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AEW WrestleDream is finally here, and BetOnline has dropped the final betting odds just hours before bell time. With a stacked card set for October 18 at the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, the numbers give a clear picture of who the oddsmakers expect to walk out victorious.

For the AEW World Championship, “Hangman†Adam Page is the overwhelming favorite to retain, sitting at -3000 against Samoa Joe, who comes in at +800. The AEW Womenâ€s World Championship also shows a heavy favorite, with Kris Statlander at -700 to beat “Timeless†Toni Storm, who has +400 odds.

The I Quit Match between Jon Moxley and Darby Allin tells a different story, with Allin pegged as the favorite at -700 while Moxley lags behind at +400. Kyle Fletcher is nearly untouchable in the AEW TNT Championship battle, standing at -2000 against Mark Briscoeâ€s +700.

The AEW World Tag Team Championship odds lean toward Brodido at -175, but the Don Callis Family (Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita) are close at +135, hinting at one of the tighter matchups on the card. Meanwhile, Jamie Hayter is a massive -1000 favorite against Thekla at +550.

In the trios division, The Demand are -150 favorites against The Hurt Syndicate at +110. For the $500,000 tag team challenge, Jurassic Express are -200 favorites against The Young Bucks, who sit at +150.

These odds suggest AEW WrestleDream will be dominated by champions retaining their gold, with only a few matches showing the potential for an upset.

Full breakdown of the final betting odds:

• AEW World Championship
  • “Hangman†Adam Page (c): -3000
  • Samoa Joe: +800
• AEW Womenâ€s World Championship
  • Kris Statlander (c): -700
  • “Timeless†Toni Storm: +400
• I Quit Match
  • Darby Allin: -700
  • Jon Moxley: +400
• AEW TNT Championship
  • Kyle Fletcher (c): -2000
  • Mark Briscoe: +700
• AEW World Tag Team Championship
  • Brodido (c): -175
  • Don Callis Family (Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita): +135
• Singles Womenâ€s Match
  • Jamie Hayter: -1000
  • Thekla: +550
• Trios Match
  • The Demand: -150
  • The Hurt Syndicate: +110
• $500,000 Challenge
  • Jurassic Express: -200
  • The Young Bucks: +150

As a reminder, Ringside News will have live play-by-play coverage of the event over in our AEW WrestleDream section.

Do you think the betting odds got it right, or will we see a shocker at WrestleDream tonight? Share your predictions in the comments and let us know who youâ€re putting your money on.

October 18, 2025 10:09 am

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A dominant effort from yet another Dodgers†starting pitcher and just enough timely hitting has the Dodgers on the brink of a return trip to the World Series.

Tyler Glasnow allowed one run and just three hits over 5.2 innings as the Dodgers won Game 3 against the Brewers, 3-1. Tommy Edman and Mookie Betts each drove in a run but the story as it was in Games 1 and 2 was about the Dodgers†hurlers. This was more of a collaborative effort than the previous two games, but it was again dominant, nonetheless. Glasnow and four relievers allowed four hits while striking out 12 in putting the Dodgers on the brink of a sweep of the team with the best regular season record in the National League.

The freight train that is the Los Angeles Dodgers is now 8-1 this postseason (13-1 dating back into the regular season). Milwaukee has yet to announce who will start Game 4 for them. Los Angeles will send Shohei Ohtani to the bump with an eye on punching their ticket to the World Series.

Lets dive into the matchup and the numbers and perhaps find a sweat or two.

Weâ€ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Brewers at Dodgers – NLCS Game 4

• Date: Friday, October 17, 2025
• Time: 8:38PM EST
• Site: Dodger Stadium
• City: Los Angeles, CA
• Network/Streaming: TBS

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Brewers at the Dodgers – NLCS Game 4

The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:

• Moneyline: Milwaukee Brewers (+162), Los Angeles Dodgers (-200)
• Spread: Dodgers -1.5 (+109)
• Total: 8.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Brewers at Dodgers – NLCS Game 4

• Pitching matchup for October 17, 2025: TBD vs. Shohei Ohtani
  • Brewers: TBD
    Last outing: Its not like Milwaukee pitchers have struggled in this series. LA is hitting just .267 through three games.
  • Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani
    Last outing: 10/4 at Philadelphia – 6IP, 3ER, 3H, 1BB, 9Ks
    Ohtani got knocked around in Philadelphia after not allowing a run in the previous 14.2 innings

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Brewers at Dodgers – NLCS Game 4

• Mookie Betts is 11-37 (.297) this postseason
• Enrique Hernandez is 11-32 (.344) this postseason
• Teoscar Hernandez leads the Dodgers with 23 Total Bases this postseason
• Brice Turang is 1-12 this series
• Christian Yelich is 1-11 this series
• Andrew Vaughn is 0-10 this series
• Jackson Chourio is 1-11 this series

If youâ€re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonightâ€s NLCS Game 4 between the Brewers and the Dodgers

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Fridayâ€s game between the Brewers and the Dodgers:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Milwaukee Brewers at +1.5.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC Sports.

