Futures Picks & Predictions for Carolina

It's a new era for football fans in Charlotte, NC as we look at our 2023 Carolina Panthers betting preview with our top futures picks based on the NFL odds from our best sports betting apps.

After riding the QB carousel since Cam Newton's prime, the Carolina Panthers did what was necessary to secure the position by acquiring the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft from the Chicago Bears and using it to select former Alabama QB Bryce Young.

Because of the trade, Young's landing spot is notably better than most QBs taken with the top pick, as the Panthers went 7-10 last season to finish second in the NFC South and 22nd in the league standings. Still, our best sports betting sites are conservative with their outlook on Carolina, setting the Panthers' projected NFL win total at a sub-.500 season.

NFL betting sites as part of our 2023 NFL betting guide (pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale). 

Panthers betting preview 2023

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Panthers to win Under 7.5 games (+110 via PointsBet) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

PointsBet is giving us the best price on the board with +110 odds on an Under pick I feel very confident about.

While the Panthers have the fourth-easiest strength of schedule for 2023, according to Sharp Football Analysis, how that schedule is laid out will do them no favors, especially early in the season. The Panthers will play four of Young's first six career NFL games on the road, with their season-opener being a visit to the rival Atlanta Falcons.

One of the two home games in that span is the Week 2 Monday Night Football spot against the rival New Orleans Saints and a significantly more experienced quarterback in veteran Derek Carr. That's followed by Young's first West Coast road trip to play the Seattle Seahawks on a short week. There's a path to the Panthers, who also have a new head coach in Frank Reich, heading into their Week 7 bye at 0-6. Our Shane Jackson touts Reich among the coaching changes bettors can attack this season.

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While things certainly ease up out of the bye with home dates against the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts, Carolina will then visit the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football in chilly early November, and soon after have a three-game road trip into early December.

Panthers to finish last in NFC South (+255 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Go ahead and ignore the Panthers' Super Bowl odds.

The Panthers surged in the latter half of 2022 to finish second in the NFC South but with a shared 7-10 record with the Saints and Falcons. They beat the Saints 10-7 on the road in Week 18 to secure the token placing.

That finish, along with the addition of Young as the No. 1 pick in the draft have artificially inflated expectations for the Panthers. Public perception surrounding the Saints, Falcons, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers is seemingly much more skeptical with Young's projected impact being overly optimistic based largely on his draft status.

Panthers to be last winless team (+1700 via DraftKings, FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐ 

This market from DraftKings and FanDuel lets us double down on what was noted above. The Panthers' first six games of 2023 are six of their toughest of the season, especially when considering that they'll be integrating Reich, Young, and many more new faces not only into the team but into the NFC South.

Carolina starts the season with two of its six divisional games and plays three other teams commonly projected to make the playoffs—the Seahawks, Detroit Lions, and Miami Dolphins—on the road before their bye.

Now, they'll have a good shot at that first win at home in Week 8 against the Houston Texans off of their bye. But that early-season bye will come back to haunt them later, especially with four of their last seven games being played on the road. I certainly wouldn't pick the Panthers to be the NFL's last winless team, but I think they're very much alive in this market.

Bryce Young to be Offensive Rookie of the Year (+500 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐ 

Young, the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, has the second-shortest odds to be the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year at all of our best NFL prop betting sites. However, it's the price discrepancy between those books that makes Young an excellent value bet at DraftKings.

Caesars and PointsBet both have Young priced at +400 to be the OROY. That's a difference of $10 on a winning $10 bet. Don't short-change yourself.

Bryce Young's Offensive Rookie of the Year odds

While I'm expecting Young and the Panthers to start slowly this season, he could have a strong finish to his rookie campaign, especially after having an early bye by which to regroup. Young could leave a positive taste in the minds of voters by playing his best football later in the season if the likes of Falcons running back Bijan Robinson stumble at all down the stretch.

Besides, voters routinely look to find ways to give this, or the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, to the No. 1 pick. At 5-1, we can bet on Young and one or two other options and still turn a meaningful profit.

Mile Sanders Over 5.5 rushing touchdowns (-112 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This line of 5.5 is a full touchdown below Caesars' line of 6.5 set for Sanders' rushing touchdown total. The even -112 odds on either side make it that much more appealing.

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Sanders is coming off the most successful season of his career with a full 17 games played and 11 rushing touchdowns on 1,269 rushing yards from 259 attempts. Now, he's certainly taking a step back from the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles to the Panthers, but being a reliable veteran behind Young should help his numbers, especially early in the season when at his healthiest.

Expect Reich and Young to lean on Sanders near the goal line. Sanders' 44 red-zone rushing attempts last season ranked third among all running backs, and he turned those into 10 touchdowns.

In other NFL rushing props for 2023, Sanders has the ninth-best odds to lead the NFL in rushing yards. I greatly prefer the Over on this modest rushing touchdown line from FanDuel.

Here are our best NFL betting sites:

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