simple. You don’t need to predict the margin of victory, just if a team will win. They’re usually the simplest bet type to understand and easiest for beginners learning how bets work in football.
NFL Point Spread Betting
Understanding the point spread is essential when learning how to bet on NFL games. It’s a common and incredibly popular wager type, and you’ll find plenty right here at Fanatics Sportsbook. So, how do these bets work in football? Simply put, a spread bet is a handicap to even the odds between two teams of differing strengths.
To win a spread bet, if you bet on the favorite, they’ll need to win by a set number of points, or if you bet on the underdog, they’ll need to lose by less than the same set number of points. For example, if the Las Vegas Raiders are playing against the favored Pittsburgh Steelers, the handicap might be seven points. Our NFL betting app would display this as “Raiders +7” and “Steelers -7.”
If you bet on the Raiders in this market, Las Vegas needs to either win the game or lose by fewer than 7 points. If the Raiders lose 20-24, your wager will pay out. However, if LV loses 10-24, your bet will not be successful.
If you bet on the Steelers to win, Pittsburgh needs to win by more than 7 points to win the bet. If the Steelers win 28-20, your bet will pay out as the Steelers have “covered the spread,” and won by more than seven points. However, if they win by 24-20, they have not covered the spread, and your bet will settle for a loss.
Finally, if the Steelers win by precisely seven points, the bet’s result is a “push.” This means that all spread bets on the game will be refunded - no win, no loss. It’s a tie against the spread.
NFL Totals Betting (Over/Under)
Understanding totals bets, sometimes called over/under bets, is pivotal for those learning to bet on NFL games. Essentially, a totals bet is placed on whether the total number of points scored in an NFL game will be above or below a line set by us.
For this bet type, the sportsbook sets a projected combined score for both teams. For example, we might set the line for a Green Bay Packers game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at 44.5 points. If you bet on the over, and Green Bay wins by 24-21, meaning there have been 45 points, your bet will pay out.
Additionally, here at Fanatics, you’ll have several options for different lines. You’ll have a range of lines, and you can choose the line that best fits you. These lines will also have different odds, so check the stats and see your preferred betting line.
Totals betting is popular for several reasons, appealing to bettors unconcerned about who wins the game. This purely focuses on the game’s offensive and defensive flow, which can be more interesting to predict for some bettors. Typical analytical factors include offensive pace, efficiency, defensive strengths and weaknesses, quarterback matchups, weather conditions, and historical scoring trends between the two teams.
You can place totals bets at Fanatics Sportsbook for NFL.
Betting on NFL Player Props
For US sports bettors looking beyond the final result, player prop bets offer an alternative. While understanding how to bet on NFL games often starts with moneylines, spreads, and totals, player proposition bets, or player props, shift the focus entirely to individual performance. Instead of wagering on the team outcome, you’re betting on specific statistics of a single player within the game.
For example, standard player props include quarterback passing yards during a game, a running back’s rushing yards, receiver receptions or receiving yards, and even a defensive player’s interceptions or sacks. Kickers are also subject to markets here at Fanatics, with props offered on field goals made or missed. Essentially, if a player’s actions can be measured, it can be wagered on.
Savvy bettors often turn to props when they have strong convictions about a specific matchup or player performance. If a star quarterback faces a weak secondary, the quarterback might be primed for a big passing yards day. If a running back is known for shredding a particular defensive scheme and facing it in the upcoming game, it might be time to bet on the running back to rack up significant rushing yards or TDs.
Player props allow you to leverage your knowledge of specific players and matchups, providing excitement even if the games are blowouts. For bettors who closely follow player trends, injuries, and defensive vulnerabilities, props offer a targeted way to engage with every snap.
NFL Parlays
A parlay wager combines two or more individual bets into a single ticket. However, every leg on your parlay ticket must win for the entire bet to cash. There's no partial pay out. If even one selection loses, the whole parlay loses.
Parlays are a popular wager type among those learning how to bet on football because they offer the potential for significantly larger pay outs compared to placing each bet individually. Parlays allow bettors to turn a modest stake into a substantial return.
This "all-or-nothing" structure is why parlays carry much higher risk than straight bets, but it's also the major attraction of this bet type. For example, you might parlay three favorite teams, say the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, and Dallas Cowboys, each covering their point spread on a Sunday slate. Each team would have to cover the spread for the bet to pay out.
This inherent risk-reward balance explains their popularity. Bettors seeking a bigger score from a smaller initial investment are naturally drawn to parlays. Successfully predicting two, three, or more outcomes correctly can multiply your winnings exponentially compared to betting them separately.
NFL Same Game Parlays
Another popular wager type is same-game parlays, which have emerged in the last few years and become increasingly popular with US sports bettors. These parlays allow you to combine several bets, including futures and props, from a single NFL game into a single ticket.
