Three Dark-Horse Contenders For NFL Offensive Player of the Year

The NFL season is quickly approaching, and now is a great time to place bets on some of the league's end-of-season awards.

In this article, we'll focus on dark-horse candidates for the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award, given to the most exceptional offensive player of the season.

To make accurate predictions, we'll look at historical data. Out of the 49 players who have won this award, 26 were running backs, 20 were quarterbacks, and only four were wide receivers - Jerry Rice, Michael Thomas, Cooper Kupp, and Justin Jefferson. Knowing this, let's get into the dark-horse contenders.

Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons +3000

The biggest winner in the Falcons' landing Kirk Cousins in free agency wasn't Drake London or Kyle Pitts; it was Bijan Robinson. Due to the Falcons' quarterback situation last season (mediocre at best with Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke rotating in and out), the Falcons faced the highest percentage of eight-man boxes in the league.

Despite that, Bijan Robinson amassed 976 yards as a rookie. Now, with Kirk Cousins behind center, as a real quarterback who can threaten the secondary as a passer, Robinson will get lighter boxes and have the potential to explode onto the scene.

Anthony Richardson, QB, Colts +5000

We've seen that Shane Steichen can get the most out of his young quarterbacks. Justin Herbert won the 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year and set rookie records for completions and passing touchdowns.

He also helped Jalen Hurts become the eighth quarterback in NFL history to pass for 3,000 yards and 750 rushing yards in a single season. Could he do it again with Anthony Richardson in his second pro season?

Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles +6000

Jalen Hurts is only two years removed from finishing third in Offensive Player of the voting. He threw a career-high for yards and touchdowns in 2023 but also threw a career-high in interceptions. Hurts will be firmly in the mix to win the award this season if he can limit the turnovers.

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