Before Jordan Love was sidelined with an MCL injury in Week 1, the Green Bay Packers made a trade before the season started, acquiring Malik Willis from Tennessee to be the team's backup quarterback.
At the time, some questioned why Green Bay would give up a draft pick, even a seventh-rounder, for a quarterback who had failed in his first two NFL seasons. But Willis, who went 2-0 in place of Love, could be the man to salvage Green Bay's much-anticipated season.
Do you think the Dolphins or Chargers could use him right now? Or maybe the Titans?
This week's NFL Futures column focuses on the Packers and Love, who is scheduled to face the first-place Vikings on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
But before we get there, let’s take a look at how my NFL futures portfolio has grown over the first three weeks.
2024 NFL Futures Betting
Best bet for Week 4: Packers to win NFC North (+340, DraftKings)
The NFC North might be the best division in the NFL this season, with the Vikings surprising at 3-0 and the Lions and Packers both at 2-1.
Minnesota is coming off impressive home wins over Super Bowl contenders San Francisco and Houston, but this week they travel to Green Bay for their first real road test of the season.
The Packers were in a panic after Love injured his MCL in a Week 1 loss to the Eagles during the loss.
But the quarterback gave it his all last week to compete and is expected to play the full game in Sunday's crucial division game.
It's important to remember how dominant Love was last season, so dominant that he entered this season with the fifth-shortest odds (14/1) to win the NFL MVP award.
From Week 11 through Week 18 of last year, Love completed 23 touchdown passes with just three interceptions. During that span, Love led all qualified quarterbacks in PFF's passing grade and ranked second in their EPA+CPOE composite grade.
Coach Matt LaFleur has figured out how to make the league's youngest offensive line work, and Love has thrilled the league.
Green Bay hired defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley in the offseason to help turn around a team that struggled last year, and the early results have been promising. The Packers recorded eight sacks in Sunday's win over the Titans, and Hafley's aggressive strategy has been a godsend for a fan base that suffered through three years of underwhelming Joe Brady defenses.
The Vikings have been on a roll since the start of the year, but can they make Sam Darnold a champion after three games? Minnesota is the only team in the NFL that has never surrendered a lead this season. What happens when the pressure is on Darnold and the game goes against him?
Meanwhile, the Lions were hit with a slew of injuries coming into Sunday's game, with edge Marcus Davenport out for the season and linebacker Derrick Barnes on injured reserve along with Alex Anzalone.
The offensive line's linchpin, center Frank Ragnow, is without a partially torn pectoral muscle, and tight end Sam LaPorta, defensive tackle Alim McNeil and safety Brian Branch are also injured.
Detroit has a tough stretch of games ahead of it, including a matchup with the burgeoning Seahawks, before road games against the Cowboys, Vikings, Packers and Texans.
The Packers will play four of their next six games at home, two on the road against the injury-plagued Rams and the 0-3 Jaguars, and starting this week, they have a great opportunity to take control of a competitive division.
Best NFL Futures Bets for Week 4
I expect the Packers to beat Minnesota on Sunday (2.5-point favorites), and if you agree with me, it might be wise to bet on the Packers to win at DraftKings' +340 division odds.
FTN Fantasy projects the Packers have a 27.3% chance of winning the division, which is close to odds of around +265. If the Packers win this week, those odds will drop even further.
Do you bet on the NFL?
I'm betting 75-1 on DraftKings that Love will win the MVP. Missing two games will hurt his resume, but no one is the favorite to win this season other than Josh Allen, who threw four touchdowns on Monday night and is the current favorite (+200, BetMGM).
If Love can regain his form from last year, no one will remember the two games he missed at the end of the season.
Best bets: Packers to win NFC North (+340, DraftKings), Jordan Love to win MVP (75/1, DraftKings)
Why trust New York Post Betting?
Jacob Wayne handicaps college football and the NFL for the New York Post, earning 84.5 units across the two sports with an ROI of 6.27%.
