The 2026 NFL trade deadline was on Tuesday, and it sure was busy. There have been 18 completed trades since the start of the regular season, which included 23 of the 32 teams and 34 total draft picks changing hands (tied for the fourth most in the last 35 years).
QB Kirk Cousins going from the Las Vegas Raiders to the Minnesota Vikings to instantly supplant Carson Wentz and/or Kyler Murray as the team’s starter was one of the biggest moves. The Jacksonville Jaguars were the most active buyers, bringing in multiple defensive starters, while the Indianapolis Colts offloaded multiple pieces for future draft capital.
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As a bettor, my focus is instantly looking at the Week 10 games and futures market for value that ripples as an effect of these transactions. Usually the Week 10 games will see very quick market moves, but the futures market is a derivative place to attack for excellent post-trade deadline value.
Here are three futures worth placing now as it relates to the NFL trade deadline passing yesterday.
Los Angeles Rams to miss the playoffs (-118)
The Rams were in an incredibly difficult position at the trade deadline and were unable to get anything done. On the final offensive snap of their Week 9 win over the Washington Commanders, star WR Puka Nacua injured his right knee. He is now expected to miss several weeks, even if he doesn’t land on injured reserve. WR Davante Adams is already on injury reserve, and so is their best pass-catching tight end Terrence Ferguson.
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The Rams went from not needing to make a move to desperately hoping to add a wide receiver. They were unable to get anything done, which puts this team in a precarious situation over its final eight games.
If the season ended today, the 5-4 Rams would not be in the playoffs. The 49ers own the NFC West division and the Rams’ record is not good enough to be a wild-card team. Based on the health of the team, it’s going to be hard to play catch up. The offensive firepower is significantly compared to preseason expectations, and in this case not getting a deal done becomes a worst-case scenario as the WR room now hinges on Konata Mumpfield, Tutu Atwell and CJ Daniels. On a day that saw Keenan Allen and Josh Downs get traded from Indianapolis, it’s difficult for Rams fans to know neither ended up in Los Angeles.
I am taking a small victory lap because one of my preseason NFL futures was Rams to miss the playoffs at +400, and now it is still a good take at -118. If you already bet it, you can add onto it small and bet it again.
Philadelphia Eagles under 4.5 wins (+110)
The Eagles are on their bye this upcoming weekend, so the best way to react to Philadelphia trading defensive tackle Jordan Davis is by looking at the season wins market. In the 18 total trades made this NFL season, the Eagles trading Jordan Davis was one of two transactions to include a first-round pick. That shows you the level of star power that just left the Philadelphia franchise and headed to Jacksonville.
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The soft tank is on in Philadelphia. This team has lost seven straight games and they are without QB Jalen Hurts for the rest of the season. After turning to Tanner McKee at QB after Hurts’ injury news broke, they quickly stopped that experiment, signed Joe Milton off the Cowboys practice squad and he is now starting. I truly think the Eagles know this season is lost, they don’t want to win and prefer to prioritize upcoming draft capital. In the NFL, the draft order is a direct reflection of the standings and the worse you do that season, the better your picks are.
The Eagles have a very forward-thinking front office. One reason they were able to get a first-round pick for Davis was because of his team-friendly contract. Davis was given a huge signing bonus when Philadelphia inked his deal, and thus his annual salary was lower and his trade value was higher. Those little edges the Eagles gain are indirect ways to show they will prioritize next season over squeezing out an extra win or two.
I expect Milton to remain the starter and players that are injured — like DeVonta Smith with a hamstring issue — to be kept out as long as possible. An injury that a player might have played through on a contending team will now be a reason to sit out.
I am betting the Eagles regular-season win total under 4.5, hoping they don’t win three of their final eight games.
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Fernando Mendoza to win Offensive Rookie of the Year (+300)
Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, has been announced as the Raiders starting QB with Cousins’ departure. Mendoza is primed to make a run for Offensive Rookie of the Year over the second half of the season. His head coach is Klint Kubiak, who was the offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks last season. Mendoza has the best pass-catching tight end in Brock Bowers to target. And of course, we can expect Raiders owner Tom Brady to be speaking with Mendoza regularly the rest of the season as well.
The other side of this is looking at Mendoza’s competition for this award.
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There have been no standout players who are leading the pack for OROY. The weak player pool here is why Mendoza now has the shortest odds simply by being named the starter. Broncos rookie RB Jonah Coleman and Titans WR Carnell Tate round out the top three with the shortest odds. Coleman had a stint on IR and is just now taking over the Broncos backfield. Tate just missed the last Titans game with his own injury and is in a crowded room of skill players in Tennessee.
Fourth and fifth in the odds are Cleveland Browns wideouts Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion, each of whom takes away from the other’s upside to win this award.
It seems like chalk, but going for the ceiling outcome on Mendoza’s rest of season is worth playing into at 3-to-1 odds.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
