Super Bowl 60 kicks off on Sunday, meaning all eyes will be on Santa Clara, California for the Big Game. The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks battle for the Lombardi Trophy, but one player will also be taking home some additional hardware with the Super Bowl MVP.
DraftKings Sportsbook has lines live for the coveted award, including a novelty prop or two. What trends should bettors look at when deciding on these markets?
What position will win Super Bowl MVP?
One of the NFL’s most coveted awards, the Super Bowl MVP has been awarded each year to the standout of each championship game. Over the last 59 years, a range of storied talents have brought home the trophy ranging from legends like Joe Montana and Tom Brady as they quarterbacked their respective dynasties to single-game heroes like Nick Foles and Malcolm Smith. It’s sometimes tough to predict exactly who will win the award, but there are certainly trends we can use to try and project who may bring it home.
Thankfully, DraftKings Sportsbook offers more than a traditional award-winner market. While bettors can select the individual player they believe will win Super Bowl MVP, a novelty prop option gives an alternative choice.
Enter the “Position of MVP” novelty prop market. DraftKings Sportsbook bettors can simply select which position they think will win the award and eliminate some of the headache of trying to choose a specific player. Options with the odds are as follows:
- Quarterback (-215)
- Wide Receiver (+370)
- Running Back/Fullback (+500)
- Cornerback (+3000)
- Defensive Lineman (+3500)
- Linebacker (+4000)
- Tight End (+5000)
- Safety (+5000)
- Kicker/Punter/Long Snapper (+7500)
- Offensive Lineman (+50000)
So, what’s the best choice among those options for this novelty prop?
Here’s a brief overview of past Super Bowl MVP positional trends and data:
- Quarterbacks have won the award 34 times, nearly 57% of the time.
- Wide receivers have brought it home eight times.
- Halfbacks (and fullbacks) have won SBMVP seven times.
- Only 10 non-offensive players have won it (including both defense and special teams).
Based on past results, it’s likely that one of the two quarterbacks will receive the most consideration from voters. The guidelines are fairly simple, as quarterbacks typically win with either 250+ passing yards or multiple touchdown passes. Other offensive skill players usually have a chance at winning with 100+ yards or multiple scores of their own. Defenders do have a chance, too, but typically need a truly game-breaking performance with multiple sacks, turnovers, or a key touchdown.
There’s no question that the quarterbacks are the chalkiest — but most logical — option on the board. Since they touch the ball more than any other position and are typically regarded as the leaders of their team along with the face of their franchise, it’s unsurprising to see that voters typically favor the field generals. Quarterbacks have won Super Bowl MVP in three consecutive years now, including four of the last five years and seven of the last 10. Going back a little bit further, quarterbacks have claimed 16 of the last 20 Super Bowl MVPs.
The odds of -215 on DraftKings Sportsbook reflect how this market typically plays out. For those looking for other options beyond the quarterbacks though, there’s significantly better value. Again, other positions don’t win the award often, but a wide receiver does make plenty of sense at +370 odds. A wideout has won the award twice in the last seven years and four times over the last 20 years. Meanwhile, a running back hasn’t won since Super Bowl XXXII way back in 1998. Defensive players have claimed just two over the last 20 years, so despite the stellar value, it’s best to target a wide receiver or quarterback instead in this novelty prop market.
