How Cancellation Of Bills-Bengals Affected NFL Futures Bets
The NFL decided to cancel the Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals “Monday Night Football” game as teams prepare for Week 18 and the postseason.
Safety Damar Hamlin’s condition has gotten better since he suffered a cardiac arrest at Paycor Stadium on Monday. The positive updates are a sigh of relief for his teammates, who are prepared for their regular-season finale against the New England Patriots.
It was the last thing on anyone’s mind, but how NFL bets were affected needed to be addressed. Due to the game being ruled a no contest, there were no stats recorded, and both teams’ records remained intact with the Bills at 12-3 and the Bengals at 11-4, respectively, heading into Week 18.
How bets were or will be paid out will depend on the rules of the sportsbook. But DraftKings paid out those who bet on Cincinnati to win the AFC North and “determined win totals will be settled normally and all others will be voided,” according to Ben Fawkes of VSiN. This meant Bengals Over 10 wins and Bills Over 11.5 wins cashed.
Before the season, Cincinnati had +210 odds to win the division, and the Over on its win total had +105 odds. This means a $100 bet would pay out $310 and $205, respectively.
Josh Allen was the preseason favorite to win MVP, but it’s unlikely anything he would have done Monday would have affected his chances to win the award as Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts were the favorites as the regular season reached its end.
But Bills QB Josh Allen was among the leaders in interceptions. He has 13 heading into Week 18, which is tied for second with Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans signal-callers Matt Ryan and Davis Mills. Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins, Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott and Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr are tied for first at 14.
Allen had +2500 odds to be the league leader in interceptions. This means a $100 bet would pay out $2,600. The wager still has a chance to pay out, but one less game means bettors will hope the Patriots defense can do its part to shut down the Bills offense.
Week 17 was the fantasy championship for most leagues, and again, how things were handled depended on the rules of the site. At Underdog Fantasy, their terms and conditions ruled that current standings would remain as they were. The grand prize for its Best Ball Mania III contest was $2 million.
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