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NFL futures bets: NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year 
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NFL futures bets: NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year 

Three rounds are in the books of the NFL Draft, and it's a very near certainty that one of these players selected before the weekend will win Rookie of the Year by season's end. With the dust settling, let's poke through the odds board for Offensive Rookie of the Year to assess potential value.

Favorites to win Offensive Rookie of the Year

Odds are courtesy of DraftKings.

  1. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta (+300)
  2. Bryce Young, QB, Carolina (+475)
  3. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle (+700)
  4. CJ Stroud, QB, Houston (+700)
  5. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit (+900)
  6. Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis (+900)
  7. Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota (+1700)
  8. Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore (+1800)
  9. Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle (+2000)
  10. Quentin Johnston, WR, LA Chargers (+2000)

Selected eighth overall, expect Bijan Robinson to immediately slot in as a three-down back in Atlanta. He'll be a great option for player props and for fantasy this season, and we expect his stats are likely to be gaudy, especially with Desmond Ridder at quarterback. Running backs won this award three times in a four-year stretch from 2015-2018, and in the past 20 years, RBs have won OROY six times.

Bryce Young will start from Day One in Carolina, and in a relatively wide-open NFC South, any significant leap that Young can bring to the Panthers will likely factor into his chances of winning this award. It's been two years since a QB has won Rookie of the Year, and the first overall pick has won OROY three times in the past 13 years, all quarterbacks (Kyler Murray, Cam Newton, Sam Bradford).

CJ Stroud also figures to start immediately, the lone other QB we feel comfortable projecting in such a role. We're optimistic about the direction of Houston in some ways, but their offensive skill-positions leave something to be desired. It may be a rocky first year for Stroud from a statistical standpoint, which is why we'll sit him out in this market.

We're excited to watch Anthony Richardson play, but he's widely been considered a project, so we may not see him much this year in Indianapolis. Perhaps we do, and there will be plenty of time to confirm his status as a starting QB or not before the season. Don't rush into a bet on OROY on Richardson until we know whether he will be playing.

This has been a wide receiver award over the past few seasons, with Garrett Wilson and Ja'Marr Chase winning it in back-to-back years. Wilson and Chase were both their team's top options, and the same cannot be said for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jordan Addison or Quentin Johnson.

That leaves Zay Flowers, who conceivably could lead the Baltimore offense this year in production if he strikes an immediate connection with newly-inked Lamar Jackson. Odell Beckham Jr. did join in the offseason and Rashod Bateman remains, but Flowers was widely considered one of the top WR prospects, and the volume could be there for a big season. 

And ... here's our picks

Bijan Robinson is an understandable favorite, but we'd rather look down the board a bit. We're liking both Bryce Young and Zay Flowers.

We just touched on Flowers, and we're willing to put down a wager on what could be in this Ravens offense. It's a fun option to consider, and Lamar Jackson is surely excited to both have his contact negotiation behind him and getting some new weapons on offense.

As for Young, we're bullish on his ability as a player, and the Panthers could be competitive, as their division is widely considered the worst in football. Should Young lead Carolina to a playoff berth, his case has been made for him.

Betting: Bryce Young (+450) and Zay Flowers (+1800)

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