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

• Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
• Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
• Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
• Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)

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After dominating performances from Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the first two games of the National League Championship series, the Dodgers and the Brewers have flown west for at least Games 3 and 4 at Chavez Ravine with Los Angeles in control of the series leading two games to none.

Pat Murphy is undecided or at least has yet to announce who his starting pitcher will be tonight. The Dodgers will send Tyler Glasnow to the bump.

Snell and Yamamoto combined in Games 1 and 2 to pitch 17 innings, giving up just one run, four hits, and one home run while striking out 17 Milwaukee Brewers. The consecutive starts of at least eight innings in a postseason series by Snell and Yamamoto were the first since Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum did it for the San Francisco Giants in the 2010 World Series.

Obviously, the Brewers need to find a way to get their offense on track if they are to climb back into this series. They have just five hits and have scored just two runs through two games. Jackson Chourio is the sparkplug for the Brewers†offense. He did go yard against Yamamoto to lead off Game 2, but he is just 1-7 in the series after going 8-18 against the Cubs in the Division series. The obvious statement is Milwaukee needs Chourio and his mates to reach base early and often tonight before Glasnow can gain his footing.

Lets dive into Game 3 of the NLCS matchup between the Brewers and the Dodgers and find a sweat or two.

Weâ€ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Brewers at Dodgers – NLCS Game 3

• Date: Thursday, October 16, 2025
• Time: 6:08PM EST
• Site: Dodger Stadium
• City: Los Angeles, CA
• Network/Streaming: TBS

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Brewers at the Dodgers – NLCS Game 3

The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of DraftKings:

• Moneyline: Brewers (+163), Dodgers (-201)
• Spread: Dodgers -1.5 (+104)
• Total: 7.5 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Brewers at Dodgers – NLCS Game 3

• Pitching matchup for October 16, 2025: TBD vs. Tyler Glasnow
  • Brewers: TBD
    Pitching has not been the issue for the Brewers as Milwaukee hurlers have allowed seven runs over the first two games of the NLCS
  • Dodgers: Tyler Glasnow (4-3, 3.19 ERA)
    Last outing: 10/9 vs. Philadelphia – 6IP, 0ER, 2H, 3BB, 8Ks
    Glasnow has yet to allow a run in 7.2 innings of work in his first two postseason appearances this season

Rotoworld has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Brewers at Dodgers – NLCS Game 3

• Christian Yelich is 0-13 over the last 4 games of the playoffs
• William Contreras is 0-7 in this series and 1-16 over the last 4 games of the playoffs
• Shohei Ohtani is 1-16 over his last 4 games and 2-25 over his last 6
• Teoscar Hernandez is 10-34 in the playoffs this season including 4 HRs
• Freddie Freeman is 3-10 in this series

If youâ€re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonightâ€s Game 3 between the Brewers and the Dodgers

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Thursdayâ€s game between the Brewers and the Dodgers:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Milwaukee Brewers at +1.5.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page fromNBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

• Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
• Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
• Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
• Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)

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Across all sports, I am generally not a big fan of preseason futures. To me, sports betting is one giant math equation and my primary source of income. The return on investment needed to outweigh churning a bankroll for the six-plus months of a season is a difficult proposition to justify. The risk vs. reward ratio matched up against simply investing the same money in other financial markets without a complete loss factor generally makes it unwise.

The theoretical hold of many futures betting markets is 1.5-2 times higher than single-game markets. That has always made no sense to me — if the sportsbook gets to keep my wager pending for multiple months instead of multiple hours — I believe the margins for the house should decrease and not increase.

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With all that said, though, I absolutely love betting NBA win totals.

Win-total betting mitigates a lot of the concerns of most futures markets — and there are large and quantifiable edges to obtain.

Letâ€s address why these markets are worth betting into, and then letâ€s talk about the three most obvious teams to target.

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Right now at BetMGM, you’ll see the same odds on NBA win totals as you do on normal NBA games: -110 on both sides of the ledger. That means the theoretical market hold — a nerdy gambling term to describe a book’s expected rake rate — is the exact same as game-to-game betting. When betting player awards and title winners, the large payouts look nice but the back-end math is less kind to the bettor.

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The next factor is “outs,†or different places to enter the market. Win-total markets remain up pretty much all season. A bettor can re-position, double down, hedge out or open a middle with relative ease. Juxtapose this with trying to bet some awards, and hedging becomes messy with multiple other options and unclear award criteria.

