NFL Odds - Offensive Rookie of the Year Futures

Last year picking the offensive rookie of the year shouldn’t have been that hard. With only two real offensive players in the Top 10 draft picks bettors’ choices were pretty limited. This season the NFL betting pool isn’t nearly as empty, making it a more difficult challenge.

Last season Matt Ryan easily walked away with the award after leading the Atlanta Falcons back to the postseason. Surprisingly Ryan became only the fourth quarterback to win the award since it debuted in 1967. Running backs have completely dominated the award with 31 wins, and not surprisingly they lead the favorites on the NFL odds.

The current award favorite is Denver rookie back Knowshon Moreno at +300. The Georgia running back was the first back drafted and could step into a starting role in Denver if he can adapt to the pro game. Moreno’s college success and his chances to actually see the field on a regular basis make him a worthwhile pick. The history of running backs quickly excelling in Denver doesn’t hurt either.

Another running back, Chris Wells, follows Moreno on the NFL betting odds at +400. Wells could end up sharing the carries with Tim Hightower in Arizona, which could limit his productivity. The fact that Arizona runs a pass-heavy offense also doesn’t bode well for Wells to put up numbers that would attract award voters. The last running back to garner triple-digits odds is Donald Brown from the Colts. Like Moreno he’ll be sharing carries with Joseph Addai, but with Addai’s injury history there’s a good chance Brown cold end up as the starter at some point this season.

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The chances of another QB winning the award this season likely rest on the shoulders of Matt Stafford and Mark Sanchez. Stafford, the first overall pick, may not even begin the season as the starter in Detroit, which would severely handicap his chances. Stafford is a +800 underdog on the NFL odds, and if he were to somehow win the award he would be the first No. 1 pick to do so since George Rogers in 1981. Sanchez is also listed at +800 in his rookie campaign. The new Jets signal caller has looked good in camp so far, but everyone knows camp and real games are very different situations.

That leaves wide receivers, a position which has claimed the award seven times since ’67. The favorite wideout on the NFL odds is Michael Crabtree, but he’s a risky pick for bettors right now due to his holdout. If Crabtree’s threat of possibly sitting out the entire season is real bettors may want to avoid him.