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The AFC West will be a difficult division to make it out of with the defending champs looking to win a fifth straight division title. The Kansas City Chiefs return a star quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce. Other teams are still trying to figure things out.
Kansas City is favored to repeat by a considerable margin and isn’t expected to face much competition in 2020. We break down the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook for each team in the division.
Kansas City Chiefs (-455)
The Chiefs’ odds to come out on top in the AFC West are the best in the field at -455 ahead of the 2020 season. With key pieces like Mahomes, Hill, Kelce, and Damien Williams back in the fold, it’ll be hard to compete with them. One player to monitor is Sammy Watkins, as he’s a vital member of the receiving corps that could be traded or cut ahead of the NFL Draft. Then there’s star defensive lineman Chris Jones, who might be one of the most sought after free agents left. Kansas City has virtually no cap space to work with, but luckily their rivals haven’t been able to do much either.
Kansas City was the favorite from the start of the offseason at -400 and sat at -500 from the end of February through the first day of free agency. Their odds dropped to -455 after the second day of free agency. The Chiefs don’t have to do much to be the best team in the division, and their competition would have to do a lot in order to get into the picture.
Denver Broncos (+900)
The Broncos have the second best odds and could see their chances improve depending on what they do in the 2020 draft. Drew Lock is set to start at quarterback after showing promise as a rookie, and Denver added a quality offensive weapon in running back Melvin Gordon during free agency. It needs more to win the division, but has a decent shot at finishing in second with their current roster.
Free agency didn’t help Denver’s odds much. It opened the year at +900 and dropped to +1000 before free agency. Adding some talent at wide receiver and replacing Chris Harris Jr. at cornerback help their chances, but it shouldn’t make a huge difference.
Las Vegas Raiders (+1000)
Las Vegas made big strides in 2019 after finishing 4-12 in their first year under Jon Gruden. It improved to 7-9 and was dead even with Denver at the end of the regular season. The Raiders’ offseason has been quiet. They backed up Derek Carr by signing Marcus Mariota and added Nelson Agholor to the receiving corps, but are expected to go after some difference makers in the first round of the draft.
Las Vegas’ odds have steadily gotten worse since opening the year at +800. They were +900 by the end of February and dropped to +1000 by the end of the league’s two-day negotiating period for unrestricted free agents.
Los Angeles Chargers (+1000)
Los Angeles made a major change by moving on from Philip Rivers after finishing at the bottom of the division in 2018. It still has plenty of talent at wide receiver, tight end, and running back, but Tyrod Taylor is far from an upgrade from Rivers under center. The Chargers will likely draft a rookie quarterback and have been relatively quiet with offseason moves so far.
Los Angeles started the year at +1000 and peaked at +800 in February. It then proceeded to drop to +1100 at the end of the first day of free agency before leveling out at +1000. Additions like Trai Turner on the offensive line and Chris Harris Jr. in the secondary won’t change things. The team’s quarterback choice could raise or lower this groups ceiling significantly. All the teams that aren’t the Chiefs could have a shot at finishing in second.
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