Get ready for July 4 with these star-spangled NFL futures

We hope you all are gearing up for a great Fourth of July, and we're here to mix up the day with a few look-ahead bets for this season in the NFL.

Grill up some futures for this year in football

The below are snippets from the NFL futures series we've been running on Yardbarker each and every day. Be sure to hop in each day for the latest team. We started with the team that had the worst Super Bowl odds and are working our way up the board. One of the bets was published before, and another below is a sneak peek of a story set to publish this week.

Tennessee Titans to Finish Last in the AFC South (+245 DraftKings)

We're of the belief this is going to be a rough season in Tennessee, culminating with a basement seat in the AFC South. Jacksonville is the best team in this division, most definitely set to take the top spot. Both Indianapolis and Houston have made additions this offseason that should see them each improve on their four- and three-win seasons, respectively. That leaves Tennessee as the team most likely to see its stock tumble.

It starts at quarterback. Ryan Tannehill is declining, and Malik Willis and Will Levis both figure to be projects at QB. Derrick Henry might be a trade candidate, and the issues are multiplied when you take a look at the offensive line.

You cannot succeed without strong play in the trenches, and that was the Titans' biggest weakness last year. Their pass blocking was a major issue in 2022, and they lost both Taylor Lewan and Nate Davis this offseason. While Tennessee rightfully focused on the offensive line at the top of this year's draft with Peter Skoronski, he shouldn't be expected to lift this unit by himself from Day 1.

The defensive line has some nice pieces, but the secondary had plenty of leaks in 2022, allowing the fourth-most yards per pass attempt. We're fading Tennessee ahead of this year.

Minnesota Vikings under 8.5 wins (+110 DK)

The Vikings found themselves in a ridiculous amount of close games last year, with 11 of their 13 wins coming by one score. That's reason enough to consider fading this team. The Vikings owned a minus-3 point differential on the season, the second-worst mark of all NFL playoff teams and worse than two teams that missed out on the postseason. 

Historically, teams that made the playoffs with a negative point differential miss out on the postseason the following year. The last nine teams to secure a postseason berth with a negative point differential all missed out on the big dance the following year, averaging just 6.8 wins per season.

The Lions figure as one of the divisional favorites at the moment, and the Bears should also be more competitive. There's even reason to feel okay about the Packers, even with the unknown that is Jordan Love.

With a first-place schedule and an NFC North that could be challenging, the Vikings feel poised for a rough 2023.

In the news ...

Rickie Fowler wins Rocket Mortgage Classic — After flirting with wins for the past few weeks, Rickie Fowler finally got over the hump with his win on Sunday in the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Fowler won on the first playoff hole with a walk-off putt. It's his first PGA Tour win since 2019.

Damian Lillard requests trade — Seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard's time in Portland appears to be up, as the superstar has requested a trade from the only franchise he's called home. According to reports, he has just one team in mind: the Miami Heat. We'll see if Miami can pool together the assets to make it happen. The Heat are currently +900 to win next year's championship.

Free-agent frenzy in the NHL — You may have missed it, but players have been moving like crazy in the NHL ever since the free-agent market opened. We recapped five of the biggest and best moves right here. Highlights include Matt Duchene to Dallas and Max Pacioretty to Washington. We've also seen Ryan O'Reilly join Nashville and Blake Wheeler signing with the Rangers.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll

(Editor's note: Bark Bets will not publish on Tuesday, July 4. Have a great holiday!)