Finding Value Bets: The Best Teams to Invest In
Identifying value bets is key to finding success when wagering on sports. Sure, picking teams that can win is a major part of the equation. But anyone taking favorites game after game will quickly come to realize that there’s a lot more to profitable sports betting than wagering on the best teams.
A detailed explanation of how to find value exceeds the scope of this article, but a basic understanding of odds helps to clear things up. It is difficult to make money betting on the best teams because they always face short odds, which offer low payouts.
Value bets are found with teams that consistently exceed expectations. The most profitable teams to bet on strike the ideal balance between regularly facing long odds and winning often enough to provide relatively consistent payouts.
Let’s take a look at a helpful tool to find them before revealing the most profitable teams from last season.
Where to Find Value Bets: Use SBD Sharp
You can do your own extensive statistical analysis to determine which teams consistently provide long-term returns for bettors. But we’ve already done the math for you, tracking every team’s performance on the moneyline, spread, and totals (over/under).
SBD Sharp is the sports investing tool that allows you to track historical return on investment for every team in the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, along with select college football and basketball teams. Try it for yourself to see how we evaluated the profitability of the teams listed below.
How to Use These Lists
The lists below compile data from SBD Sharp for the last complete season in each sport. Teams are ranked for their profitability as a consistent investment across the season. Specifically, these rankings assume you’ve risked the same amount on each game throughout the year, betting on all of them and never adjusting the size of your stake.
We’ve ranked the five best teams to bet in each league on the moneyline, point spread, and when taking the over on totals lines. Return on investment for the season is also included, allowing you to compare teams within the lists.
Here are the best value sports team from last year:
Looking for Value Bets this Season? The data here demonstrates the importance of evaluating teams for their betting value rather than on-field performance alone.
Now that you’ve seen the best value bets from last season, be sure to check out SBD Sharp for the most recent numbers:
See the best teams to bet on right now.
The tool can also be used to evaluate historical return on investment in particular scenarios, such as when playing at home vs. on the road, or when favored vs. as an underdog. These metrics can be helpful in determining when your favorite teams tend to be a value bet, and when you might want to steer clear.
As always, please remember to wager responsibly. Tools like SBD Sharp can help you craft a highly profitable strategy, but success in sports betting always relies on conservative bankroll management.
Stay within your limits as you enjoy the action this season finding value bets.
Best NFL Teams to Bet on All Year (2018 Season)
| Team | ROI* | Team | ROI* | Team | ROI* |
| Buffalo Bills | 44.2% | Chicago Bears | 37.6% | Kansas City Chiefs | 24.7% |
| Dallas Cowboys | 42.9% | Seattle Seahawks | 27.6% | New York Jets | 23.1% |
| Tennessee Titans | 32.3% | New England Patriots | 25.1% | Seattle Seahawks | 15.8% |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 21.9% | Cleveland Browns | 21.4% | Cincinnati Bengals | 10.9% |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 18.5% | Kansas City Chiefs | 14.3% | Tampa Buccaneers | 10.6% |
* Betting one unit every game
Best College Football Teams to Bet on All Year (2018 Season)
| Team | ROI* | Team | ROI* | Team | ROI* |
| UNLV | 83.3% | SE Louisiana | 98% | The Citadel | 91% |
| Oregon State | 62.5% | Sacramento State | 95% | Idaho | 91% |
| Wake Forest | 55.2% | The Citadel | 91% | Lehigh | 91% |
| Northwestern | 53.2% | Drake | 91% | Missouri State | 91% |
| Illinois State | 50% | Lafayette | 91% | Eastern Illinois | 91% |
* Betting one unit every game
Best NBA Teams to Bet on All Year (2018 – 2019 Season)
| Team | ROI* | Team | ROI* | Team | ROI* |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 30.8% | Milwaukee Bucks | 18.4% | Washington Wizards | 19.1% |
| Orlando Magic | 17.3% | Dallas Mavericks | 10.8% | Atlanta Hawks | 11.6% |
| Toronto Raptors | 9.1% | Los Angeles Clippers | 8.2% | Los Angeles Clippers | 9.7% |
| Portland Trailblazers | 6.6% | Sacramento Kings | 8.1% | Boston Celtics | 7.1% |
| Houston Rockets | 3.8% | Orlando Magic | 6.2% | Cleveland Cavaliers | 6.6% |
* Betting one unit every game
Best College Basketball Teams to Bet on All Year (2018 – 2019 Season)
| Team | ROI* | Team | ROI* | Team | ROI* |
| Liberty | 38% | Drake | 44.3% | Virginia Military Institute | 44.3% |
| LSU | 30.4% | SE Louisiana | 35.4% | Purdue Fort Wayne | 33.9% |
| Kansas State | 27.6% | Ole Miss | 32.8% | Loyola – Maryland | 31.2% |
| Florida Atlantic | 25.6% | Michigan State | 32.8% | San Jose State | 30.7% |
| Texas Tech | 24.5% | CSU Northridge | 31.1% | Oral Roberts | 29.6% |
* Betting one unit every game
Best MLB Teams to Bet on All Year (2019 Regular Season)
| Team | ROI* | Team | ROI* | Team | ROI* |
| Minnesota Twins | 8.97% | New York Yankees | 13.11% | Pittsburgh Pirates | 16.29% |
| Oakland Athletics | 6.63% | Oakland Athletics | 7.69% | Boston Red Sox | 11.3% |
| Atlanta Braves | 6.04% | Arizona Diamondbacks | 7.03% | Seattle Mariners | 9.49% |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 4.86% | Washington Nationals | 6.59% | New York Yankees | 4.46% |
| New York Yankees | 4.06% | St. Louis Cardinals | 2.52% | Baltimore Orioles | 2.93% |
* Betting one unit every game
Best Hockey Teams to Bet on All Year (2018 – 2019 Season)
| Team | ROI* | Team | ROI* | Team | ROI* |
| New York Islanders | 16.4% | Montreal Canadiens | 17.5% | Chicago Blackhawks | 24% |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 13.4% | Tampa Bay Lightning | 13.4% | Florida Panthers | 16.2% |
| St. Louis Blues | 8.7% | Calgary Flames | 11.8% | San Jose Sharks | 12.7% |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 5.5% | Boston Bruins | 10.2% | Buffalo Sabres | 9% |
| Boston Bruins | 4.8% | Columbus Blue Jackets | 8.9% | Ottawa Senators | 8% |
* Betting one unit every game
Looking for Value Bets this Season?
The data here demonstrates the importance of evaluating teams for their betting value rather than on-field performance alone. Now that you’ve seen the best value bets from last season, be sure to check out SBD Sharp for the most recent numbers:
See the best teams to bet on right now
The tool can also be used to evaluate historical return on investment in particular scenarios, such as when playing at home vs. on the road, or when favored vs. as an underdog. These metrics can be helpful in determining when your favorite teams tend to be a value bet, and when you might want to steer clear.
As always, please remember to wager responsibly. Tools like SBD Sharp can help you craft a highly profitable strategy, but success in sports betting always relies on conservative bankroll management.
Stay within your limits as you enjoy the action this season finding value bets.
Let's have fun and keep it civil.
