NFL MVP Tracker: Tom Brady starting to distance himself from the field

It may not be long before we’re done discussing the wide-open NFL MVP race. Meaning one player is distancing himself from the rest of the pack. That player being Tom Brady. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB threw for 4 TDs and over 300 yards in Sunday’s win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 13. The Bucs are 9-3 and only a game off the Arizona Cardinals for the top seed in the NFC. Let’s take a look at some favorites and potential sleepers who still remain in the MVP race. All odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

NFL MVP Favorites

The race isn’t completely over but Brady is definitely the clear-cut favorite. He was already a narrow favorite over Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers heading into Week 13. We still have to see how Allen does on Monday Night Football vs. the New England Patriots. That could keep things close if Allen has a big game and the Buffalo Bills win. Rodgers was on bye this week so he shouldn’t move up or down the board really. A-Rod was 6/1 to win MVP heading into this week. At this point, it feels like a three-man race with a few other players with an outside shot.

NFL MVP Sleepers

The names in this group aren’t exactly deep sleepers. The thing is, as the season gets deeper and close to the end, the field gets thinner. There’s really no reason to consider players way down the board since there isn’t enough time to gain ground on the favorites. So the sleeper picks are more focusing on players just outside the top 4-5 in terms of odds.

A few of the names were players who were favored at some point this season. Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is back in the lineup and had a solid Week 13 with four total TDs (two passing, two rushing) in a win over the Bears. Murray was 10/1 heading into the week and has helped his case. If Arizona continues to win games and finishes with the top record, Murray has a shot at MVP. He would likely need Brady, Allen and Rodgers to falter down the stretch in some capacity.

The two other names that have a legit shot are Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and Colts RB Jonathan Taylor.

Mahomes and the Chiefs got another win to improve to 8-4. They continue to lead the AFC West but it was the defense that came up big again. Kansas City held Denver to under 10 points in a 22-9 win on SNF. Mahomes wasn’t very good in the win. He threw for under 200 yards, had no TDs and a pick. Rarely do we see a win over a division opponent hurt someone’s odds to win MVP. There are just too many players ahead of Mahomes for MVP that it’s

Taylor helped the Colts take down the Texans in Week 13 with 143 yards rushing and 2 TDs. It’ll take a few more crazy games, but Taylor has an outside shot at 2,000+ rushing yards and 20+ TDs, which isn’t something that happens often. Indy still has a shot to win the AFC South and should be in playoff contention the rest of the way. The Colts have a bye week before two big matchups vs. the Pats and the Cards. Taylor having a few big games in wins could go a long way in his MVP case.

Here’s a look at the top candidates for MVP. Check out full MVP odds at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Tom Brady: +175
Josh Allen: +500
Aaron Rodgers: +600
Kyler Murray: +1000
Dak Prescott: +1200
Patrick Mahomes: +1400
Matthew Stafford: +1600
Jonathan Taylor: +1600
Justin Herbert: +1800
Lamar Jackson: +2500
Cooper Kupp: +4000
Kirk Cousins: +6500
Joe Burrow: +8000
Jalen Hurts: +10000
Mac Jones: +10000
Ryan Tannehill: +10000
Derek Carr: +10000
James Conner: +10000

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