NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Betting

The 2010 NFL season is barrelling towards us, meaning its time to start evaluating NFL futures. Today, we'll be taking a look at the primary candidates for 2010 NFL Rookie of the Year futures.

RYAN MATTHEWS +475
Running back, San Diego Chargers Matthews' spot atop this list is certainly justified. The Chargers traded up in the draft to land the former Fresno State star, and it's been made plainly obvious he's being charged with replacing LaDainian Tomlinson. Some observers feared a time-share with Darren Sproles, but that doesn't seem to be the case. After missing the first few days of camp with contract issues, Matthews returned and was immediately place on the first team-which had been held by fullback Mike Tolbert, not Sproles. Matthews is the smart bet.

DEZ BRYANT +525
Receiver, Dallas Cowboys Seeing a receiver this high on the list is a little surprising, considering first-year wide outs rarely make a tremendous impact. Last year proved there are exceptions to the rule, however, with Percy Harvin bringing home the hardware. Harvin's situation is quite a bit different than Bryant's, however. Bryant might start, but he won't be the "do everything" tool that Harvin is. True, Bryant will be joining a high-powered offense, but he'll also have to share touches with a plethora of other stars (Austin Miles, Jason Witten, Felix Jones, Marion Barber and Tashard Choice, to name a few). There's better value out there than Bryant.

BEN TATE +650
Running back, Houston Texans Tate, taken in the second round by Houston, is quite tempting. He joins a high-flying offense that craves a solid runner in the backfield. Unfortunately, the Auburn product might not get the opportunities some think he's in line for. Tate is competing with Steve Slaton and Arian Foster for touches. Slaton is just 24 years old and only two years removed from a 1282-yard, nine-touchdown season. Foster, meanwhile, has impressed the coaching staff in the offseason and has the inside track at starting according to head coach Gary Kubiak. A committee approach is likely in Houston, so shy away from Tate in your Rookie of the Year considerations.

JAVID BEST +675
Running back, Detroit Lions Javid Best lives up to his name, as he's got the best chances of winning Rookie of the Year among these faovrites. Taken in the second round, Best only needs to beat out Kevin Smith on the Lions' depth chart. Smith struggled badly in 2009, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. Best, meanwhile, is a big play waiting to happen. The Detroit passing game also features enough young weapons (Matt Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew) that opponents can't just stack the box and crush the run. Best will be starting before the year is over, and he's a great pick to win NFL Rookie of the Year.

SAM BRADFORD +775
Quarterback, St. Louis Rams If you plan on taking Bradford, why not just speed up the process and flush your money down the toilet instead? Bradford has a great arm and may someday make a fine NFL quarterback, but he'll be hung out to dry in 2010. The Rams averaged an embarrassing 10.9 points per game last season and allowed a whopping 44 sacks. Throw in the fact that Bradford probably won't start right away, and his chances of winning Rookie of the Year are a lot worse than these odds would indicate.

OTHER NOTABLES

CJ Spiller, Bills, +850. The explosive running back may not have a great line to work behind, but he only needs a small crease to break a big run.

Dexter McCluster, Chiefs, +1400. McCluster will be slowed by a conversion from running back to receiver, not to mention a solid starting tandem of Dwayne Bowe and Chris Chambers.

Golden Tate, Seahawks, +1500. Tate has already made several highlight-worthy catches in training camp. If he can earn a starting spot-a good possibility-he offers great value here.

Jimmy Clausen, Panthers, +1500. Clausen will open the season on the bench, and he could very well end it that way. He might be Carolina's quarterback of the future, but the quarterback of the present is Matt Moore (3-0 record, seven touchdown passes and no picks to close out 2009).

Emanuel Sanders, Steelers, +1800. Sanders could be Pittsburgh's third receiver, a role Mike Wallace excelled in the past two years. But with much to learn in a new offense and Ben Roethlisberger missing time with a suspension, Sanders won't make a big enough impact to warrant consideration.