Morning Coffee: Burrow emerges as most popular bet to win NFL MVP at FanDuel

I’m not ready to say goodbye to Summer 2025.

One minute I was sipping iced coffee on the beach reading NFL season preview magazines, the next I’m getting texts about pumpkin spice latte season and the Labour Day Classic.

It feels like just yesterday the Calgary Stampeders had the longest odds to win the Grey Cup at FanDuel.

Suddenly, Vernon Adams Jr. is the MOP favourite, and the Stampeders are the frontrunner to win the Grey Cup.

It’s also fantasy football league draft season, and the most remarkable development is how difficult it’s become to find an edge versus the competition.

With so many resources, somehow all my buddies already know about Tyler Warren, Dont’e Thornton, Mason Taylor, and Jacory Croskey-Merritt.

It feels like I’m competing against Scott Barrett, John Hansen, and the other Fantasy Points experts instead of dentists, optometrists, and health food store owners.

If there’s a silver lining to the end of summer, it’s got to be the all-you-can-bet buffet FanDuel has planned for their inaugural Futures Day this Tuesday August 26th.

Did you know that you can parlay division winners on the FanDuel app?

Did you know that you can parlay teams to make or miss the playoffs?

Did you know that you can parlay season-long player performance props in one bet for a bigger payout?

Seriously, just give me the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs to make the playoffs and pair it with the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Tennessee Titans to miss the playoffs to get me to 2-to-1 odds.

FanDuel has turned the NFL futures market into a playground.

I’m like that five-year-old that refuses to listen to his mom when she tells him to get off the swings.

We’re less than 24 hours away from Futures Day and I’ve made it a personal goal of mine to experiment with as many different options as I can on the FanDuel app between now and then.

The pumpkin spice lattes can wait.

It’s officially Black Eye season.

This is Morning Coffee for Monday August 25th, 2025.

Burrow Emerges As Most Popular Bet To Win NFL MVP At FanDuel

The Cincinnati Bengals are my top pick for the most boom-or-bust team in the NFL this season.

Only three AFC teams have shorter odds to reach the Super Bowl.

At the same time, the Bengals are the most popular pick to miss the playoffs in terms of straight bets at FanDuel.

It’s one of the most fascinating storylines to watch.

Cincinnati is either a legitimate Super Bowl contender or destined to be a playoff bust, depending on who you ask.

Of course, any conversations about the Bengals potential begins and ends with their superstar quarterback.

Joe Burrow is giving off major Maverick vibes right now.

The 28-year-old is finally healthy again and coming a full offseason to prepare with a loaded cast of skill position players in Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown.

Last season, Chase and Higgins became just the third pair of teammates to register at least 200 receptions, 2500 receiving yards, and 25 touchdown catches in a single season.

Chase became the first player in NFL history with at least 1700 receiving yards and 17 touchdown catches in a season and just the fifth receiver to win the NFL triple crown since the merger.

It wasn’t enough for Cincinnati to make the playoffs.

Regardless, the Bengals locked up Chase and Higgins with extensions that will pay them an average of $69 million per season - $10 million more than any other receiver tandem in the NFL.

Of course, spending so much money on the trio of Burrow, Chase, and Higgins meant concessions would have to be made elsewhere.

Cincinnati drafted EDGE Shemar Stewart with the 17th overall pick and linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. with the 49th overall pick to bolster a defence that ranked in the bottom third of the league in both Pass Rush Win Rate and Run Block Win Rate last season.

Still, there’s nothing they could do to compensate for the loss of a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Trey Hendrickson.

Obviously, it would be a massive win if management found a way to reach an extension with Hendrickson.

The Bengals brought in a new defensive coordinator in Al Golden with the hope that he can maximize the potential of a group that is clearly the weak link of the team.

Meanwhile, they also brought in a new offensive line coach in Scott Peters to develop a group that had the worst Pass Block Win Rate in the entire NFL last season.

By going all-in with Burrow, Chase, and Higgins, the Bengals have bet on what didn’t work in 2024 working out for them in 2025.

Cincinnati will only go as far as that trio will drag them.

If the Bengals make the playoffs, it will be because Burrow and the offence consistently outscored their opponents enough to win enough games to get in.

That’s why Cincinnati is my biggest boom-or-bust team.

It’s also why Burrow to win NFL regular season MVP is the most popular futures bet at FanDuel.

Per the FanDuel traders, nearly one in every five bets in the NFL regular season MVP market is on Burrow.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson remains the favourite to win that award at +430 at FanDuel.

Burrow and Josh Allen are both right behind him at +600.

I’m willing to buy the idea that with Burrow, Chase, Higgins, and Brown all healthy, the Bengals have the firepower to contend for a playoff spot in a loaded AFC.

There’s a short list of potential MVP contenders and there’s no doubt that Burrow deserves to be in that conversation entering a critical season in his career.

I’ll jump on the Burrow hype train and bet on him to win NFL regular season MVP at +600.

I’d be surprised if somebody outside of Burrow, Jackson, Allen, Patrick Mahomes or Jayden Daniels won it.

Of course, those five quarterbacks make up the top five choices to win NFL regular season MVP at FanDuel.

Who do you think is the best bet to win MVP this season?

Hit me up @Domenic_Padula on X and let me know.

In the meantime, I’ll be busy preparing for the inaugural FanDuel Futures Day.

Time to order another Black Eye.