Celtics Enter All-Star Break as NBA Finals Favorite

Plus, five first-round quarterbacks go in the latest NFL mock draft.

This is a rare time in the sports calendar when you can take a breath. The Super Bowl is over, the NBA is on break and March Madness and MLB haven’t started up just yet.

But that doesn’t mean our coverage is slowing down one bit! In the world of fantasy sports and sports betting, preparation is important, which is why we’re already looking ahead to NBA futures odds, baseball season, the NCAA Tournament field, the NFL draft and even the Big Game in 2025.

In today’s Winners Club:

• Nikola Jokić favored to win third MVP
• Quarterbacks galore in latest mock draft
• Fantasy baseball Round 1 preparation

NBA Futures Odds All-Star Break Update

With roughly 30 games to go in the regular season, the NBA is going on its annual weeklong hiatus for the All-Star break. LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo are captains once again, but this year the league is reverting to the classic East vs. West format. The showcase tips off Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.

With the standings and stats frozen in time for the next several days, let’s use this opportunity to check in on the top contenders for individual awards races and the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

MVP

Nikola Jokić -150
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander +250
Giannis Antetokounmpo +650

Rookie of the Year

Victor Wembanyama -800
Chet Holmgren +450
Brandon Miller +10000

Defensive Player of the Year

Rudy Gobert -901
Chet Holmgren +2500
Bam Adebayo +2800

Most Improved

Tyrese Maxey -225
Alperen Şengün +450
Coby White +650

Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports

Sixth Man of the Year

Malik Monk -110
Tim Hardaway Jr. +150
Bogdan Bogdanovic +1600

Coach of the Year

Mark Daigneault +163
Chris Finch +225
J.B. Bickerstaff +400

NBA Finals

Boston Celtics +260
Denver Nuggets +440
Los Angeles Clippers +550
Milwaukee Bucks +600
Phoenix Suns +1400

Where Will the Top QB Prospects Land?

The NFL Draft is just over two months away. Right now, all the focus is on the Chicago Bears at No. 1. After trading the top pick to the Carolina Panthers a year ago, the Bears are once again picking at the top of the draft with a crucial decision to make.

Trade down and build around Justin Fields with the haul Chicago acquires from the pick or stand pat and draft Caleb Williams?

Luke Easterling likes Ryan Poles to hit the reset button and bring the former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from Southern California to the Windy City in his latest mock draft. In fact, it’s almost all offense early on as he has just one defensive player coming off the board in the top 10.

Find out where Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers are slated to land and how the quarterback prospects will fall after Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels.

If you want to learn more about the top five quarterbacks in this class, Michael Fabiano came up with player comps for each from Williams to J.J. McCarthy. And though Easterling doesn’t project any running backs will be drafted among the first 32 picks, that doesn’t mean there’s no impact players in this class. Fabiano shared his thoughts and player comps on nine running back prospects, including Jonathan Brooks, Trey Benson and Blake Corum, who could prove to be valuable fantasy assets down the line.

With Ohtani in Tow, Dodgers are World Series Favorites

Spring training is starting to get underway in the warmer parts of the country, which brings us one step closer to March 28 Opening Day.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, fresh off their third straight 100-win season, added Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and James Paxton and they’re set to enter the 2024 season a cut above the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros as World Series favorites. The reigning champion Texas Rangers are tied for the fifth-best odds with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Jen Piacenti broke down the betting field from the Dodgers (+350) all the way down to the Oakland Athletics (+30000).

Los Angeles Dodgers

And with spring quickly approaching, it’s time to prepare for fantasy baseball draft season! Piacenti prepared a first-round mock draft for a 12-player league to get an idea of how the first few picks might fall. Reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. was a no-brainer with the 1.01, but how do the next 11 picks shake out?

In Other News

Caitlin Clark Breaks NCAA Women’s Scoring Record: Fittingly, the Iowa Hawkeyes sharpshooter passed Kelsey Plum with a deep pull-up three-pointer in the first quarter of Thursday’s 106–89 win over Michigan. Clark scored a career-high 49 points on her record-breaking night and now has 3,569 career points and counting.

Potential NFL Franchise Tag Players to Watch: Mike Evans, Calvin Ridley, Michael Pittman Jr., Tony Pollard and Baker Mayfield are among the candidates to get tagged before the March 5 deadline. The window opens Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.

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Thanks for reading Winners Club! Enjoy your weekend — I’ll be back in your inbox Monday morning. Until then.