We’re five days away from the 2026 NFL regular season.
FanDuel NFL Futures Day is next Tuesday September 8th.
In case you missed it, FanDuel and TSN will partner up again with a full day of NFL season preview content lined up for Tuesday’s final countdown to Week 1.
There will be plenty of football between now and then with the CFL Labour Day Weekend kicking off tonight, as well as Week 1 of the NCAA Football season.
In case you missed it, Colorado opened its season with a 14-13 upset win over Georgia Tech on a blocked field goal with three seconds left in regulation on Thursday night.
It was the Buffaloes’ first win over an ACC opponent since 1957.
Meanwhile, UMASS pulled off an absolute stunner with a 37-21 win over Rutgers as a 28.5-point underdog to snap a 16-game losing streak that was the longest in the FBS.
The Minutemen were +2400 to win outright at FanDuel.
Rutgers actually paid UMASS $1.55 million to host them.
Shout out to the fans who stuck around after a lopsided loss to appreciate all the work that went in to the team’s pre-planned post-game fireworks show.
Week 1 of the NCAA football season continues tonight on TSN with No. 7 Miami set to visit Stanford at 9 PM ET.
In case you missed it, Hurricanes QB Darrian Mensah is the biggest riser in FanDuel’s Heisman Trophy winner market ahead of his Miami debut.
Meanwhile, the Montreal Alouettes and BC Lions will kick off Week 14 of the CFL season with a highly anticipated showdown between two MOP candidates.
Davis Alexander remains the obvious favourite to win that award at FanDuel but admitted he isn’t 100 per cent coming off his first CFL regular season regulation loss.
All eyes will be on Alexander’s right leg as the Alouettes attempt to bounce back against the league’s hottest team as Nathan Rourke has led the Lions to five straight wins.
My guy Drew F. Morrison will be back with his weekly game picks in his CFL 3rd and 1 column this afternoon.
In the meantime, I’ll continue the countdown to FanDuel’s NFL Futures Day with a look at the most popular bets to win NFL regular season MVP.
With five days to go until the NFL regular season, let’s count down the five most popular NFL MVP tickets at FanDuel in this Morning Coffee column for Friday September 4th, 2026.
Burrow Emerges As Most Popular Bet To Win NFL Regular Season MVP at FanDuel
5. Lamar Jackson +1000 (T-Second Choice)
Drake Maye, Dak Prescott, and Patrick Mahomes nearly made this list, but sit just outside the five most popular picks to win NFL regular season MVP at FanDuel.
The two-time winner Jackson occupies the No. 5 position.
As it stands this morning, only Josh Allen has shorter odds to win NFL regular season MVP at FanDuel.
Jackson enters the 2026 NFL season with a new head coach, a new offensive coordinator, but plenty of familiar weapons including Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, and Mark Andrews.
Declan Doyle is the youngest offensive coordinator in the NFL and a first-time play-caller, and Jackson has raved about the different wrinkles he will bring to the table.
Six games against the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns in the AFC North could help Jackson boost his MVP stock if he can stay healthy for a full 17-game season.
The Ravens have the pieces to put up some big numbers both through the air and on the ground this season.
Ultimately, Jackson’s MVP potential will come down to health and how quickly the new-look offence meshes in Baltimore this season.
4. Justin Herbert +1100 (4th Choice)
The Chargers are counting on new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel unlocking Herbert’s full potential in LA.
Herbert has a cannon arm and underrated mobility, but terrible offensive line play and a lack of creativity has capped his potential through six NFL seasons.
McDaniel has raved about Herbert’s arm talent and ability to make throws that his previous QBs haven’t been able to make, and the hype seems to be justified.
The Chargers won’t get many schedule breaks, including a brutal stretch in which they play five of eight on the road with games at Buffalo, Seattle, Kansas City, the Rams, and Baltimore from Weeks 3 through 10.
If he puts up the best numbers of his career and LA finds a way to navigate that brutal stretch with a winning record, Herbert will be in the MVP conversation.
3. Caleb Williams +1500 (8th Choice)
A popular pick to win NFL regular season MVP this offseason, the case for Williams is simple.
The Bears offence is loaded with playmakers, Ben Johnson is the only coach in the league that has talked openly about wanting to break the NFL points record, and Williams is primed to take another step in his development in his third NFL season.
Chicago’s defence relied heavily on turnovers last year, and if there’s any regression in that department it will put even more pressure on Williams and the offence to put up the numbers needed to make up for it.
Williams flashed signs of improvement in his first season under Johnson, and if his accuracy improves, he could be primed to become the first QB in franchise history to throw for 4000 or more passing yards.
FanDuel bettors have been willing to bet on that being enough as Williams has emerged as the third-most popular MVP ticket this offseason.
However, it’s worth noting Williams is still the eighth choice on the board at +1500 odds – longer odds than Maye, Prescott, and reigning MVP Matthew Stafford.
2. Josh Allen +550 (Favourite)
In case you missed it, I wrote on Thursday about the NFL quarterbacks facing the most pressure heading into the 2026 season and Allen was at the top of my list.
New head coach, new No. 1 wide receiver, a new stadium, and Buffalo is the favourite to win the AFC Championship with Allen an obvious MVP favourite.
Allen played an important role in Joe Brady’s elevation from offensive coordinator to head coach, but it will be difficult for the offence to produce drastically better numbers, even with the addition of D.J. Moore.
Meanwhile, the Bills defence still has some major question marks, especially considering their playoff struggles is a big reason the organization made a coaching change in the first place.
Allen is considered an obvious MVP favourite at +550.
Despite the short price, FanDuel bettors have been willing to bet on the best QB on the planet, making Allen the second-most popular pick to win MVP at FanDuel.
1. Joe Burrow +1000 (T-Second Choice)
Joe Burrow told us he’s tired of looking ahead to next season, and FanDuel bettors are buying the sentiment that he’s all-in to win in 2026.
After being limited to eight games in 2025, Burrow is healthy again, along with his star wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
That trio has the potential to put up massive numbers this season, but the biggest question mark remains their ability to play a full 17 games together.
The Bengals couldn’t be any worse on defence than they were in 2025, but even a slight improvement won’t be enough for them not to lean heavily on offence again.
The AFC North division is wide open, and Cincinnati has been a popular sleeper pick in the AFC.
While the Ravens defence has the potential to improve under Minter, I’m not sold on Pittsburgh or Cleveland having the personnel to slow down the Bengals offence when it is at full strength.
Add four games against AFC South opponents and four games against NFC South opponents and the schedule couldn’t get much easier for Cincinnati’s offence.
If he can stay healthy for a full 17 games and put up numbers rivalling his 2024 season, it will be enough to put Burrow in the MVP conversation.
FanDuel bettors have been willing to roll the dice on Burrow’s health by making him the most popular pick to win NFL regular season MVP.
It won’t be much longer before we find out whether all the Bengals hype is justified.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
