Saquon Barkley Offensive Player of the Year Odds Skyrocket Following NFL Week 1

Iain MacMillan | Sep 9, 2024

Sep 6, 2024; Sao Paulo, BRA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs during the first half against the Green Bay Packers at Neo Quimica Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Friday night game in NFL Week 1 between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles was a sloppy one due to the soccer-field turf, but there was player who shined above the rest; Saquon Barkley.

The Eagles' leaned on their offseason acquisition in a big way, giving him 24 carries while also throwing him the ball twice. Overall, Barkley racked up 109 yards on the ground and another 23 through the air, while scoring a total of three touchdowns.

As a result, his odds to win Offensive Player of the Year have taken a significant jump forward.

Let's take a look.

Saquon Barkley Offensive Player of the Year Odds

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

• Barkley's OPOY Odds Before Week 1: +2000

• Barkley OPOY Odds After Week 1: +1100

Barkley's Odds Improve After Week 1 Performance

Barkley's Week 1 performance against the Packers was good enough to improve his odds to win Offensive Player of the Year from +2000 to +1100 at FanDuel Sportsbook. If you translate those odds to implied probability, his chances to win the award have increased from 4.76% to 8.33%.

If you were to bet $100 on him to win the award at his current odds, you'd win a profit of $1,100 if he's able to achieve the feat.

There are now only two players with better odds than the Eagles' running back to win the award; Tyreek Hill (+500) and Christian McCaffrey (+950). Barkley moving up the odds list resulted in him leapfrogging the likes of CeeDee Lamb, Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Bijan Robinson and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

The Eagles clearly plan on relying on their running back early and often in games this season, but the biggest surprise was the fact he was a bellcow for them. Only one other running back, Kenneth Gainwell, had a carry in the game. Gainwell rushed once for two yards and third stringer, Will Shipley, didn't touch the ball.

That's a change from previous seasons where the Eagles would change things up at the position throughout the game, regularly swapping in at least three different players. If they use Barkley as an every down back, his odds to win the award could continue to improve.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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