Sam Panayotovich
FOX Sports Betting Analyst
When you’re bullish on a specific NFL team heading into a season, it’s a necessary exercise to check yourself and test the temperature.
That doesn’t mean sending a text message to the group chat with your high school friends who persuade you to drink the Kool-Aid every summer. Hell, if you bet the Chicago Bears “Over” the last 12 seasons, you’d be 1-11.
You need people to shoot you straight.
Heading into this year, I find myself a big ol’ believer in the Minnesota Vikings. They have one of the best 53-man rosters in the NFL, and head coach Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores do an exceptional job at maximizing their talent with proper schematics and execution.
Whenever I’m feeling extra purple around August, I shoot my thoughts over to Thor Nystrom, football analyst at Fantasy Life. He’s a Vikings guy through and through, and he’s plugged into people close to the organization.
He’s also a straight shooter.
“They have a real good shot to be a top-three defense this year,” Nystrom told me earlier this week. “Sportsbooks were way too low on [the Vikings] after they dropped the brand new numbers after the Tremendous Bowl.”
So long as 22-year-old quarterback J.J. McCarthy isn’t an enormous downgrade from The Ghost of Sam Darnold, Minnesota needs to be greater than nice. Nystrom studied how McCarthy dealt with high-leverage conditions at Michigan and got here away extraordinarily impressed with the outcomes.
“The child is a killer,” Nystrom analyzed again in February 2024. “He’s cellular and when he scrambles, he can throw on the run. He was among the finest quarterbacks within the nation beneath duress.”
Think about the chances with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones and T.J. Hockenson behind a bolstered line with O’Connell calling performs.
Hey now.
Listed here are three bets I like for the 2025 Vikings.
Danny Parkins’ high 10 groups within the NFL coming into the 2025-26 Season
J.J. McCarthy Comeback Participant of the Yr (+1000 at DraftKings)
We’ll discover out quickly if McCarthy is prepared for the subsequent degree. Odds are good he will likely be after successful a nationwide championship, then spending a full calendar 12 months studying O’Connell’s offense. Dak Prescott and Aidan Hutchinson are co-favorites, however the path is there for McCarthy. If he returns from a meniscus tear and helps Minnesota attain 10 wins or extra, he’s a surefire contender.
Jonathan Greenard Defensive Participant of the Yr (+10000 at BetMGM)
If the Vikings are a top-five protection, one in every of their finest gamers is price a pop. The entrance workplace added Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave up entrance, which ought to make life a lot simpler for Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel off the sting. Each gamers recorded double-digit sacks final 12 months and I believe it’s downright disrespectful that a number of books are providing Greenard at this worth.
Make the playoffs (-105 at FanDuel)
As said above, I imagine Minnesota boasts one in every of soccer’s most proficient rosters. Staying wholesome is vital, after all, however I anticipate success if the staff isn’t ravaged by accidents. O’Connell and Flores have all of the instruments to make sure the Vikings stay among the finest seven groups within the NFC.
Sam Panayotovich is a sports activities betting analyst for FOX Sports activities and the BetMGM Community. He beforehand labored for WGN Radio, NBC Sports activities and VSiN. Observe him on Twitter @spshoot.
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