Lastly, these bets are generally the fastest to process of any futures market. Once a team automatically hits either the over by exceeding its win total with multiple games left, or mathematically hits the under, the bet can cash toward the end of the regular season. Player awards are announced during the playoffs and title winners have to wait until mid-June, so getting that bankroll back in early April factors into the equation.

So where should we put our money for this upcoming 2025-2026 NBA season?

Does Brandon Ingram make the Raptors a better team? (Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

(Andrew Francis Wallace via Getty Images)

1. Toronto Raptors (over/under 37.5 wins)

Last season, the Raptors were ATS darlings. They ranked second in the NBA only behind the title-winning Oklahoma City Thunder against the spread, covering over 59% of their games (48-33-1). Considering they were so often priced as underdogs and only had 30 wins, they showed they were able to hang with teams of all caliber relative to market expectations. This was in large part due to an impressive young coach in Darko Rajaković and a deep roster of young, talented players.

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This offseason they made the transition from being a development team to a team intending to win, and the win-totals market does not fully reflect that yet. Toronto added Brandon Ingram and re-signed him to an extension. The Raptors also re-signed Jakob Poeltl, a stable starting center who is impressive on defense, setting screens and is an elite passer. Toronto also drafted one of the most pro-ready prospects in Collin Murray-Boyles from South Carolina.

The starting five likely looks like: Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Ingram, Scottie Barnes and Poeltl, while bringing in sharp-shooter Gradey Dick off the bench. This is a really improved team in a weak Eastern Conference.

I think the Raptors’ ceiling can be as a top-six seed, missing the play-in all together and being an outright playoff team. I am playing their win total over, their odds to make the playoffs and even some further long shots. I love the Raptors’ prospects this season.

Bet: Over 37.5 wins

2. Portland Trail Blazers (O/U 35.5)

In an era when offensive output drives regular-season winning, the Blazers doubled down on defense this offseason. They traded one of their most potent scorers for the aging and defensive-minded Jrue Holiday. They bought out Deandre Ayton, who does provide an offensive boost, only to give his minutes to Donovan Clingan — a very defensive-oriented center, and they’ll play rookie center Yang Hansen and let him learn from his mistakes. Lastly, they put together a really nice midseason run in late January into early February when the team went 10-1.

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But if we look back further, since Jan. 1 they went 25-25. Their big run was more anomalous than anything else. However, the ownership group was re-energized, it re-signed coach Chauncey Billups in what I think was the wrong decision, and decided to run it back with a very similar cast. This team will not be a play-in contender and will not keep pace in the Western Conference.

Bet: Under 35.5 wins

3. Phoenix Suns (O/U 31.5)

The Suns are one of the three teams that lost the most national TV games for this season. That makes sense with the trade of Kevin Durant and the buyout of Bradley Beal, but the pricing in the betting market reflects those changes — and perhaps a little too much.

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Phoenix finally has two centers to fill some of the defensive gaps after trading for Mark Williams at the deadline and drafting Khaman Maluach. Jordan Ott takes over the head-coaching duties, and early reports are very positive about some of his offensive innovation. I think Ott will be able to get the most out of Jalen Green, who never quite fit in with the Houston Rockets.

[Check out all of Yahoo’s sports betting content here in our new betting hub]

Devin Booker has thrived in point guard duties in the past and now is flanked by Green and Dillon Brooks, two players who are surprisingly capable as catch-and-shoot players. Brooks was vastly improved as a shooter last season and shot 39.7% on a solid 6.3 attempts per game from 3-point range, which is actually borderline elite. Even a slight regression still has Brooks as a very capable and reliable shooter now.

Last year this team had star power, but it was redundant because each key piece aimed to fill the same role; now it is more balanced and will be a more well-rounded roster. I don’t think the Suns will win close to 50 games, but I very much like them to go over their win total.

Bet: Over 31.5 wins

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Bookmakers across the sportsbook marketplace don’t see a consensus Stanley Cup favorite as the Florida Panthers gear up to attempt a very rare NHL three-peat.

The Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers are the co-favorites (+800) at ESPN BET, with the Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights and Panthers at +900, and the Tampa Bay Lightning at +1000. However, no major American sportsbook has the same combination of solo or co-favorites, with Florida and Vegas taking the top billing at some shops.

“The way I look at it, there’s no real clear-cut, short favorite,” DraftKings Sportsbook director Johnny Avello told ESPN. “This year, it’s more wide open at the top, and then you have a whole second tier of teams that are in that 20-to-40 range. There’s another 10 teams there. Could the Stanley Cup winner come from there? Absolutely. But the top tier has eight teams that we believe will contend for the title.”

The last preseason Stanley Cup favorite to win it all was Colorado (+600) in the 2021-22 season.

