After some early fluttering out of the gate, the Eagles have soared to seven straight wins after their bye week riding the updraft of the irresistible force that is Saquon Barkley ($8,500). Even though the NFL is very much a quarterback-driven league, can an RB emerge with the MVP award? Let’s take a look at his chances as he keys up for a great Week 13 matchup against the Ravens in Baltimore.
Here’s what GoJo and Golic said on DK Network Monday morning:
Does Saquon Barkley deserve this year’s MVP award? 🤔🏆🏈https://t.co/Up6JJnKOWH pic.twitter.com/lSeBkNegXg
— GoJo and Golic (@GoJoandGolic) November 25, 2024
Barkley’s incredible run
In four of his last six games, Barkley has posted over 29 fantasy points. He was ranked as the No. 2 RB in Week 7, the No. 1 RB in Week 9, the No. 2 RB in Week 11 and the No. 1 RB in Week 12. In those six weeks, he has racked up 176.5 fantasy points while no other running back has more than 140.2 (Joe Mixon).
On Sunday Night Football, Barkley took his impressive production to new heights:
Saquon Barkley has set an Eagles single-game rushing record AND career-high with 255 yards‼️@saquon | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/8spJ32UbFz
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 25, 2024
He finished with 49.2 fantasy points in that game, the highest total for any running back this season. His 255 rushing yards were the ninth-most rushing yards in a single game in NFL history and the highest total since 2009. He also became just the 12th player in NFL history to total over 300 scrimmage yards in a single game.
He leads the league with 1,649 scrimmage yards this season and is on pace to set a new NFL record with 2,151 rushing yards.
All his numbers are ridiculously high right now, even though Jalen Hurts ($7,700) continues to take rushing work from him—especially near the goal line. Hurts has 11 rushing touchdowns on the season and has run for 456 rushing yards on 115 carries. Imagine if even half that production also went to Barkley how much better his already-impressive numbers would be.
But can he really win MVP?
There’s little debate that he’s the best running back in the league right now, but can a non-QB win the MVP award? It has happened, but not very often. The last 11 MVP awards have all gone to quarterbacks with Adrian Peterson in 2012 the only non-QB to claim the award since 2007.
After his huge game Sunday night, though, Barkley is starting to gather momentum:
Saquon Barkley MVP Odds Movement ‼️
🦅 Before Week 12: (+4000)
🦅 Current: (+1000) pic.twitter.com/vOz2OlGaff— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) November 25, 2024
His odds are even shorter now at +500 to win the MVP behind just Josh Allen at +150 and Lamar Jackson at +275. Jackson hasn’t played yet in Week 12, and if he stumbles on the road against a tough Chargers defense, Barkley could pass him up by the end of the week.
Barkley’s odds are much stronger for Offensive Player of the Year, where he has become a -310 favorite. DK Network’s Julian Edlow detailed the shift in this market over the last few weeks:
NFL Offensive Player of the Year movement on @DKSportsbook 📈
After rushing for 255 yards and 2 TD in a win over the Rams, Saquon Barkley (-310) is a sizable odds-on-favorite to win OPOY.
Over the last 24 hours, Barkley has received 57% of the bets for 75% of the handle. pic.twitter.com/4xIy5k0ECG
— Julian Edlow (@julianedlow) November 25, 2024
Part of the MVP race is definitely narrative-driven, and Barkley seems to be getting plenty of love in the court of public opinion. If he breaks the single-season rushing record, he could definitely claim the award, especially if Jackson and Allen slip up at all down the stretch.
He seems to be a great teammate as well, celebrating Kenneth Gainwell’s touchdown and giving credit to his offensive line whenever he can.
HOW BOUT THEM BOYS UP FRONT!!!
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) November 25, 2024
The Bottom Line
Barkley’s huge season will be one of the top storylines to watch the rest of the season, and he definitely has the potential to win MVP if he continues at such an impressive pace and the Eagles continue to play so well.
Not surprisingly, Barkley is the most expensive running back on the board for DFS contests in Week 13 such as the NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st], but it’s still easy to see him as a value given how consistently outstanding he has been this year.
Saquon and the Eagles are actually 2.5-point underdogs next week in Baltimore, and if you believe that Barkley is ready to keep rolling through the playoffs, you can back the Eagles to win the NFC at +300 or the Super Bowl at +600.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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