George Kittle has Fourth Best Odds to Win Offensive Player of Year Award

For Kittle to be a serious candidate, he is going to need to put up larger numbers as a receiver.

George Kittle is more than just a tight end.

The best way to describe his role on the 49ers is an offensive mauler. He obliterates his opponent as a run blocker and plays mind games with defenders as a receiver. Every team dreams to have someone like Kittle because he’s so impactful offensively. 

That is why DraftKings Sportsbook has Kittle listed with the fourth-best odds (+1200) to win the Offensive Player of the Year award. 

The three players in front of him are Derrick Henry (+600), Patrick Mahomes (+700), and Christian McCaffrey (+800). To be grouped with these players is a grand compliment to Kittle, but it might an overstated one. For Kittle to be a serious candidate, he is going to need to put up larger numbers as a receiver. 

Unfortunately, you don’t get bonus votes for being an elite blocker. That’s not the way it works. His role as a blocker is unlikely to change because he so embedded to that style already in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. So even though Kittle has the fourth-best odds, it is pretty wild to consider him a top candidate. That is not to say he can’t do it. It is just that his role won’t give him much of a chance to reach that level, especially with other finesse players on offense out there. 

The 49ers don’t really funnel the ball to just one player. Shanahan loves to spread it around in both the ground and aerial games. Then there is also the health factor to consider. Can Kittle actually stay healthy for a full season? I wouldn’t hold my breathe. That is what it would take for him to win the Offensive Player of the Year award. 

The odds of +1200 are pretty sweet, but that doesn’t make it a wise bet to make. This is something I would wholeheartedly stay away from. 

Would you make this bet?