There are plenty of NFL futures bets to make on DraftKings Sportsbook as the season rapidly approaches.
This is a look at the best bets to win the 2025-26 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Odds to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year
The Defensive Player of the Year award is one of the tightest battles in the NFL Awards race every year. There was a run of dominance in the 2010s where J.J. Watt and Aaron Donald combined to win six out of nine NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards. However, over the last few years, a group of the league’s elite EDGE rushers has contested for the award with Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa and T.J. Watt each winning once. In 2024, it was Patrick Surtain II who became just the second cornerback to win the award since 2010. The award is most frequently given to a pass rusher, which is why each of the 10 players with the best odds to win the award at DraftKings Sportsbook play on the defensive line.
Micah Parsons (+750)
Despite Garrett, Watt and Bosa winning the award in the past, it is two of their younger compatriots, Aidan Hutchinson and Micah Parsons, atop the odds board. Hutchinson is the favorite to win the award, but he will be returning from a major leg injury that he sustained in Week 6 of last season. While Hutchinson should bounce back to his old self, there is a chance that there is some rust that Hutchinson needs to knock off. That is why my best bet to win the award is Micah Parsons. As a rookie, Parsons racked up 13 sacks, the seventh-most in the NFL that season, earning himself the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. He followed that up with 13.5 sacks in his sophomore season and 14 sacks in 2023. Despite suffering an injury that caused him to miss a few weeks last season, Parsons finished with 12 sacks in 13 games.
Even with that injury last season, Parsons has finished in the top seven in the NFL in sacks every season that he has played in the league. Had Parsons not gotten injured last season and sustained his numbers throughout a full season, he would have been second in the NFL in sacks. The Cowboys should be a much better team next year with Dak Prescott returning. They also added another exciting young EDGE, Donovan Ezeiruaku, in the draft. It always helps to be on a better team, and Ezeiruaku should take some of the attention away from Parsons, even if just slightly. If Parsons can have another monster season and stay healthy for all 17 games, it could be his turn to win the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Trey Hendrickson (+2200)
Trey Hendrickson is one of the most underrated players in the NFL. The big-name defensive ends in the NFL are Watt, Garrett, Hutchinson, Parsons and Bosa. However, it is Hendrickson who led the NFL in sacks by a wide margin last season. He had 17.5 sacks in the 2024-25 season, 3.5 sacks more than the next best guy, Myles Garrett. In 2023, Hendrickson finished just 1.5 sacks behind T.J. Watt for the NFL lead, and in 2021, Hendrickson also finished top five in the league in sacks. The Bengals’ defense was one of the worst in the league last season, which likely derailed Hendrickson’s case for Defensive Player of the Year. However, rumors around the league this offseason indicate that Hendrickson could be on the move. Teams like the Seahawks, Lions and Packers have all been discussed in trades for Hendrickson. If he goes to a great defense and keeps up the same numbers, he could finally get the respect he deserves and win Defensive Player of the Year.
