How to Bet on NFL Games

How to Bet on NFL Games

Betting on America’s favorite sport, football, adds another thrilling dimension to Sunday afternoons. Here at Fanatics, we provide extensive markets across the NFL season, giving you a seamless and secure experience with competitive odds and big promotions, all wrapped up in a user-friendly platform. 

Before betting on the NFL, you’ll need to understand the basics and have a good idea of developing your betting strategy, placing bets, and understanding the different bet types. 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.

NFL 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 to win, Las Vegas needs to either win the game outright or lose by fewer than 7 points. If the Raiders lose 20-24, your wager will payout. 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 payout 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. 

Spread betting makes theoretically lopsided matchups much more interesting to wager on. Instead of picking the likely winner at very short odds, the spread creates two viable betting options with closer-to-even payouts (typically around -110). It’s a core strategy for anyone betting on football, adding depth beyond just picking winners.

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 payout. 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. 

They’re also popular for bettors who strongly believe an underdog can pull off the upset outright. When you decide how to bet on football online, identifying moneyline value - where you feel a team’s chances of winning are better than the odds imply - is a key factor in developing a successful betting strategy. Understanding the odds, researching stats, and sniffing out good value is key. 

NFL Totals (Over/Under Bets)

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. 

We will project a combined total score with this bet type. 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 forms 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. 

If you can anticipate a shootout between two high-powered offenses, betting on the over makes sense. Conversely, the under might be more attractive if two dominant defenses or poor weather conditions are expected. This bet type allows you to leverage your insights on the game, styles, and scoring environments to potentially profit. 

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 form. For instance, 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 next game week, it might be time to bet on the running back to bank significant rushing yards or TDs. Finally, if a receiver has a considerable height advantage over smaller cornerbacks in a matchup, look for receptions, receiver yards, or TDs for that player. Learning how bets work in football includes recognizing these individual opportunities. 

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. 

When you explore how to bet on football online, you'll find robust markets for these individual performance wagers, making them a fundamental part of the modern NFL betting landscape. They turn every play involving your chosen athlete into a potential win.

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 payout. 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 payouts 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 outrights and props, from a single NFL match into a single slip. 

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 an over/under, 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. 

This bet type’s popularity has exploded in popularity recently among US bettors, thanks to the high-risk, high-reward potential similar to regular proposition bets. These wager types allow you to leverage your deep knowledge of a single game’s dynamics to profit potentially. You can win if you can predict yardage, scoring plays, and the final result. 

NFL In-Play (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 transforms watching NFL games on your Sunday Ticket package into an opportunity to profit from swings in the changes in momentum in real-time. Live betting allows you to strategically use your understanding of betting on football to profit 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 (over/under) 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 profit during live play. 

Fundamentally, the nature of NFL in-play betting is fast-paced, fun, and full of chances to take advantage of momentum shifts. Successful in-play bettors will have an immediate connection between game events and betting decisions. 

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 becoming world champions, 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 secure the league’s worst record, and sometimes you’ll find special promotions on these markets before the season begins. 

Futures represent a long-term proposition. 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 long payoff is significant payouts, especially if you can identify value in a team or player before the odds shorten dramatically. 

You can also bet on futures markets throughout the season, with the odds changing as the records and narratives develop. While you can take advantage of futures markets before the season for great odds, you can also take advantage of short-term shifts in odds throughout the season, if teams are out of form, for example, to stake on a team at the best possible odds. 

Glossary of Key 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 outright, 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 (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 slip. Each wager must win for the bet to payout, and odds are multiplied. 
• Proposition 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. 

Final Tips for Betting on the NFL

Mastering the best strategies for how to bet on NFL games starts with diligent research. It’s important to understand team performance, key player form, injury updates, and the shifting nature of the odds. 

The same disciplined approach applies to understanding how to bet on football across the season. To grasp how the betting markets work, study core wagers like points spreads, moneylines, and totals, which dictate payouts based on game outcomes, before looking at some of the more complicated markets like prop bets and futures. 

When exploring how to bet on football online, check out Fanatics Sportsbook’s intuitive platform, plus its betting features like live streaming, stats, and good customer support. Check the available promotions for new and existing players to see if you can get extra value when betting on the NFL.

Most importantly, wager responsibly. Set a strict budget and view betting as entertainment, not income. Enjoy the season’s excitement responsibly, letting research guide decisions for a smarter, sustainable experience.