NFL is king in the United States, and the wild world of professional football returns this week with Patrick Mahomes and the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs facing off against the Houston Texans on Thursday night. Mahomes is truly on top of the NFL world at the moment, as he won the regular-season MVP award in 2018, and then Super Bowl MVP to cap last season. While the new $500-million man has nothing left to prove, bettors have already moved on to trying to predict who will be the next player to take the league by storm.
Game lines and Over/Unders are always intriguing, but the true fun is in the prop bets. If you have a gut feeling who will win MVP or offensive rookie of the year, you could cash in big. If you're still trying to make up your mind as to what bets and players you want to take fliers on, let's take a look at the five most popular prop bets over at William Hill. Do you agree or disagree? Is it possible that the popular majority is onto something? Let's take a look.
Five biggest prop bets in terms of tickets sold
1. MVP: Kyler Murray +2000, 8 percent of tickets
The Arizona Cardinals quarterback was actually the early popular bet five months ago, and it's a trend that has continued throughout the offseason. The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award last season, beating out the likes of Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs and Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown. While the Cardinals went 5-10-1, Murray completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 3,722 yards, 20 touchdowns, 12 picks and an 87.4 passer rating. He added 544 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Naturally, he's expected to take another step forward in year two with prospective offensive genius Kliff Kingsbury -- who was high on Murray before most of the football world knew his name. The Cardinals also acquired four-time Pro Bowl wideout DeAndre Hopkins from the Texans in a lopsided trade, so Murray now has two true No. 1 wide receivers to play with this season.
2. Offensive Rookie of the Year: Clyde Edwards-Helaire +350, 18 percent of tickets
Edwards-Helaire was the first running back selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, and he was taken by Andy Reid and the Chiefs with their first selection. If that wasn't reason enough to believe that he could be a star at the next level, running back Damien Williams then opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns centered around COVID-19 -- which opened the door for Edwards-Helaire to come in and play a large role immediately.
The former LSU star will play in an incredibly running back-friendly system and could be a top PPR running back if you're looking from a fantasy football perspective. Joe Burrow is currently the favorite at +225, but Edwards-Helaire has been the most popular ticket.
3. Comeback Player of the Year: Baker Mayfield +3300, 14 percent of tickets
After throwing for 3,725 yards, 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 14 games in the previous season, Mayfield threw for 3,827 yards, 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in 2019. The Cleveland Browns were tabbed as a breakout team in 2019, but they fell flat with a 6-10 record. Now that Freddie Kitchens has been replaced by Kevin Stefanski, maybe this is the year we should be excited about the Browns. You have to admit that Mayfield's odds are pretty enticing.
4. Coach of the Year: Mike McCarthy, 13 percent of tickets
The Dallas Cowboys were able to sign several big free agents and put together an incredible draft class, but arguably the most important addition they made this offseason was hiring head coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy compiled a 125-77-2 (.618 win percentage) in 13 years with the Green Bay Packers, winning six NFC North titles and making the playoffs nine times (including in eight consecutive seasons). He also won a Super Bowl, and that experience of having been in the big games before is something that Dallas feels will help immediately.
5. Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett +2000, 17 percent of tickets
Despite what was a dramatic 2019 season that was ended by a swinging of the helmet against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Garrett inked a monster extension with the Browns earlier this offseason. The former No. 1 overall pick has recorded 30.5 sacks in 37 career games, and has the ability to be a pillar on this defense for years to come. It's interesting that bettors are so high on him considering there are seven other players with better odds.
Five biggest prop bets in terms of money
1. MVP: Tom Brady +1600, 13 percent of total money
While Murray may have received more tickets than anyone for MVP, the majority of money is on arguably the greatest quarterback of all time. Brady has taken his talents to Tampa Bay and is ready to show he can find success without Bill Belichick. He has quite a cast of weapons around him, so MVP could be a possibility.
2. Comeback Player of the Year: Alex Smith +450, 61 percent of total money
Smith has raked in a whopping 61 percent of total money for Comeback Player of the Year, and I can see why. His leg injury almost cost him his life, yet he worked his way back onto Washington's roster. It's incredible that he's back in the league.
3. Coach of the Year: Mike McCarthy, 17 percent of total money
The Cowboys' new head coach owns the most tickets for Coach of the Year as well as the most money.
4. Offensive Rookie of the Year: Clyde Edwards-Helaire +350, 27 percent of total money
Edwards-Helaire owns the most tickets for Offensive Rookie of the Year as well as the most money.
5. Defensive Player of the Year: TJ Watt +1600, 21 percent of total money
The younger brother of JJ Watt has made two straight Pro Bowls and has just improved each year. Many are predicting 2020 will be his best season yet as Pittsburgh's defense is a favorite to be one of the best in the league.