The Panthers opened as one of the favorites to win the Cup immediately following their second straight championship. They were +600 solo favorites by mid-September following offseason contract extensions for Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett — despite offseason surgery for superstar Matthew Tkachuk, who is expected back before the new year.

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However, a training camp knee injury to captain Aleksander Barkov, which is expected to keep him out for the entire regular season, if not longer, derailed Florida’s Stanley Cup lines at most books. Several operations immediately dropped the team’s championship odds, with ESPN BET briefly lengthening them to +1000.

Still, action on the Cats has remained robust, with ESPN BET reporting its highest portion of bets (17.1%) and handle (21.4%) backing them to three-peat, while BetMGM says the team’s 13.8% handle is the second-highest in the market. Some bookmakers, such as Karry Shreeve, the head of hockey at Caesars Sportsbook, refused to even dethrone the Panthers as favorites, noting that Barkov and Tkachuk’s injuries have more effect on the team’s regular-season odds.

“We’re not ready to drop them in price significantly, at least for the Stanley Cup, just because I’m not convinced who’s going to fill their spot [in the playoffs],” Shreeve told ESPN. “So long as Florida’s getting into the playoffs again, as far as right now, not knowing anything else, they’re still, to me, the favorite. Not by a lot, but still a favorite, and not a team we’re willing to push out in price just yet.”

Several sportsbooks, including DraftKings and ESPN BET, are instead high on the Hurricanes, even though bettors are backing them at a relatively low clip in terms of both the number of tickets and money wagered.

“Carolina is one of the most consistently dominant teams we have seen in recent years, having recouped some talent over the summer as they look to make another deep run,” ESPN BET senior director Adrian Horton said by email. “Patrons will likely have their postseason struggles in mind, but it took the Panthers at full steam to eliminate them. We fully expect Carolina to be back battling in the playoffs.”

In the favorites tier, bettors are more focused on the Avalanche, who have garnered the third-highest handle at BetMGM and ESPN BET. Beyond the first tier, many patrons are keying on the Toronto Maple Leafs (+1600), who have taken the most tickets and money at BetMGM.

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  Sean AllenOct 6, 2025, 03:02 PM ET

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  Sean Allen is a contributing writer for fantasy hockey and betting at ESPN. He was the 2008 and 2009 FSWA Hockey Writer of the Year.

Everyone loves hitting the long shot. It feels validating when your particular belief or gut feeling, as counterintuitive as it may appear to the masses, turns out to be exactly what happens.

The payout ain’t too shabby, either.

How long is a long shot? ESPN BET futures on some of the individual players go as deep as 500-1, which would be a $500 return on a $1 bet.

More often than not, the long shot comes agonizingly close only to lose to a chalk bet. William Nylander for the Rocket Richard Trophy and Zach Werenski for the Norris last season are great examples. They finished second to Leon Draisaitl and Cale Makar, respectively, but were both 100-1 bets prior to the 2024-25 season.

Sometimes, though, the wildest of long shots will pan out. The Washington Capitals were 100-1 to win the Presidents’ Trophy before last season, but a confluence of great coaching, breakout players and vintage Alex Ovechkin had them atop the overall standings by the season’s end.

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As we offer up some long shots to discuss, keep in mind that the point of this column isn’t to suggest you back these same long shots. The idea is to highlight some of the logical conclusions — some might call them mental gymnastics — that you can use to identify which long shots to lock in before the puck drops on 2025-26.

This isn’t a “bet this exact player” guide. It’s a mental exercise in spotting value.

All odds accurate as of publish time. For more, go to ESPN BET.

Stanley Cup winner 2025-26

St. Louis Blues
Odds:50-1

They were the ultimate long-shot story once before, going from bottom-feeder midseason to a magical Stanley Cup victory in 2019. They have the formula for playoff success: sharp coaching, reliable big-game goaltending, depth at forward and a stalwart blue line. It’s the kind of mix that could click just right in the postseason, mimicking the recent runs of the Florida Panthers.

They don’t have all the pieces, of course, but the puzzle could come together: Robert Thomas levels up to superstar, Jimmy Snuggerud becomes a rookie sniper, and the Blues acquire a game-breaking blueliner.

For a Stanley Cup long shot, you want a clear path that makes at least some sense for all the ingredients in the playoff recipe.

To make the playoffs

San Jose Sharks
Odds: 15-1

The rebuild is coming together, but the Sharks aren’t ready yet. Still, when considering playoff qualification props, they check a few boxes.

First, is there room? In the Western Conference, only the Vegas Golden Knights (-1200), Edmonton Oilers (-1200), Colorado Avalanche (-1000) and Dallas Stars (-900) carry extremely short odds, but everyone else is -350 or longer. That leaves some theoretical wiggle room.

The path to regular-season success requires consistency, which the Sharks don’t have yet.

