As we move toward the 2021 regular season in the NFL, it’s time to start thinking about sports betting options with futures props for player awards like Most Valuable Player, Comeback Player of the Year, and Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year.
Let’s take a look at some of the contenders and NFL odds for each award, along with some thoughts about your smart picks.
NFL News: Regular Season Player Futures Props
MVP
Quarterbacks take this award home almost exclusively because of the control they have over a team’s offensive performance. On the odds lists, you won’t find a non-quarterback until you’re well out of the top ten, with Tennessee’s Derrick Henry (+5000) the top pick among the non-signal callers. As a tailback, he puts up transcendent numbers and seems to have the durability to do it again. However, unless the Titans can win the AFC South convincingly, it’s hard to see either him or Ryan Tannehill (+3200) winning the award.
Patrick Mahomes (+500) has the physical talent and the weapons around him to win the MVP. Coming out of a disappointing Super Bowl loss to Tampa Bay, he also has the hunger to put up another monster season in terms of statistics. That’s why he’s the heavy favorite. It also helps that the rest of the AFC West has a lot of rebuilding projects underway.
Comeback Player of the Year
Dak Prescott (+200) is the heavy favorite after breaking his ankle in gruesome fashion in Week 4 last season. He plays for a team that gets a lot of national attention, and he has a ton of weapons around him (Ezekiel Elliott at tailback, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup and Amari Cooper at wide receiver, Blake Jarwin at tight end). The problem for Dak has to do with the team’s defense. If the D has improved with a new coordinator and an influx of talented rookies, then the Cowboys will win more, and Dak will get more credit. If the Cowboys lose a bunch of shootouts again this year, as they were last year before Dak went down, then he won’t.
Saquon Barkley (+700) and Christian McCaffrey (+700) are both transcendent running backs who had season-ending injuries that ended up handcuffing their offenses, because their quarterbacks (Daniel Jones and Teddy Bridgewater, respectively) did not have the arms to get their teams up and down the field without a star tailback. Jones suffered some injuries of his own down the stretch, in fact. Both are back, and both should put up big numbers. Barkley has the larger media following in New York, so if I’m picking between these two, I go with him.
Offensive Player of the Year
Stefon Diggs (+2200) is an intriguing sleeper pick here. Why? Because he put up big numbers with the Bills last season, and Buffalo lost in the AFC Championship, which means they will come back hungry. John Brown is healthy and will run speed routes opposite Diggs, and Cole Beasley is a great target out of the slot. Diggs will get the chance to put up even bigger numbers on a team that looks to take that next step and get to the Super Bowl.
Defensive Player of the Year
Myles Garrett (+600) is an interesting pick here because of the wealth of weapons that the Cleveland Browns added on the defensive side of the ball. Offensive lines won’t be able to double Garrett and then rely on single blocking coverage on the rest of the pass rush anymore, which means that Garrett will be able to break free and cause havoc in opposing offensive backfields — and put up big numbers.
Khalil Mack (+2400) is an intriguing value pick who has basically disappeared from public mention since going from the Raiders to the Bears. Chicago has a stout defense, but their inability to move the ball put too much pressure on this unit, so fatigue was a real factor. With Andy Dalton and Justin Fields at quarterback this season, the Bears should have a more dynamic offense, which means that the defense will get rest — and will make some big plays.
NFL Betting Odds
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