It doesn’t seem like long ago that the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals put on a show at Super Bowl LVI, and the NFL Draft is still on the horizon at the time of writing. Yet, the American football wheels never stop turning, the free agency has been one of the most exciting the league has ever experienced, and experts are already weighing in on which stars are poised to win the major awards in 2022.
Experts already putting out their predictions in sportsbooks
If there’s one place that you can go to both get a sense of which way the experts think that a sporting event will go as well as the general sports-loving public, it’s online sportsbooks. Meticulously calculated and then influenced by betting behavior, the survival of a betting company relies on them offering accurate odds. Otherwise, underpricing or overpricing either way could easily result in additional losses to the platform.
For our award predictions, we turned to the popular section of prop betting. Prop betting is essentially all of the markets that state that a certain event that doesn’t directly result in a team win or loss will happen. Many people use their Free Bets on these bets as they’re clear-cut and don’t rely on the end score. Passing yards, anytime touchdowns, head-to-heads are all common NFL props, but so too are award winners.
Leading the awards charge before picking up the football
The only place to start here is with the predictions for the Most Valuable Player. As per usual, quarterbacks stack the top of the rankings, with the first non-QB in the odds being Derrick Henry at +4000 – behind Derek Carr and Deshaun Watson! Still, out in front for this award is Buffalo Bills shot-caller Josh Allen at +700 and 2018 MVP Patrick Mahomes.
Third on the list is Aaron Rodgers. Last season, he won the NFL’s MVP award for the fourth time in his career and for a second year running. So, should he step up again this year – especially without top weapon Davante Adams – his +1000 will look like great odds. Many have the Bills and Chiefs as Super Bowl frontrunners, with them both being QB-focussed teams, and yet, the regular-season MVP hasn’t won the Super Bowl since 1999.
A historic & award-winning season for @_TJWatt.#NFLHonors on ABC & NFL Network pic.twitter.com/QLdM0mmYEj
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) February 11, 2022
With the MVP award considered to be an award for offensive players, we now turn to the other side of the ball. Three players are neck-and-neck for this award, with Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams, TJ Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns all at +700. Micah Parsons (+1000) and Nick Bosa (+1500) are next in line, but don’t really come close to the top three right now.
Last season, TJ Watt snagged the award, having put up the joint-record sacks tally of 22.5, which also netted him a hattrick of team MVP awards. Aaron Donald is a joint-record holder himself, boasting three Defensive Player of the Year awards to stand alongside Lawrence Taylor and Watt’s brother, JJ Watt. Donald also finished last season atop his class, with Pro Football Focus grading him as the best player at the Super Bowl. Garrett also scored very well with the stats outlet, ranking highly for pressures and as a pass rusher.
While it looks a bit like a case of the usual suspects, it’s clear that these superstars are standing head-and-shoulders above their peers and, if injury plagues don’t hit, they have the tools and surrounding cast to put up MVP-grade showings.
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