The end of the 2023-24 NFL regular season is here. It’s been a season, and bettors are going to get a few more wagers in before playoff betting is locked in.
Week 18’s schedule, playoff spots not clinched, and injuries/rest/nothing to play for will cause a lot of lines and other betting markets to shift drastically. That means the season finale of the best bets column will only feature a few bets.
Too much will change to bet confidently this early in the week, but there are a couple of bets with teams in the hunt/battling for playoff positioning to target.
Jeff Hicks’s 2023 NFL Best Bets Record: 38-45 (-13.5 Units)
*All NFL odds and lines are current as of 11:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Jan. 2.
NFL Week 18 Best Bet
Packers -3 (-110) vs Bears
Caesars Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
Green Bay has a simple path to a playoff berth - beat the Bears. The Packers dispatched the Vikings with ease and now have to face one of the top second-half defenses this season.
The Pack ran on a tough Minnesota D Week 17, and there is no reason to think the motivation of the playoffs would not lead to Aaron Jones, A.J. Dillon (if active due to a stinger), and whichever running back plays as relief trying to tenderize the Bears run defense.
The Bears can play spoiler but continue to suffer from inconsistent blocking in front of Justin Fields, as well as poor play calling beyond scripted plays from offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
Caesars is the only book still listing (-110) with the Packers as three-point favorites.
Keep up with the best NFL odds for Week 18 games
NFL Week 18 ATS Best Bets
Cowboys vs Commanders +13.5 (-110)
FanDuel Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
Dallas has every right to bury Washington while trying to clinch the NFC East, but there is also the possibility of the Cowboys getting up three scores and then resting their starters.
That’s where I want the Commanders and the spread. It’s been a terrible season for the team, but pride is real, and another beatdown is something that the locker room will try to avoid.
It should also be Ron Rivera‘s last game as head coach, so a chunk of players will want to send him out without getting laughed off their home field.
Buccaneers -5 (-110) vs Panthers
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
Speaking of pride, the Panthers have none as they end a forgettable season. Carolina laid down to an injured Jaguars team, and owner David Tepper is going to pay for it, literally, after his actions at the end of the game.
Tampa can win the NFC South by taking out the rotting husk of the Panthers. This is another game where the team looking to get in without help should, and more than likely will, hammer down on the gas to get in the postseason.
NFL Week 18 Over/Under Best Bets
Seahawks vs Cardinals Over 47.5 Points (-110)
FanDuel Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
Arizona is soaring after an upset win in Philadelphia and now gets to bury Seattle’s playoff hopes, assuming the Buccaneers and/or Saints lose in the early window of games.
The Cardinals are 7-0 as the home team and home underdog in hitting the over this season. Doing so with/without Kyler Murray says a lot about the team’s coaching considering the team’s lack of talent and injuries.
Seattle will have to win to have a glimmer of hope of making the playoffs, and thankfully the Cards defense is allowing 31 points per game in the desert this season. The Seahawks are allowing 24 points per game away from Seattle, which means a higher Over/Under is still in play.