With superstar-level prospect talent, there’s a world in which this team comes together. Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, William Eklund, Michael Misa, Sam Dickinson and Yaroslav Askarov all have breakout potential. If reclamation projects like Jeff Skinner, John Klingberg and Philipp Kurashev also pan out … maybe. Just maybe.

Hart Trophy winner

Nick Suzuki
Odds: 500-1

To take home the Hart Trophy, a player needs to be the team leader, carry the club to success and have a case as the most dominant player at the position. This makes Suzuki an incredibly hard long shot. Even Connor Hellebuyck, who surprised everyone last season, was only 150-1.

Still, the next generation of NHL talent will break through at some stage. It’s hard to see any 500-1 props beating Connor McDavid (+200), Nathan MacKinnon (+475) or Nikita Kucherov (+650), but here’s a case for Suzuki.

If the Montreal Canadiens put together an improbable run to a division title and if Suzuki’s statistics soar from a dominant power play with Ivan Demidov, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky to push him into the Art Ross race … well, actually, those are the only “if” statements we need to get him into consideration.

When taking a long shot at the Hart, aim not for the sky, aim for outer space.

Rocket Richard Trophy winner

How many goals will Dylan Guenther score this season with an increased opportunity? Eli Rehmer/NHLI via Getty Images

Dylan Guenther
Odds: 400-1

In the era of Alex Ovechkin and Auston Matthews, the NHL goal-scoring lead rarely surprises. For long shots here, the keys are proven ability and room to grow.

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Guenther fits that mold. Last season he played only 70 games, averaging 17 minutes of ice time per game. The Utah Mammoth are aiming to take a leap forward, with Guenther as an offensive catalyst. If his role expands to a full 82-game slate at 20 minutes per game, even with the same shooting rate, he’d reach 281 shots on goal. A bump in shooting percentage from 13.2% to 16% — plausible for a top winger — gets him to 45 goals. Add a little luck, and he’s a Rocket contender.

You could make similar arguments for other long-shot candidates, but the key is to find players with proven ability and a clear runway to showcase it.

Vezina Trophy winner

John Gibson
Odds: 250-1

When considering Vezina futures, the key is simple: volume. A goaltender needs to start 50-plus games to even be in the mix. That rules out many long shots unless you’re betting on an injury to a starter.

Gibson, however, has a path. The Detroit Red Wings project to play winning hockey, and the “Yzerplan” appears ready to start paying dividends. If Gibson stays healthy and gets a full crease share, the volume and wins boxes are checked.

That leaves just one more ingredient: form. Gibson still carries the pedigree from his Vezina-caliber seasons in 2015-16 and 2018-19 with the Anaheim Ducks. Mix in a little long-shot luck, and he becomes a very plausible surprise candidate — exactly the kind of upside to look for when scanning futures odds.

Norris Trophy winner

MacKenzie Weegar
Odds:300-1

Let’s be real, any Norris pick that isn’t Cale Makar is basically a bet on Makar missing significant time this season.

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Offense remains the main criterion for the trophy. Weegar is just one season removed from 20 goals and 52 points. If the Calgary Flames trade Rasmus Andersson, that could free up even more offensive opportunities from the blue line for him.

Beyond offense, Weegar excels at defensive elements that often get overlooked for the Norris, like making checks, blocking shots and tilting the ice.

Even with Makar performing at his usual level, a long-shot defender can wedge into the conversation by combining strong defensive play with gaudy offensive numbers. Weegar has shown he can do both.

Most rookie points

Arseny Gritsyuk
Odds: 40-1

With points, Gritsyuk is way down among the props, yet has a potential path to success. His skills aren’t in doubt and he created plenty of offense in the KHL. The Devils need to bolster scoring on the wings next to their two star centers. While it’s a long shot for him to both secure playing time and post enough points to lead rookies, the opportunity is there if he can seize it.

When evaluating rookie long shots, the talent is usually present, but the key is finding those with a path to the top of the depth chart.

Most shots on goal

Owen Tippett
Odds: 400-1

Consider this: among players with at least 75 games over the past two seasons, Tippett ranks eighth in shots per minute – just behind Alex Ovechkin and just ahead of Tage Thompson.

Shots on goal is all about mindset and a coach willing to let a player fire at will. The leaders are usually the same names each season, so for a new player to jump into the mix, something has to change. With Tippett, the change could come from new coach Rick Tocchet increasing his ice time from 16 minutes per game closer to 20. That makes him an intriguing long-shot bet, as the other pieces are already in place.

With more opportunities to fire, he could go from long shot to contender.

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It’s very difficult to three-peat as champion in any major professional sport, but especially in the modern era of the NHL. The league has not seen any team win at least three consecutive Stanley Cups since the New York Islanders won four straight from 1980 to 1983; since the salary cap was implemented in 2005, only three teams have even repeated as champions.

