NFL Pretenders to be Wary of When Betting Futures

As the NFL season approaches, I'm sure many of you are looking to zero in on the contenders and pretenders.

It's my job to assist in that manner, especially the latter part, because I don't want you wasting your time - or money - on pretenders.

Thus, here are five NFL pretenders to be wary of this season, in no particular order:

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Yes, they won 14 games last season. But this has become normal for them, racking up regular-season wins, but faltering in the postseason. Coach Kevin O'Connell might be a quarterback whisperer, and he might turn rookie JJ McCarthy into a solid signal caller, but they're in the NFC North and I don't see how this division gets four teams into the playoffs. I'm not ready to concede they'll be top two in their own division, let alone be an NFC contender

There's plenty of buzz because they brought in Ben Johnson to be the coach, and that Caleb Williams finally has an offensive guy to help him break out of his shell and mold this team into a contender. I don't believe they're going to be a playoff team whatsoever. I think the NFC North is too good. I think that even if Williams takes a step forward, they're trying to make that leap from five wins to maybe being a .500 team. I don't see making the playoffs, or that they'll really make any noise this season.

There are far too many people penciling in the Colts to win the AFC South, even as high as a three seed in the conference. I don't buy it. I think they've got too many questions at quarterback. Personally, I think the Houston Texans are the class of the division, and I think the Colts will struggle to contend for the Wildcard, considering the other teams in the AFC. I don't see them as a contender whatsoever.

DENVER BRONCOS

They may have caught lightning in a bottle last season, thanks to a strong defense, but I believe Sean Payton and Bo Nix will have to figure out how to play methodically, rather than gimmicky. Think about it, the majority of Nix's completions were near the line of scrimmage, and opponents will have had plenty of time to figure out this offense as they scout their schedules. Nix still has room to improve, since he was a rookie. But this is another team, somewhat like the Chargers, that analysts believe they can win the AFC West or even sneak onto a list of Super Bowl contenders. Believe me, they'll be hard-pressed to repeat last year's success.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

This is with the idea that either they're winning the Super Bowl or that there's a groundswell that the Kansas City Chiefs are going to fall back and somehow fail while the Chargers and Denver Broncos overtake them. I respect Jim Harbaugh as a coach, and I think the Charges can be a good team, but I think they're still looking up at the Chiefs. They might contend as a wild card team, but they should not legitimately be considered a contender for the Super Bowl.