3 Dark Horses Who Could Win NFL MVP (Watch Out for Justin Herbert)
We're approaching the halfway mark of the NFL season so it's time to take a look at the futures market, specifically the race to win MVP.
At the conclusion of Week 8, there are four players who have separated themselves from the pack. Tua Tagovailoa, Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson are a step above the rest in the latest list of odds.
But, what about the rest? There's still plenty of football left to be played so I'm going to take a look at three players outside of the top four that I think are worth a sprinkle ahead of Week 9 of the NFL season.
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NFL MVP Odds
3 Dark Horse Bets for NFL MVP
Christian McCaffrey +2800
If we're talking Most Valuable Player in the true sense of the definition, then Christian McCaffrey should be at the top of the list.
He's leading the NHL in rushing yards with 652 while also adding 32 receptions for 292 yards. In total, he has 13 touchdowns on the season, the most in the NFL. The 49ers quite simply aren't the 49ers with CMC as their running back.
Unfortunately, this has turned into a quarterback award, but if the top guys on the list stumble down the stretch and McCaffrey has a few huge games, he could be in the mix by the end of the season.
Justin Herbert +4000
Since this is mainly a quarterback award, let's look at a QB with longshot odds that is worth a bet. That player might just be Justin Herbert. He and the Chargers had a bit of a rough start to their season, but if they catch fire in the second half, Herbert's name is going to climb the MVP odds list in a hurry.
Herbert is sixth in the NFL in both passing yards per game, averaging 270.0, and passing touchdowns, recording 13. He's also done a great job of limiting interceptions, having only thrown four. Tagovailoa, Allen, Mahomes and Hurts have all thrown at least seven picks.
There's no denying Herbert will need an extremely strong second half of the season, but at 40/1 odds, he's worth a sprinkle.
Tyreek Hill +5000
What Tyreek Hill is going at the wide receiver position simply can't be ignored. He already has 1,014 receiving yards on the season, averaging a blistering 126.8 per game. He's on pace to smash the receiving yards record and he might not even need the 17th game to do it.
Calvin Johnson currently holds the record with 1,964 receiving yards in 2012. As of writing this article, Hill is on pace to finish with 2,156, surpassing the record by 192 yards to become the first receiver to rack up 2,000 receiving yards in a single season.
Hill is also first in the league in receiving touchdowns with eight.
If a wide receiver is ever going to win this award, it's going to be Tyreek Hill this season.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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