Thus, the two-time reigning champion Florida Panthers will look to become the first three-peat Stanley Cup winners of the salary cap era and sportsbooks, at least initially, liked their odds to do so, as they were co-favorites (+700) to win the 2026 title immediately following their 2025 win, per ESPN BET odds.

Those odds only improved over the summer after the Panthers locked in team-friendly extensions with Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett, making them +600 solo favorites approaching the end of September. Even offseason groin surgery for superstar Matthew Tkachuk couldn’t stop Florida’s momentum, as ESPN BET senior director Adrian Horton noted a “large influx of Panthers action,” with bettors understanding that the injury will not keep him out the entire season.

Then it got worse: On Sept. 25, captain Aleksander Barkov went down with a knee injury that required surgery and almost certainly rules him out for the entire regular season, possibly longer. Several books immediately lengthened Florida’s Stanley Cup odds, with ESPN BET raising them to +1000, sixth on the odds board.

And yet, the action backing the Panthers remains robust. ESPN BET reports its highest share of Stanley Cup bets (17.1%) and handle (21.4%) backing the Cats, with BetMGM reporting 13.8% of handle, second-best in the market.

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ESPN BET has since shortened Florida back to +900 (tied for second-best) and some shops, like Caesars Sportsbook, never dethroned the team from favorite status at all. The sportsbook’s head of hockey, Karry Shreeve, said that while his oddsmaking team took Barkov’s injury into effect for markets like President’s Trophy winner and team point total, he believes that they’re always a threat to win the Stanley Cup if they can just get to the playoffs.

“They’re really tricky. For us, it’s definitely dependent on what the market is. So those injuries, in my opinion right now, really just affect the regular season and everything that comes with that,” Shreeve told ESPN. “But we’re not ready to drop them in price significantly, at least for the Stanley Cup, just because I’m not convinced who’s going to fill their spot [in the playoffs].”

“Last season they faced a full gauntlet in the playoffs, eliminating tough opponents in Tampa, Toronto, Carolina, and Edmonton on their way to a second title,” Horton said over email. “Even if they struggle during the regular season, they’ve proved over the last two years that they need to be considered a favorite when gearing up for the postseason, especially if Barkov can return.”

See more: Preseason power rankings | Stanley Cup odds | Fantasy hockey draft guide

Crowded field of Stanley Cup challengers

Of course, the Panthers are far from the only team vying for the Stanley Cup and there is a bevy of contenders at the top, with seven teams showing odds of +1000 or shorter at ESPN BET.

The logjam of favorites sporting +800 odds include the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers, the Cup runners-up two years running. Just beyond that lie the Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights and Panthers at +900, with the Tampa Bay Lightning coming in at +1000.

The odds fluctuate greatly from book to book, with BetMGM, for one, installing Vegas as a favorite alongside Edmonton, while DraftKings has Carolina as the solo favorite. ESPN BET priced the Hurricanes competitively, seeing this as potentially the year its talented core finally breaks through.

“Carolina is one of the most consistently dominant teams we have seen in recent years, having recouped some talent over the summer as they look to make another deep run,” said Horton. “Patrons will likely have their postseason struggles in mind, but it took the Panthers at full steam to eliminate them. We fully expect Carolina to be back battling in the playoffs.”

The Canes have not attracted such significant public attention, with BetMGM ranking them fifth (6.5%) and ESPN BET ranking them seventh (5.7%) in Stanley Cup bet share. Instead, bettors are largely backing the Avalanche and Golden Knights in the favorites tier.

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But outside of the top contenders, American bettors are largely turning their attention north of the border. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been unequivocally one of the most-bet teams for the Stanley Cup across the sportsbook marketplace, taking a leading 10.6% of tickets and 15.0% of handle at BetMGM, who lowered them to +1600 from +2000 at open. They aren’t the only Canadian team attracting public attention.

“After a late season surge last year there is also betting interest in the Canadiens,” BetMGM senior trader Matthew Rasp said in a release. “We expect Montreal to take another step forward and for liability to grow on the team.”

To that end, Toronto has garnered the most bets (17.4%) to win the Eastern Conference, while Montreal has gotten the most handle (20.1%) in the market at the sportsbook.

In general, though, bookmakers aren’t sweating Canada’s Stanley Cup drought finally ending after 33 years, with the exception of possibly Edmonton getting it done. Shreeve said he is “comfortable” with the price he is offering on the Leafs despite the action, while DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello is expecting the winner to come from the cluster of favorites.

“The way I look at it, there’s no real clear-cut, short favorite,” Avello told ESPN. “This year, it’s more wide open at the top, and then you have a whole second tier of teams that are in that 20-to-40 range. There’s another 10 teams there. Could the Stanley Cup winner come from there? Absolutely. But the top tier has eight teams that we believe will contend for the title.”

