Justin Herbert, Chargers Receiving Strong Betting Hype

Bets are coming in at large volume on Justin Herbert and the Chargers.

Author:
Nicholas Cothrel
Publish date:
Jul 22, 2022 3:36 PM EDT

In this story:

Nearly each NFL season trendy picks develop across the betting landscape leading up to Week 1. This year, it just so happens that the team and individual player who are netting the most attention from bettors are jumping at the Chargers and quarterback Justin Herbert.

After last season's crushing end to their 2021 campaign, expectations for this season are understandably high after the moves the Chargers made this offseason. And it's not just standard chatter about the team, but rather, bettors are chopping at the bit when it comes to placing bets on the Chargers and their young phenom at quarterback.

Caesars Sportsbook shared earlier this week that Herbert has surpassed Bills quarterback Josh Allen for the highest handle to win 2022 NFL MVP.

Herbert initially opened with MVP odds at 14/1, and has slowly seen his number creep down. His odds have seen movement across the last handful of months, going from 13/1 on Feb. 27, 12/1 on March 22 and 10/1 on June 30.

As buzz continues to mount and more bets come in on Herbert, his odds may continue on the same trajectory. He's now tied for the fourth-lowest odds alongside last year's MVP Aaron Rodgers. Hebert and Rodgers only trail Allen (+700), Patrick Mahomes (+800) and Tom Brady (+900).

Caesars revealed that with the surge of bets over the last month, that Herbert has received the most money on him of all NFL players for the award. He’s totaled 13.2% of the total dollars wagered, slightly passing Allen at 12.4%.

During the month of July, Herbert has been the most popular MVP bet by both tickets (15.0%) and handle (36.4%).

“Maybe some bettors are looking for a little bit more value than betting the favorite,” Adam Pullen, the Assistant Director of Trading at Caesars Sportsbook said in a statement. “Herbert is a natural choice considering he’s still at double-digit odds. He’s put up big numbers, but I think his ability to get MVP largely hinges on the Chargers making the playoffs and making some noise. They’ve been very hyped up the last few years, but they’ve just fallen short. If he does get them in the playoffs this season, he has a good chance of being in the mix for MVP.”

Among others, Allen and Raiders quarterback Derek Carr have also received enormous attention from bettors across the last month. In fact, Herbert, Allen and Carr combine to make up 85.9% of the overall NFL MVP handle in July at Caesars Sportsbook.

From a team standpoint, the Chargers have also been a popular Super Bowl pick for bettors at Caesars Sportsbook. Throughout July, the Chargers (16/1) are second in tickets (7.0%) and handle (11.0%), trailing just the Bills at +650, including the top spot in tickets (11.2%) and handle (11.7%).

*Betting data is courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.

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