2018-19 NFL MVP Odds: Aaron Rodgers the Favorite to Take Home Hardware
Last season, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz was leading the NFL MVP race until he suffered a torn ACL in Week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams. Of course, the Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl without him thanks to the heroics of backup Nick Foles, but Wentz is listed as the +700 second choice (wager $100 to win $700) on the NFL MVP odds for the season ahead at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Two former multiple MVPs are sandwiched around Wentz, and neither of them probably want to win the award again since it has not been good luck for those wanting a Super Bowl ring. You have to go back to Kurt Warner of the St. Louis Rams in 1999 to find the last time an NFL MVP won the Super Bowl in the same season.
Warner went on to become a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and quarterback Tom Brady is on his way there too for the New England Patriots after winning his third MVP last year.
Brady's Patriots lost to the Eagles in the big game the day after he won the MVP award, and he is the +850 third choice to be named NFL MVP for the fourth time behind Wentz and another quarterback—overall favorite Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers at +500. Like Brady, Rodgers has won the award more than once (2011 and 2014), and his main goal should be to stay healthy for the Packers in hopes of winning a second Super Bowl.
Rodgers, Wentz and Brady may top the board on the odds to win the 2018 NFL MVP, but they do not hold the most value because their odds are not lucrative enough. Instead, bettors would be wise to wager on a player that has not won a Super Bowl before like those three.
Quarterback DeShaun Watson (+1500) of the Houston Texans and running backs Todd Gurley of the Rams (+2000) and Alvin Kamara (+6600) of the New Orleans Saints are three best bets who do have value based on their current odds.
While Adrian Peterson is the only running back to win the NFL MVP award in the past 12 years when he was with the Minnesota Vikings, both Gurley and Kamara are worthy candidates based on what they mean to their teams along with Watson, who like Wentz is coming off an ACL injury.
