Is This Playoff Future Worth It?

San Francisco 49ers

I don't play futures very often during the regular season. Simply put, there is too much immediate action that I'd rather not tie up my money on something that won't be paid for a while. However, every now and then, you see a few plays that are worth putting the money on. I have a future that I think has a good opportunity of cashing, and we should know pretty quickly if it will be a winner or a loser. The 49ers are currently at plus money to make the playoffs, and I think they will.

To this point in the year, the 49ers haven't looked great. They opened the season with a dominant win over the Jets, and at the time we all thought both teams were Super Bowl contenders. The reality is that the Jets are terrible, so the 49ers did basically everything they were supposed to do in that game. Then, San Francisco lost the next two games, the first to the Vikings in Minnesota. The Vikings looked like one of the better teams in football at the time. Losing to the Rams also wasn't that big of a shock, but probably still shouldn't have happened. After those two games, they looked like they had bounced back with a win over the Patriots, again another team that isn't very good. They should've beaten the Cardinals, but let that game slip away. Since then, they've beaten the Seahawks, Cowboys, and Buccaneers. In the same span they lost the the Chiefs and the Seahawks. 

The rest of the season they have the Packers, Bills, Bears, Rams, Dolphins, Lions, and Cardinals. They recently got back Christian McCaffrey and he adds a big boost to their offense. As he starts to settle in, the defense for San Francisco won't have to be perfect, and the offense will be better. They still have a dynamic pair of wide receivers even without Brandon Aiyuk. Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings have both been great options. George Kittle has been a reliable option as well. If Brock Purdy can reduce the turnovers, the team's offense should be more dynamic and dominant. This upcoming schedule will be tough. The Rams are healthy again, and the Cardinals have looked good. However, I do think San Francisco has more talent on both sides of the ball than either of those teams. I'm not necessarily expecting them to win the division, but the Rams and Cardinals have to play some of the same teams so it isn't like they have an easy path to the playoffs either.

For me, this is about the improvements that are coming from the 49ers offense. I think the defense has been hampered a bit by the lack of production from the offense and should improve as McCaffrey becomes more accustomed to the game speed and is a reliable option. I see at least four wins coming for them in the final few games, and expect they could finish the season 10-7. The Cardinals are going to finish at 9-8 or maybe 10-7. The Rams might have a chance at 10-7 as well, but I think it is more likely they finish 9-8. I like the 49ers at +200 or better to make the playoffs this season. It may come down to tiebreakers or something, but I think there is a good chance for this to cash.   

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