The Indianapolis Colts were the biggest surprise in the National Football League through the first 10 weeks.
Eight wins in 10 games.
Dominance on both sides of the football.
Indianapolis was the first team to clinch the over on its regular season win total (7.5) at FanDuel.
At the time, the Colts were praised as a Super Bowl contender that nobody saw coming.
When Indianapolis solidified its defence with the addition of cornerback Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets at the trade deadline, it seemed as though all the pieces were in place to chase a division title, and a No. 1 seed.
We didn’t know it at the time, but the Colts early success would turn out to be prologue for the real drama.
Since that 8-2 start, they’ve lost three consecutive games, quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending injury, and now – after all that early magic – Indianapolis finds itself on the outside of the AFC playoff picture with four games remaining.
No team’s odds to make the playoffs have fluctuated more at FanDuel.
The Colts were -265 to make the playoffs on Sunday.
That number flipped to +250 after Jones was injured in an ugly loss to the AFC South rival Jacksonville Jaguars.
On Tuesday, Indianapolis signed 44-year-old Philip Rivers out of retirement in a last-ditch effort to save its season.
How did the FanDuel traders react to the signing?
The Colts were +410 to make the playoffs after the move.
Indianapolis to make the playoffs is +430 this morning.
While the Colts front office might believe Rivers can save their season, the betting public is laughing at the idea.
There’s also a flip side to that coin.
If you believe in Rivers, FanDuel just gave you the best odds you’ll see for Indianapolis to make the playoffs.
Remember when everybody mocked the Colts when they named Jones their starting quarterback in August?
It turned out to be a great move.
If they’re right about Rivers the same way they were right about Jones, the final twist in Indy’s season will be the most memorable of them all.
Anybody interested in Colts to make the playoffs at +430?
What about Indianapolis +13.5 at the Seattle Seahawks?
While the Colts prepare for a battle to keep their fading playoff hopes alive in Seattle on Sunday, several teams have already turned their attention to the future.
With the arrival of the fantasy football league playoffs and College Football Bowl season right around the corner, it seems like the ideal time to revisit those franchises that already have their sights beyond this year.
This is the Morning Coffee for Wednesday December 10th, 2025.
A FanDuel Best Bet for Week 15 In The NFL
Full disclosure, I’m wrapping up my best fantasy football season ever thanks to my friends at Fantasy Points.
A huge shout out to Scott Barrett, Jacob Gibbs, and the rest of their team for the work they’ve done all season.
I’ll need them to be at their best the rest of the way as the toughest decisions I’ll have to make are still to come.
None will be more difficult than my starting QB spot.
Jayden Daniels has been banged up all season, and the Washington Commanders have little incentive to win.
Jaxson Dart has produced at an elite level when healthy, but the New York Giants are also focused on the future.
The Miami Dolphins have an elite schedule for Week 16 and Week 17 on paper, but Tua Tagovailoa is awful.
There’s another name I’ve had my eye on in Cleveland Browns rookie QB Shedeur Sanders, who just posted the best fantasy score of any quarterback other than Josh Allen in Week 14.
Unfortunately, Sanders won’t get to face the Tennessee Titans again this season.
The Browns face the Buffalo Bills in Week 16 and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17.
Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy, Tyler Shough, and Cam Ward round out a thin list of waiver wire options to consider.
Then there’s the 44-year-old Rivers, who is reportedly in the best shape of his life despite having not played in the NFL since 2020.
Rivers opened +4000 to win AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year at FanDuel on Tuesday.
He’s down to +1500 as the third choice behind Christian McCaffrey (-140) and Dak Prescott (+140) this morning.
The fact that I’d even consider Rivers or Sanders as the QB1 for my 13-1 fantasy football team in the semi-finals underscores how absurd this season has been.
With the Commanders and Giants both turning their focus to the future, I might not have a better option.
Washington and New York both have their franchise QBs.
As it stands this morning, the Giants are in pole position for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft at 2-11.
The Titans and Las Vegas Raiders are also both 2-11.
Would Tennessee considering moving on from Ward after just one season if they end up with the No. 1 pick?
The Raiders certainly need to find a franchise QB.
Then there’s the Commanders, Saints, Browns, Arizona Cardinals and the New York Jets at 3-10.
Tyler Shough has impressed in New Orleans but still hasn’t done enough to be considered a franchise QB.
Sanders is in the middle of his audition for the Browns, as well as any other team in need of a quarterback.
The Jets certainly need a franchise quarterback.
The same is true for the Cardinals with a potential split from Kyler Murray on the horizon.
At this point, the best scenario for all these teams would be to finish with the worst possible record and improve their draft position.
We’ll see if that turns out to be the case this weekend.
Personally, I’d be happy to fade as many of those teams as possible at a better price.
A two-team parlay with Houston to beat Arizona and Jacksonville to beat New York would pay -324 at FanDuel.
Obviously, the sportsbooks understand what’s at stake in Week 15 and will limit their exposure with some extremely lopsided matchups on paper.
That said, I still think there’s value pairing the Texans and Jaguars to win outright at home with the Pittsburgh Steelers to take care of business against the Dolphins on Monday Night Football.
The Steelers are coming off a massive win over the Baltimore Ravens to seize control of the AFC North.
Now they have an opportunity to inch closer to a division title with a home game against an inferior opponent.
Under Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh is 22-5 straight up on Monday Night Football, including 11-1 at home.
Meanwhile, Tua has been awful in cold weather games.
Tagovailoa is 0-5 straight up and 1-4 against the spread in outdoor games when the temperature is five degrees Celsius or lower.
Those five losses have come by an average of 19.2 points.
Tua is also 1-8 straight up in NFL prime-time games.
The Dolphins have won four in a row to improve to 6-7 on the season, but I’ll bet on that streak to end on Monday.
Give me a three-team moneyline parlay with the Steelers, Jaguars, and Texans to all win outright at +100.
Have a great day, everyone!