The last preseason Stanley Cup favorite to win the title was the Avalanche (+600) in 2022.

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Auston Matthews nets goal for Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews tallies goal vs. Red Wings

Can money buy his Hart?

The 2025-26 NHL season will mark the 100th awarding of the Hart Memorial Trophy to the league’s most valuable player, so it could be fitting that a multi-time winner of the award who is well on his way to becoming an all-time great comes into the campaign as a huge favorite.

Oiler captain Connor McDavid is +200 at ESPN BET, holding a relatively large lead over Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (+475) and Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov (+650), former Hart winners themselves.

While McDavid’s preseason odds aren’t unprecedented — he was actually shorter to open the previous two seasons — they are significant given the hockey world is watching him on and off the ice. On the eve of Opening Night, McDavid signed a two-year, $25 million extension to stay with the Oilers beyond this season, following much free agency speculation after the team’s second straight Cup Final defeat.

“With McDavid, it just helps that he’s inherently already going to be the favorite for a lot of these awards,” Shreeve said. “So just because of who he is already … we don’t have to make him even more of a favorite.”

Speaking of new contracts, Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov signed a record-setting eight-year, $136 million deal at the end of September, which may have generated some buzz around him in the Hart betting markets. The winger has garnered the most wagers at ESPN BET and BetMGM, also attracting the most handle at the former (17.6%). He shows +1200 odds at ESPN BET, fifth on the board.

Bettors are also buying into the idea that a goalie could repeat for the Hart Trophy after Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck took home the hardware last season. Bookmakers at BetMGM, DraftKings and ESPN BET all report liabilities on goalies like Hellebuyck (+3000), Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy (100-1) and the New York Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin (100-1).

Shreeve sees that happening as “unlikely” and the numbers certainly back him up there: Out of the Hart’s 99 awardings, only nine have gone to goalies and just once in repeat years — both to Dominik Hasek in 1997 and 1998.

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Kirill Kaprizov’s top plays from last season

Check out Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov’s top plays from the 2024-25 season.

Calder betting: Get to know the name Ivan Demidov

The betting market for the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the league’s rookie of the year, can be a strange one.

Shreeve notes that the overall handle for Calder winner is relatively small compared to other NHL future markets, likely owing to unfamiliarity with the names in question. “We just don’t know as much about these guys as we would in the NBA or NFL because we don’t grow up with these guys,” he said. “A lot of them are European, a lot of them just playing in leagues we’re not familiar with.”

Thus, the markets often end up with a situation where one flashy name rises above the rest to be the preseason favorite. Sometimes it results in the favorite going the distance — such as Connor Bedard (-135) in 2023-24 and Auston Matthews (-130) in 2016-17 — and sometimes it doesn’t, for mitigating circumstances or otherwise, such as when McDavid came into the 2015-16 season at +130, but lost the award to Artemi Panarin (+2200) after sustaining an injury.

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This year, the name is Ivan Demidov of the Canadiens, who is an overwhelming +165 favorite at ESPN BET; the next closest players — Oilers forward Isaac Howard, San Jose Sharks forward Michael Misa and Wild defenseman Zeev Buium– are in a three-way tie for second at +1200.

Because of the lack of name recognition, bookmakers chalk up Demidov’s status as the favorite to bettor activity rather than on expert consensus. At ESPN BET, Demidov holds a whopping 73.1% of the handle to win the award, and he also has the most tickets and money at BetMGM.

“Demidov is an interesting case as he made a splash at the end of last season and is still eligible for the Calder this year,” said Horton. “The media frenzy around his debut is a leading factor in the early opinion of him to be a standout favorite.”

The only other name garnering any sort of notable attention is Blackhawks defenseman Sam Rinzel (+2500), who Avello notes has become a liability at DraftKings due to his long odds.

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The betting odds have been released via MyBookie for this Saturday’s major international Premium Live Event, WWE Crown Jewel. The event, which will take place in Perth, Australia, on October 11, is set to feature two “Champion vs. Champion” bouts, a historic final encounter on John Cena’s retirement tour, and a heated women’s tag team match.

In the men’s Champion vs. Champion match, the current World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins, is a significant favorite to defeat the Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes. In the women’s Champion vs. Champion encounter, the new Women’s World Champion, Stephanie Vaquer, is favored to win against the reigning WWE Women’s Champion, Tiffany Stratton. For his final match ever in Australia, John Cena is a massive favorite to defeat his long-time rival, AJ Styles.

