There are seven weeks of games left in the NFL regular season, and the race to winning league MVP honors has turned into a good one. A couple of players have upped their game to contribute heavily to their team’s good fortunes. There are also a few others that are poised to join the competition by leading their team to a spot in the playoffs down the stretch.
BetOnline sportsbook has recently updated their odds to win MVP this season, and there is some solid betting value to be found throughout the 13-player list.
NFL MVP Favorites
Of the 13 players that do have posted odds to win league MVP, 10 play the quarterback position. There are two running backs and one wide receiver. That should not come as that big of a surprise since a quarterback has won this award 11 times in the past 12 seasons.
Leading the way this season is Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson as a +175 favorite. He added some more value to those odds this past Monday night with the Seahawks knocking the last team from the ranks of the unbeaten with a thrilling 27-24 overtime victory as 6.5-point road underdogs against the NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers.
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Seattle is now 8-2 and just a half-game behind the 49ers (8-1) in the standings. More than a few of those wins can be attributed to Wilson’s play. He has thrown for the fourth-most yards (2,737) while tossing a league-high 23 touchdowns against just two interceptions. His overall passer rating is also first in the NFL at 114.9.
The Baltimore Ravens are one of the top teams in the AFC at 7-2 overall, and their quarterback Lamar Jackson has quite a bit to do with that record. His stellar play through the first ten weeks of the season has him second on the list to win MVP at +250 odds.
While his passing stats are not as gaudy as Russell, Jackson has defined the term “playmaker” with both his throwing arm and his legs. In nine games, he has completed 65.9 percent of his 255 passing attempts for 2,036 yards with 15 touchdown throws against five interceptions. He has also gained 702 yards on the ground, with six scoring runs on 106 rushing attempts. He was instrumental in leading the Ravens to a 37-20 upset over New England in Week 9 as three-point underdogs at home.
Either of these players offer some solid value in their odds. Their play over the next seven weeks will go a long way towards deciding the MVP race, but for now, I am leaning towards Jackson for his all-around play.
NFL MVP Top-Valued Contenders
Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson is next on the list as a +600 third-favorite. Both Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Carolina running back Christian McCaffery have +900 odds to win this award. Last year’s MVP, Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes rounds out the leading contenders with +1400 odds to repeat.
Each of these players could make a case to win, but there is quite a bit of ground to make up with the favorites. Rodgers already has two MVP trophies on his NFL resume, and with the Packers leading the NFC North, he could pick up quite a few votes if they go on to win the division title.
McCaffery has probably had the biggest impact on his team with the Panthers in contention in the NFC South at 5-4, but the odds of a running back winning MVP are stacked against him. Mahomes missed some playing time due to injury, and the Chiefs have slipped to 6-4, but he does remain a player to watch at those longer odds.