Sports equinox betting: Our favorite futures picks from 4 major leagues
Every October, one day arrives when all four major leagues - the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB - play at least one game. For sports fans and bettors, it's a joyous, Christmas-like occasion celebrating the beauty that is sports. With the 2025 sports equinox Monday, we're building out a futures parlay with our favorite futures bet from the four leagues.
It may not cash until the NBA season concludes next June, but keep those slips until the fruits of our labor are ripe. In a separate story, we'll also provide our best bets from each sport on Monday's equinox so you can enjoy the special day with a short-term reward.
π Check out futures for all sports on ESPN BET and theScore Bet here
π NFL futures pick: Chiefs to win AFC (+250)
It's hard to believe any team could make four straight Super Bowls, but the Chiefs might get there almost by default. The AFC isn't the daunting conference everyone expected without MVP-caliber quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. The Colts, Broncos, and Patriots have emerged as threats, but they all have inexperienced quarterbacks. The Chargers are also in the mix, but would you ever trust Justin Herbert over Patrick Mahomes in a playoff game?
Kansas City's biggest threat is the Bills, who have lost four straight playoff games to the Chiefs. Buffalo, which has the next best odds to win the conference at +325, dropped two straight against the Patriots and Falcons before beating the lowly Panthers. Although no one should worry about the Bills' offense with Josh Allen under center, there are legitimate doubts as to whether they have a championship defense. Meanwhile, the Chiefs are finally healthy, and their offense has exploded the last few weeks as Mahomes returns to an MVP level. How can we bet against Mahomes in a weak conference?
π NBA futures pick: Victor Wembanyama to win Defensive Player of the year (-280)
Before this price rises to an obscene number, it's worth grabbing at -280 both as a straight future and as a parlay piece. This is the surest NBA future. The only scenario in which Victor Wembanyama doesn't win Defensive Player of the Year is if he fails to meet the 65-game requirement. Of course, that's certainly possible - it happened last year. But if a health issue is the only thing that could prevent Wembanyama from winning, it's worth taking him. The French phenom only played 46 games last season and still had 28 more blocks than anyone else.
π NHL futures pick: Avalanche to win the Stanley Cup (+800)
The Avalanche are off to a great start with five wins and one regulation loss in their first 10 games. Nathan MacKinnon is playing at an elite level and is the Hart Trophy favorite (+225), while Cale Makar is atop the Norris Trophy oddsboard at +115. And even though he may not be lighting up the scoresheet, captain Gabriel Landeskog's return to the lineup provides a huge boost they've been lacking since they won the Cup in 2022.
βΎοΈ MLB futures pick: Blue Jays +1.5 series handicap (-120)
It's slim pickings for MLB futures, so we'll go with a -120 bet on the Blue Jays +1.5 games in the series handicap.
Toronto split its two home games and now needs to win at least one on the road to get back home for Game 6. Thankfully for the Blue Jays, Yoshinobu Yamamoto isn't slated to pitch while the World Series is in Los Angeles.
The Blue Jays showed they're no pushovers with their convincing Game 1 victory, and they held their own in Game 2 until the seventh inning. They need to get to the Dodgers' bullpen like they did in Game 1 to give themselves a fighting chance. If they're successful, don't be surprised to see the Jays steal a couple on the road.
π Check out futures for all sports on ESPN BET and theScore Bet here
Futures parlay
- Chiefs to win AFC (+250)
- Wembanyama to win DPOY (-280)
- Avalanche to win the Stanley Cup (+800)
- Blue Jays' World Series spread +1.5 (-120)
Price: +7740 (Bet $10 to win $774)
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