NFL Defensive Player of the Year Odds

Defensive Player of the Year Award talks have begun and ended with Los Angeles Rams’ defensive tackle Aaron Donald who became one of only three players to win the award three times after beating out T.J. Watt a season ago. Online sportsbooks pegged him the odds on favorite to win it a fourth straight time in 2021, but the betting markets have reshaped things just a bit heading into Week 1 of the NFL betting season. A defensive lineman has taken home the honors in six of the last ten seasons, and the high-end the betting odds are littered with players of that exact makeup. If anyone else not along the D-Line is to come in and snag the award, they’re going to have to come up with some exceptional counting stats over the next four-plus months. There’s an exceptional cast of young superstars making their presences felt in the league right now, so I wouldn’t put it past any of them from showing out and adding the hardware to their trophy case. Listed below are suggestions for a favorite, underdog and long shot to bet on the DPOY Award odds to make the regular season just a wee bit more interesting.

NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award

Favorite to Bet: Myles Garrett +300

I’m fading the reigning champ in this spot and going with Garrett instead. While much of the value has been soaked out of his initial offering, I’d still feel comfortable snagging him at this reduced payout. Donald is getting longer in the tooth. While he’s still the best player at his position in the league, I have my doubts about the Rams’ defense being as dominant as it was a season ago with a new defensive coordinator calling the shots and a number of players from that unit needing to be replaced. Cleveland finally has its young studs back in the secondary and brought in Jadeveon Clowney to help complement Garrett on the other side of the line. Even with the Browns defense decimated by the injury bug last year and missing a game due to COVID protocols, No. 95 still logged 12 sacks, 33 solo tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 18 QB hits and forced four fumbles. The Browns are the beneficiaries of the league’s second easiest schedule when taking win totals into account. That means MG will get the benefit of running up against a number of poor offensive lines. That also means he’ll take home the DPOY Award after putting forth the best effort of his professional career.

Underdog to Bet: Devin White +2226

While I’d much rather own a piece of White at his opener, you’re still going to want a piece of the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ linebacker who looks to be coming into his own now entering his age 23 season. Through 15 played regular season games in 2020, the LB tallied nine sacks, 97 solo tackles, 15 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. To sweeten the pot even more, he came up with 27 solo tackles, three tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions and fumble recoveries in the playoffs. His steady play as one of the leaders of the defense allowed for the Bucs to win the Super Bowl. If Tampa Bay is to win a second straight title like the current Super Bowl LVI odds suggest, White will play a large role as to the reason why. He’s already one of the best linebackers in the game at such a young age, and the way he carries himself lets it be known he ain’t done yet - Ride the young buck for some beer money and see if he pays off!

Longshot to Bet: Tre’Davious White +4000

Unfortunately for Mr. White, he doesn’t always get to make a huge impact on a game simply due to the fact that opposing quarterbacks choose not to throw his way with regularity. But when they do, White has no issues defending the passes or picking them off. Voted to the Pro Bowl in consecutive seasons, the Bills lockdown cornerback only allowed a 9.1 yard average depth of target when targeted as a defender; that’s elite! He also only conceded 129 total yards after a rare pass was completed to the guy he was defending; also elite! He only intercepted three passes last season after snagging six the year prior. If he can reel in a good amount of errant passes in 2021-22, he’ll have an outside shot of winning this award considering he’s one of the best CBs in the league.

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