Morning Coffee: Jackson an overwhelming favourite to win MVP at FanDuel

Seven different quarterbacks were the favourite to win the NFL regular season MVP award at FanDuel at one point or another this season.

Lamar Jackson’s turn didn’t come until Week 17.

Two weeks later, he’s the overwhelming favourite.

Jackson might not take a snap for the Baltimore Ravens when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night.

According to FanDuel’s updated odds, whether he plays or not won’t impact his status as the MVP favourite.

This is the Morning Coffee for Wednesday January 3^rd, 2024.

Jackson An Overwhelming Favourite To Win MVP at FanDuel

Patrick Mahomes, Tua Tagovailoa, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Brock Purdy and Dak Prescott each took a turn as the favourite to win NFL regular season MVP at FanDuel before Jackson emerged as the frontrunner in Week 17.

Jackson could be found at +500 to win that award at FanDuel entering a highly-anticipated showdown with the San Francisco 49ers.

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was the favourite at -200.

At the time, I wrote the following in Morning Coffee:

Jackson led the Ravens to a 33-19 win over San Francisco with 297 total yards and a pair of touchdown passes.

Purdy threw four interceptions before getting benched for Sam Darnold in the blowout loss.

That was all it took to force another change at the top.

Jackson’s odds to win MVP were cut from +500 to -180 following the win over the 49ers.

Then he threw for 321 yards and five touchdowns in a 56-19 win over the Miami Dolphins as Baltimore became the first team in NFL history to win back-to-back regular season games by 10 or more points versus opponents with 11 or more wins.

Jackson’s odds to win MVP went from -180 to -20000.

That’s where they stand heading into Week 18.

The Ravens have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Next up, Baltimore will host the Steelers in their regular season finale.

While there is technically a scenario where Pittsburgh can lose to the Ravens and still get into the postseason, this is still very much a must-win game for the Steelers.

With a real possibility that the Ravens rest a number of starters, including Jackson, Pittsburgh opened -3.5 at FanDuel and that number hasn’t moved.

Whether or not Jackson plays on Saturday could have major implications in the AFC playoff picture.

At the same time, it might not matter at all when it comes to the NFL regular season MVP discussion.

Texans Now A Favourite Versus Colts

The Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts are tied atop the AFC South at 9-7 entering Week 18.

It’s the first time under the current format that any division entered the final week with a three-way tie for top spot.

The Jaguars own the tiebreaker over Houston and Indianapolis and remain the heavy favourite to win the division at FanDuel as a 5.5-point favourite versus the Tennessee Titans in Week 18.

If Jacksonville wins, they clinch the AFC South title.

If the Jaguars lose, it opens the door for the winner of Saturday’s game between the Texans and Colts to win the division.

Indianapolis opened as a 1.5-point favourite versus Houston.

That number has since flipped to Texans -1.5.

In a game that the traders at FanDuel consider a coin flip, Houston is now a small favourite.

Meanwhile, the AFC South isn’t the only division that is still up for grabs heading into the final week.

The Buffalo Bills will visit the Miami Dolphins in a game that determines the division winner on Sunday Night Football.

The Bills are currently a three-point favourite at FanDuel.

Our NFL analyst Davis Sanchez believes Buffalo will take care of business in Miami and clinch the AFC East title.

The Bills could be found as high as +1400 to win their division and +360 to make the playoffs at FanDuel this season.

A win in Miami in Week 18 would wrap up an impressive finish for a Buffalo side that has overcome a ton of adversity this season.