A minus sign (-) indicates the favorite, while a plus sign (+) indicates the underdog. The current betting odds for the event are below:

Menâ€s Champion vs. Champion Match: Cody Rhodes (+200) vs. Seth Rollins (-300)

Womenâ€s Champion vs. Champion Match: Tiffany Stratton (+160) vs. Stephanie Vaquer (-225)

John Cena (-1000) vs. AJ Styles (+500)

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The PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Fall Series rolls on this week as the Tour heads to Japan for the 2025 Baycurrent Classic at Yokohama Country Club, where two-time major champion Xander Schauffele is the outright betting favorite. Here’s everything you need to know about the Baycurrent Classic odds and other betting favorites to start the week.

Baycurrent Classic betting favorites

After taking a week off following their Ryder Cup loss at Bethpage Black, two members of Team USA will tee it up this week in Japan: Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa.

Despite a down season, Schauffele enters the week as the betting favorite at +1000 odds-to-win. Schauffele started to rediscover his form late in the summer. He carded back-to-back top-10 finishes at the Genesis Scottish Open and Open Championship. But he followed that up with mediocre showings in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, where he went T22-T28 while failing to make the Tour Championship.

Morikawa comes in second on the odds board at +1600 odds-to-win. He’s followed by Hideki Matsuyamaat +1800 odds-to-win.

Highlights from the final round of the Sanderson Farms

2025 Genesis Scottish Open champion Chris Gotterup is next at +2200 odds-to-win, along with European Ryder Cup vice captain Alex Noren and Kurt Kitayama.

You can see the top 20 and ties in the Baycurrent Classic betting odds as of Monday morning below, or download the Fanatics Sportsbook app to see the full list of odds and bets for this week.

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2025 Baycurrent Classic odds

Xander Schauffele (+1000)
Collin Morikawa (+1600)
Hideki Matsuyama (+1800)
Alex Noren (+2200)
Chris Gotterup (+2200)
Kurt Kitayama (+2200)
Si Woo Kim (+2500)
Rasmus Hojgaard (+2800)
Garrick Higgo (+3300)
Kevin Yu (+3300)
Min Woo Lee (+3500)
Wyndham Clark (+3500)
Michael Kim (+3500)
Michael Thorbjornsen (+3500)
Max Homa (+4000)
Adam Scott (+4000)
Sungjae Im (+4500)
Vince Whaley (+4500)
Gary Woodland (+4500)
Emiliano Grillo (+4500)

Josh Schrock

Golf.com Editor

Josh Schrock is a writer and reporter for Golf.com. Before joining GOLF, Josh was the Chicago Bears insider for NBC Sports Chicago. He previously covered the 49ers and Warriors for NBC Sports Bay Area. A native Oregonian and UO alum, Josh spends his free time hiking with his wife and dog, thinking of how the Ducks will break his heart again, and trying to become semi-proficient at chipping. A true romantic for golf, Josh will never stop trying to break 90 and never lose faith that Rory McIlroy’s major drought will end (updated: he did it). Josh Schrock can be reached at josh.schrock@golf.com.

If you want to know what really fires up San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, tell him he’s an underdog going into a game against Sean McVay.

After the 49ers’ dramatic 26-23 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, Mac Jones told reporters that Shanahan “was pissed” they entered the game as betting underdogs:

“Kyle came up to me, and he was pissed about it. He’s like, ‘Dude, I can’t believe they moved us to underdogs again,’ or like more [extreme underdogs] or whatever. And I’m like, ‘I don’t know what that means really, [but] like, yeah, let’s go kill them.’ He was pissed about it. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m pissed, too.'”

The line for the game wound up favoring the Rams by 8.5 points, per DraftKings Sportsbook (h/t Daniel Kohn of CBS Sports). It was initially a 1.5-point spread for the Rams, but the line moved significantly after the 49ers announced they would be without Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings.

That’s on top of the players San Francisco was already missing due to injuries, including George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and Nick Bosa.

When you look at the list of players who were absent for the 49ers, it’s not hard to figure out why they were not only underdogs, but heavily favored to lose against a Rams team that has looked like one of the best teams in the NFC through the first four weeks.

However, history has shown that these 49ers-Rams matchups are going to be close even if the on-paper matchup looks lopsided for one side.

Since the start of the 2017 season, when Shanahan and McVay were both hired, the 49ers and Rams have played 18 times, including the playoffs. San Francisco holds an 11-7 edge, with 11 games being decided by eight points or fewer.

Shanahan’s unhappiness about being an underdog might also have something to do with his competitive and friendly rivalry with McVay. It’s been well documented over the years how close they are off the field, but they are also very intense when it comes to wanting to beat the other.

Both coaches were aggressively pursuing Matthew Stafford in a trade prior to the 2021 season, with the Rams being the one that pulled off the deal with the Detroit Lions.

After the Rams swept the season series between the NFC West rivals last season, the 49ers are off to a good start in 2025. Not only did they stun Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium, but they moved into sole possession of first place in the division with a 4-1 record.

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