One Super Bowl MVP Bet For Each Team Before NFL Championship Weekend
This value won't be around following Sunday's slate
The value on the betting board entering the NFL's championship weekend will not be there for long. And that's all the more reason why some NFL bettors might place a futures bet on the outcome, the exact matchup or the Super Bowl MVP now before the two teams are even set.
It's a way to roll the dice a little early in hopes of cashing in on a much larger payout before the prices slash after this weekend's results. And while the betting favorites for MVP like Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts present some value ahead of their respective AFC and NFC Championship Games, the bigger prizes are found outside of the quarterback position.
Of course it's worth noting that quarterbacks, generally speaking, end up claiming the hardware. It's why Matthew Stafford (+105) and Joe Burrow (+230) opened on the top two lines last season when it was determined the Los Angeles Rams would face the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. Nine of the last 13 Super Bowl MVP awards have went to signal-callers.
However, Rams receiver Cooper Kupp won the Super Bowl LVI MVP award. It doesn't always go to the quarterback on the winning team.
With that in mind, we've decided to highlight four enticing, non-quarterback Super Bowl MVP bets one week before the matchup is determined. Those four include one from each team still left. The Super Bowl MVP prices listed are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase +2000
AFC Championship Game: (-2.5) Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs
When the Bengals claimed their spot in Super Bowl LVI last year, following a conference title game against the Chiefs, Chase opened at an identical 20-to-1. That might steer some bettors off his current price -- after all, why do so now if the price will be the same in one week, right? Well, consider the fact that Kupp opened at 7-to-1 last year. Should Chase and the Bengals earn a trip to State Farm Stadium, Chase would be arguably the best receiver in the matchup, much like Kupp was last season. If Chase was to follow Kupp's trajectory, getting this now at 20-1 rather than in the neighborhood of 7-1 is quite the value. Oh yeah, and consider that two wideouts have won the award in the last four Super Bowls (Julian Edelman, Kupp). Perhaps a preferred matchup for Chase would be the 49ers, who allowed the sixth-most yards, seventh-most touchdowns and ninth-most catches to receivers during the regular season.
Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce +2500
AFC Championship Game: (-2.5) Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs
It's a pretty reasonable time to be high on Kelce given the star pass-catcher is fresh off a historic performance in which he caught 14 of the 17 passes thrown his way against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It marked not only a career-high but also the most catches by a tight end in NFL postseason history. Kelce has tallied eight or more catches in six games this season and finished with 92 or more receiving yards in eight of Kansas City's 19 games. He is far and away Mahomes' No. 1 option. It's also worth noting that while both the Eagles and 49ers defense have been impressive on the whole, there were 13 defenses that allowed fewer receptions to the tight end position during the regular season.
Philadelphia Eagles WR A.J. Brown +3500
NFC Championship Game: (-2.5) Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers
Brown has had a career year with quarterback Jalen Hurts, concluding the regular season fourth in receiving yards (1,496) and third in touchdowns (11). His playoff opener with the Eagles didn't carry much weight in regard to stats (three rec. on six targets, 22 yards), though it's fair to put some of that blame on fellow wideout DeVonta Smith (six rec., 61 yards, TD) and the fact the Eagles were ahead by 28 points at half. Essentially, there wasn't a real need for the talented wideout to step up in the second half. But getting the game-changing receiver at this price -- he has the ninth-best odds with four non-QBs ahead of him -- is enticing. Especially when taking into consideration the Chiefs, a potential opponent, allowed the eighth-most receptions and second-most touchdowns to receivers during the regular season.
San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle +8000
NFC Championship Game: (-2.5) Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers
There will be many who consider other 49ers playmakers like Christian McCaffrey (15-1), Deebo Samuel (28-1) or Nick Bosa (50-1) to be more enticing in this spot. That might be fair. But considering that 14 players currently have better prices than Kittle -- a list that defensive tackle Chris Jones (60-1) includes backup quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo (60-1) and Chad Henne (70-1) -- we can't help but think this is worthy of some pizza money. Kittle, after all, came away with San Francisco's biggest offensive play in a divisional-round win over the Dallas Cowboys. And his recent connection with rookie Brock Purdy is nothing to scoff at. Since Purdy took over as the starter in Week 14, Kittle has exceeded 93 yards receiving in three of seven games with four or more catches in all seven. He also has seven touchdowns in those contests, though he's went two weeks without a score. An intriguing matchup for Kittle would be Cincinnati given the Bengals defense allowed the eighth-most catches and ninth-most yards to tight ends during the regular season.
