Fanatics Sportsbook NFL Trader Ethan Useloff and the markets team are in the offseason’s two-minute drill as they make their final tweaks ahead of the 2024 season.
The preseason begins in earnest on Aug. 8, with 16 exhibition games over a four-day span. Useloff will track all the fifth-round draft picks and third-string quarterbacks trying to make an NFL roster.
The information feeds hundreds of NFL betting markets as more new fans redeem a Fanatics Sportsbook promo code. The sportsbook is available to 95% of the legal US betting market, and Fanatics Sportsbook wants to increase its market share with betting variety and a welcome bonus for new users.
Offseason Moves That Shaped Fanatics Sportsbook NFL Odds
With preseason NFL betting underway, Useloff can add game observations to his off-season routine.
“It’s a very exciting time to be able to really refine our processes and take a deeper dive into how we can make the customer experience a lot better on top of what’s already a positive,” he said. “So I think that we enjoy this time to be able to reflect and try to always be getting better and taking a look in the mirror.”
Useloff called Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons “probably the most notable off-season acquisition” going into the 2024 season. The former starting QB in Minnesota opted for Atlanta in free agency — but the transaction wasn’t without controversy. The NFL uncovered tampering, issued a fine, and docked the Falcons a 2025 fifth-round draft pick for contacting Cousins during a hands-off period.
The Fanatics Sportsbook trader thinks the meddling might have merit.
“I think (Cousins) really elevates their team to a level of — at least — potential division winners, which is something that they had been kind of vying for, but doing it a little bit blindly,” Useloff said.
Elsewhere, Useloff thinks the 2024 NFL Draft might have an outsized impact on odds for the upcoming season as well. Teams took three quarterbacks with the first three picks. Overall, six quarterbacks were off the board within the first dozen picks.
“Caleb Williams, and the Bears in general, revamped their offense,” Useloff said.
He also noted Chicago’s selection of Washington WR Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick. The Chicago Bears traded for WR Keenan Allen and added RB DeAndre Swift as well.
“I think their team’s going to look a lot different come September than it did last January,” Useloff said.
Fanatics Sportsbook NFL Teams on the Rise
Chicago is among a handful of teams that could move into the playoff picture after dismal seasons a year ago.
The New York Jets are another fashionable bounce-back pick in 2024. Future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles heel four snaps into the 2023 season. He’s back this fall.
“I think that they have a real shot to bounce back this season and, obviously, the odds reflect that in terms of them being around 10th favorite, depending on which book you’re looking at,” he said.
Useloff also likes the Los Angeles Chargers, who finished with just five wins in 2023. The franchise plucked Jim Harbaugh from Michigan’s national championship program. Their incoming coach has a 49-22-1 NFL track record to fall back on. He led the San Francisco 49ers to three consecutive NFC Championship games, including an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII.
“I think that he’s going to revamp their offense, and I’m excited to get to see them work with (OT) Joe Alt, their rookie, fifth-overall pick,” Useloff said.
The Fanatics sports trader sees a potential change of mentality for the Bears, Falcons, and Chargers.
“A lot of these teams last year did not have success, but this year, whether it be coaching changes, quarterback changes, or other personnel adjustments, they feel like they can put the pedal to the metal and really compete. I think that reverberates throughout the locker room.”
NFL Teams Trending Down
Any teams on the rise will need to bump out some playoff teams from a season ago. Useloff anticipates a decline for a pair of popular betting options.
“The Buffalo Bills,” he said. “I think that their weaponry, in general, is a little bit weak on the offensive side. The receiver room is rather inexperienced and somewhat thin.”
He also has questions about their defensive secondary. It “is a lot different — losing both their starting safeties and replacing them with a good amount of depth, to be fair,” he said.
“But I think that team’s going to look a lot different and potentially not be nearly as good as folks are thinking.”
Useloff also eyes the Dallas Cowboys as a candidate for regression.
“I saw over the weekend that no NFC East team has repeated the division title since — I think it’s 2004, so pretty staggering statistic there,” he said. “So obviously, that might not be indicative of this year, but we’ve seen a lot of turnover in that division. And we’ve seen them, year over year, struggle to get past the wild-card round in the postseason. So that’s a team that potentially might have some incurred risk if you’re looking to bet on them.”
What Do the Fanatics Fans Think?
Fans will always blend passion with logic, and Useloff tracks user interest as he helps set NFL betting markets. He splits bettors into three different categories.
The Favorites
“Obviously, the Chiefs and the Niners and the Ravens, teams of that nature — the Lions, who are of that upper, upper echelon — are going to get a lot of handle just innately, given they’re the shortest (in odds markets). And there’s a reason for that.”
Young Teams
Young teams, and teams with a lot of turnover tend to draw fresh excitement at Fanatics Sportsbook, according to Useloff.
“So the teams I have there are the Bears, the Falcons and the Steelers,” he said. “Each of those teams has a new quarterback, and some of them are younger than others, of course. … But, I think that those teams are obviously going to get a lot of handle, just given the fact that all the narratives are swirling around them from the media.”
Legacy Fanbases
Teams with a strong fan following drive betting interest. The Dallas Cowboys are an obvious choice, even though Texas has yet to join the legal US sports betting market.
The Buffalo Bills (New York), Cleveland Browns (Ohio), and Pittsburgh Steelers (Pennsylvania) all have loyal fanbases that put their betting money where their heart is.
“All of them are going to be around .500 or above, you’d figure,” But (they) have really loyal fan bases that, even if the teams are poor and look like they might be going for a 4-13 tailspin, they’re still going to end up getting action.”
The Fanatics Sportsbook app replaced PointsBet US in some states and made its 2024 debut in new US markets. The app is now live in 22 states, and it began the summer as the only retail sportsbook inside an NFL stadium. Washington Commanders fans can place a bet at FedEx Field.
About the Author