When you build a same game parlay, you select several outcomes within one matchup. This could involve combining a point spread bet with a rushing yards prop and a totals bet, for instance. The odds for each bet are then multiplied to give you your final price. Like parlays, successfully predicting outcomes means a small stake could result in a significant return.
For example, if you’re betting on a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders, you might bet on the Chiefs to win, Travis Kelce to get four or more receptions, and Patrick Mahomes to throw for more than 200 yards in the game. If all three of these outcomes pass, your bet will pay out.
Same game parlays have become one of the most popular NFL betting markets in recent years, thanks to the high-risk, high-reward potential similar to regular prop bets. These wager types allow you to leverage your deep knowledge of a single game’s dynamics. You can win if you can predict yardage, scoring plays, and the final result.
NFL Live Betting
In-play betting, also known as live betting, unlocks the dynamic ability to place wagers while the game is actively happening on the field. This turns every NFL game into a chance to react to momentum swings and changing odds in real time. Live betting allows you to strategically use your understanding of betting on football to find betting opportunities as the action is happening.
Once the game starts, a vast range of betting markets remains open, with odds continuously updating throughout the game. Live spreads adjust based on the score and momentum, moneylines shift dramatically after key plays, totals fluctuate with offensive and defensive performances. Even player prop markets remain open, adjusting on the fly as the action progresses.
The odds for all in-play markets update dynamically, reflecting the ever-changing reality of the game unfolding before your eyes. For instance, consider a scenario. If the heavily favored Buffalo Bills suffer an early turnover, leading to a quick touchdown for the underdog Seattle Seahawks, the live spread could widen significantly in favor of the now-leading underdog. At the same time, the home team’s moneyline odds might dramatically lengthen.
This scenario creates fresh value and strategic opportunities for bettors that didn’t exist before kickoff. Successfully navigating these rapid shifts might allow you to capitalize on changing momentum during live play.
NFL Futures Bets
Unlike wagers on single games, futures bets are placed on outcomes determined much later in the season or even after it concludes. Significant events throughout the season, like which team will win the Super Bowl or the MVP award, are covered in these markets.
Beyond winning the Super Bowl, winning conference titles, or major player honors, numerous other futures are offered throughout the year. These include futures markets on divisional titles, like whether the Jets will reign supreme in the AFC East or whether the Seahawks can triumph in the NFC West. Individual accolades include Offensive Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, or Coach of the Year. You can bet on the NFL Draft, and Fanatics will even allow you to bet on which player will win Mr Irrelevant!
Conversely, you don’t have to bet which teams will be the most successful. You can also bet on which teams will finish with the league’s worst record, and sometimes you’ll find special promotions on these markets before the season begins.
Futures represent a long-term prop bet. Your stake is typically tied up for months, and winning these bets requires a longer-term vision of what will happen in a season. The tradeoff for the longer wait is the potential for larger payouts, especially if you can identify value in a team or player before the odds shorten dramatically.
Here is a list of NFL futures available at Fanatics Sportsbook for Super Bowl 61:
Key NFL Betting Terms
Understanding some of the key terms you’ll encounter when you access Fanatics to place your first wager is crucial. In the glossary below, we’ve provided a list of some of the most common terms you’ll come across when learning how to bet on football and how to bet on NFL games.
- Point Spread: A handicap applied to level the odds between two NFL teams. We will apply the handicap to the favorite, displayed on the user interface with a minus sign (-), while we will display the underdog with a plus sign (+). To win your bet, you must predict the game’s outcome after the handicap has been applied.
- Moneyline: A straightforward bet on which team will win the game, regardless of the margin of victory.
- Odds: A numerical representation of the implied probability of an outcome and the potential return on a bet. We will display these in different formats, usually American odds, where odds are presented as positive numbers, which indicate the profit you’ll make on a $100 bet, or negative, which indicate the amount of money you’ll need to wager to profit $100.
- Totals betting (over/under): A bet on whether the combined score of both teams will be above or below a line set by Fanatics.
- Push: Occurs when the final result lands exactly on the point spread or a total line. All bets under a number set by Fanatics are refunded.
- Parlay: A single bet that combines several wagers into a single ticket. Each wager must win for the bet to pay out, and odds are multiplied.
- Prop bet: A wager tied to a specific event or outcome within a game, not tied to the final score. For example, in rushing yards in an NFL game, which player will score the first touchdown, or in total passing yards by a quarterback?
- Futures: Bets placed on events happening far in the future, such as which team will win the Super Bowl, a conference championship, or which player will win MVP.
- Teaser: A type of parlay offered here at Fanatics where you can adjust the points spread or totals lines, but you’ll receive lower odds in return. All adjusted legs must still win for your bet to pay out.