2018 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Odds

by DS Williamson

Believe Johnny Manziel makes the leap from the CFL to the NFL? You can put a few bucks on Johnny Football at +7500 in 2018 NFL Comeback Player of the Year betting. Believe that RGIII finally rediscovers his Offensive Rookie of the Year form? You can bet on RGIII at +25000.

Who knows? The Montreal Alouettes could trade Manziel for an NFL seat at this year’s ESPY Awards. Or, RGIII could leapfrog Lamar Jackson and Joe Flacco to become the Ravens’ starting quarterback.

All kidding aside, logical betting options for 2018 NFL Comeback Player of the Year exist. So do awful betting options.

Best 2018 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Betting Options Aaron Rodgers +300 Andrew Luck +400 Carson Wentz +400 Ryan Tannehill +1600 Sam Bradford +1600

The common denominator between all four listed above is that they are veteran quarterbacks. That’s why they have the best shot of winning this award, which is as competitive as it's ever been. Of the four, Rodgers should be the favorite. The two-time NFL MVP plays for a winning team that just signed one of the best tight-ends in football in Jimmy Graham.

Rodgers might not be a better choice than Luck, though. Luck hasn’t played football since 2016. If Luck’s stats this season are close to his 2016 stats, 4,240 passing yards and 31 TD passes, he should win the award. Many NFL Comeback Player of the Year voters want to give Luck the award already.

Luck has a better shot of winning the award than Tannehill and Bradford, but both of those guys offer better odds. Health is a factor for both. Outside of health, each faces an obstacle.

Tannehill must make Miami competitive. If the Dolphins win the AFC East over the Patriots, Tannehill could win the award. That’s a big if. Miami last won the division in 2008. New England has won the division every year since. Tannehill is also facing a public relations nightmare as elements of his not-so-well-liked personality begin to surface.

Bradford’s obstacle is quarterback Josh Rosen. Rosen can start right away. In Round 1, the Cardinals drafted the 6’4”, 226 lbs. signal-caller 10th overall. Rosen has a chip on his shoulder. In his first NFL press conference, he berated the 9 teams that didn’t draft him. Rosen’s good enough to back up those statements. How long before the Cardinals give the former UCLA quarterback a shot?

Wentz is also in the mix because the Eagles will vie for the Super Bowl yet again, but nobody has any idea when he's actually going to start. It could be Week 1. It could be Week 5. At the very least, the best bets mentioned above are already ready for action. The prodigal Wentz will definitely be appearing this season, but a delayed return could hamper his competitive ability in this market. So to is the fact that his team won a Super Bowl without him last year.

Worst 2018  NFL Comeback Player of the Year Betting Options Odell Beckham Jr. +400 J.J. Watt +450 Deshaun Watson +700 David Johnson +500 Dalvin Cook +1100 Eric Berry +2000 Teddy Bridgewater +3300 Julian Edelman+4000 Allen Robinson +4000 Richard Sherman +5000 Greg Olsen +6600 Josh Gordon +6600 Malcolm Butler +15000 Tyler Eifert +15000 Robert Griffin III +25000 Johnny Manziel +75000

Odell Beckham Jr. could win the 2018 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award in theory and is a popular choice to do so. In reality, his chances are probably worse than +400, though. The Giants new offense revolves around running back Saquon Barkley.

Like Beckham Jr., J.J. Watt could win the award, but Watt hasn’t played his best since 2015. Despite his ever growing likability, Watt is basically hurt every single season and he's not getting younger by any stretch. There’s no telling if he’ll ever be as good as he once was.

Sports fans can say the same thing about David Johnson, Deshaun Watson, and Dalvin Cook. All three suffered injuries that most players don’t fully recover from. Cook had injury issues while at Florida State. Who knows how well he’ll bounce back from his NFL injury. Former Arizona coach Bruce Arians overused Johnson while Deshaun didn’t look great in the Texans’ first preseason game.

Stay away from betting Beckham Jr., Johnson, Cook, Watt, and Watson. The chalk, Rodgers, looks tough, but Luck offers better value while Bradford and Tannehill have outside shots at winning the 2018 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.