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The NFL releases win totals throughout the offseason. The time to pay attention to Vegas is before and after the draft. That’ll give us an idea of which teams improved the most via the NFL Draft.
PointsBet released its win totals for NFC West teams, and the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams are leading the way at 10.5 for a 17-game season that will take a while to get used to saying.
49ers - 10.5
Rams - 10.5
Seahawks - 9.5
Cardinals - 8
Looking at the odds, Vegas gives San Francisco a slightly better chance to win over ten games based on their projections. Unlike the Niners, we know who the Rams are. They have their QB and the roster is set in stone.
You can’t say the same for the 49ers. We’ve narrowed down the quarterback combinations, but there are still endless scenarios. It could be anywhere from Jimmy Garoppolo/Trey Lance to Justin Fields/Gardner Minshew.
Outside of quarterback, Kyle Shanahan and company could take advantage of a strong wide receiver class after their first-round selection. Let’s say, for example, Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman is available at pick No. 43. He’s as close to pro-ready as any wideout in the draft and would give the Niners a dynamic offense that you’d put up against anyone in the league.
Experience matters. We all have high expectations for a rookie QB, but there would be mistakes that are inevitable from a young player. Add in the Rams defense, and I’d feel more confident taking the Rams win total this year over the 49ers.
As we get to the second half of the season we’d have a better understanding of how the hypothetical rookie is evolving. Unless Vegas is assuming Garoppolo is the starter. Either way, the win totals seem fair.