2026 NFL Futures Bets: The Bengals Are A Division Winner Value Bet
Betting

2026 NFL Futures Bets: The Bengals Are A Division Winner Value Bet

Justin Carlucci breaks down two teams that offer massive value as a bet to win their respective divisions in the 2026-27 NFL season.

It’s hard to believe the NFL Draft is right around the corner, and there are still a few dominoes to fall in free agency. There are certainly some intriguing NFL division winner futures on the board, so let's see where we can find some reasonable value.

NFL Division Winner Futures To Bet

Cincinnati Bengals to Win the AFC North

Here's where the AFC North division winner odds sit on DraftKings Sportsbook:

  • Baltimore Ravens: -130
  • Cincinnati Bengals: +270
  • Pittsburgh Steelers: +425
  • Cleveland Browns: +1600

I keep coming back to Cincinnati at +270, and there are plenty of reasons to consider pulling the trigger.

First, continuity. It hasn’t always been pretty for head coach Zac Taylor and company, who have dealt with injuries and a porous defense for many years. Taylor has been on the hot seat for what feels like an eternity at this point. And yet, the band is still together with Taylor, Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Yes, losing Trey Hendrickson stings, but Cincinnati quietly shored up the defensive front. They signed defensive end Boye Mafe, who logged 17 total sacks across his last three seasons in Seattle and comes over fresh off a Super Bowl ring.

They also brought in veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, who has 45.5 career sacks and posted 12 stuffs in 2025 alone with the Vikings. His addition should help stop the bleeding up the middle. According to Fantasy Points, the Bengals were the fifth-worst team in stuff percentage in 2025 and gave up the most rushing yards per game at 147.1.

Cincinnati will be picking at No. 10 overall in April’s draft. What if Sonny Styles is still on the board? That would be a dream scenario, immediately making the Bengals’ defense much more credible.

Despite losing Hendrickson, adding Allen, Mafe and an immediate impact defender could be a net positive. The offense should go into next season relatively healthy, despite some offensive line issues that I expect them to address at some point in the draft.

Now look around the rest of the division. The Ravens just handed the keys to first-time Head Coach Jesse Minter. Aaron Rodgers is keeping Pittsburgh in limbo again, and they lost offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who left for Ohio State. The Browns are at +1600 for a reason. Kevin Stefanski left for the Atlanta Falcons, and surprise, surprise, Cleveland still doesn’t have a quarterback (*ducks*).

Dallas Cowboys to Win the NFC East

Here are the current NFC East division winner odds on DraftKings Sportsbook:

  • Philadelphia Eagles: +115
  • Dallas Cowboys: +230
  • Washington Commanders: +450
  • New York Giants: +650

Here's one that doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But hear me out.

It feels like just yesterday the sky was falling after Dallas traded Micah Parsons to Green Bay. Fast forward to the present, and the Cowboys have put themselves in a surprisingly intriguing spot heading into 2026.

Dallas held on to ascending receiver George Pickens, who was great insurance when CeeDee Lamb missed time last year. When healthy, that duo is arguably the best wide receiver tandem in football.

Dak Prescott looked great. Even Javonte Williams looked rejuvenated, as offense wasn’t the problem for Dallas in 2025.

The Cowboys were aggressive at last season’s trade deadline, taking advantage of the Jets' purge by acquiring Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. And it's not like Dallas received nothing for Parsons, acquiring veteran defensive lineman Kenny Clark in return.

Now joining Clark is Rashan Gary, his former Packers teammate, whom Dallas acquired earlier this spring. Gary spent all seven years of his career in Green Bay and recorded 7.5 sacks in each of his last two full seasons. Suddenly, Dallas has a formidable front, and the numbers back it up.

According to Fantasy Points, from Week 10 through Week 18, the Cowboys owned the fourth-best stuff percentage defensively and allowed the ninth-fewest rushing yards per game. Compare that to the first nine weeks of the season, when Dallas gave up a monstrous 143 rushing yards per game (the fourth-worst mark in the NFL) and was the second-worst team in stuff percentage against the run. They clearly started to gel as a unit, and the addition of Quinnen Williams gave the unit a big boost.

The Cowboys also own picks No. 12 and No. 20 overall in the first round. That's serious flexibility to plug in NFL-ready bodies on the defensive side of the ball.

As for the division, there's a ton of pressure on head coach Nick Sirianni to get the Eagles right, and to his credit, he parted ways with offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo after a disastrous season.

The Commanders have plenty of questions, and the Giants are vastly improved, but a coaching overhaul gives me some hesitancy to look at them as a long shot to actually win this uber-talented division.

All of that puts the Cowboys in a really unique spot at +230.