2020 NFL MVP Futures: Chiefs’ Mahomes favored to win

It’s quiet, a little too quiet. We’re nearly a week away from the kickoff of the 2020 NFL season, but something’s missing. Perhaps the collective we, casual fans and sports bettors alike, do secretly enjoy the Hall of Fame preseason game, which is no more than a televised practice before the other 30 franchises take the field for their four 60-minute practice reps. These annual traditions throughout the month of August get our mind ready for the four months of pure bliss known as the regular season. Though the pandemic has forced the league to adapt to new norms, traditions remain such as the snake-bitten Chargers losing a franchise player to a season-ending injury (sorry Derwin), Leonard Fournette fantasy football owners pulling their hair out and, the crème de le crème, bookmakers posting their 2020 NFL player prop bet futures odds.

Not only does the crew over at Bovada have Patrick Mahomes favored to win the 2020 Most Valuable Player award at +400, but also think the Chiefs quarterback will:

• Win AP Offensive Player of the Year (+400)
• Lead the NFL in passing touchdowns (+400)
• Lead the NFL in passing yards (+400)
• Help Travis Kelce lead in the NFL in receiving touchdowns (+1100)

All Lamar Jackson did last season was break Michael Vick’s record for most rushing yards in a season by a quarterback when he finished with 1,206. He’s also the only quarterback in league history to pass for 3,000+ and rush for 1,000+ yards in a single season. The sky is the limit for this dual-threat quarterback, but it’s hard to imagine him topping 2019’s stat line, which – unless he leads to the Ravens to the Super Bowl – could be a tough hurdle to clear should Mahomes pick up where he left off.

Unless you religiously watch Russell Wilson week in and week out and only read his box scores, it’s hard to articulate how truly valuable he is to the Seahawks. With a sieve for an offensive line, Wilson often needs to make chicken soup out of chicken droppings just to keep a play alive. From there, he either moves the chains with his feet or on a regularly scheduled Hail Mary before halftime. It’s this survive and advance to the next play mantra that makes Wilson at +850 a bargain here.

Considering the world in which we all currently live, it’s hard to think back to August 2019, but many die-hard NFL fans probably forget that Cam Newton was the favorite to win the 2019 Comeback Player of the Year award. His 2018 campaign was 14 games of pain stemming from a shoulder injury that ultimately required surgery that offseason and his arm looked healthy before a preseason Lisfranc foot injury sidelined him for all but two games last year. Now the starting quarterback of the Tom Brady-less Patriots, oddsmakers believe Newton is in the right place to re-write his comeback story.

At +300, or 3-to-1, Newton and Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger are the favorites to win the 2020 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. Big Ben missed most of the 2019 season with an elbow injury that he later revealed required surgery because three of five flexor tendons came right off the bone. Yum! The team doctor said he could retire without surgery or have surgery and work his way back to the field. After watching Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges set back Steelers football 10 years, he decided to return for a last hurrah.

After Bengals head coach Zac Taylor named Joe Burrow his Week 1 starter, the franchise QB seems like the obvious, slam dunk, no-doubt-about-it choice to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, right? Well, that kind of depends on A.J. Green. Cincinnati’s franchise wide receiver has played in just nine games over the past two seasons and, sticking to form, missed 2020 practice time, won’t participate in the upcoming scrimmage, and remains a mystery. This is my way of saying “buyer beware” with Burrows as AP ROY. Though he could be the second-coming of {insert your best QB of all-time here}, Green’s presence is required to boost Burrow’s shots at the postseason honor.

With Philip Rivers newly minted behind center for the Indianapolis Colts and learning the ropes of a new system for the first time in 15 years, rookie running back Jonathan Taylor at 8-to-1 does provide some better value if he can match the downhill intensity he displayed while at Wisconsin.

Chase Young has been compared to Von Miller, Khalil Mack and Julius Peppers. Most importantly, the Washington Football Team needs him to make an impact from Week 1 through eternity. There’s no earning playing time in the NFL. There’s Young earning his second contract. So, I’d expect Young to come out hungry and ready to wreak havoc in the backfield from the first whistle. As is the case with every young player, should he stay healthy, there’s little reason to doubt he remains the DROY favorite from wire to wire.

With or without Tom Brady, Bill Belichick is the favorite to win NFL Coach of the Year. However, it’s Brady’s arrival in Tampa Bay, and Jameis Winston’s departure, that has allowed Bruce Arians to draw even with Belichick atop the COY odds leaderboard. Both at 10-to-1, Arians does boast a much stronger offense than the Patriots have featured in quite some time, which for the aesthetics and optics of those grading Coach of the Year candidates does give the colorful Arians an edge over a potential dreary winter ahead for Belichick should Cam Newton not pan out.

For the full list of 2020 NFL player prop odds, be sure to check out our partners at Bovada and BetOnline.