Awards markets can be a little tricky for books to price so there are often some great opportunities if you jump in early on these numbers. Offensive rookie of the year is usually a quarterback but this year there really aren't many great options for first year starting QBs so there may be some value at other positions. Defensive rookie of the year is a great market to handicap because it's difficult to project defensive success and stats especially for rookies so again getting ahead of these numbers is key. Defensive player of the year is usually a little more straightforward but there have been some players that have won the award at longer odds, generally though it's going to be a dominant pass rusher which is what we think we found for this year.

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year - Dameon Pierce

The word is starting to get out of Dameon Pierce and his odds are getting cut at a number of sportsbooks. There are still some 30/1 numbers out there but those numbers won't be around for long. The Texans don't have a lot of weapons on offense so they will be sure to let Pierce get a lot of carries. He has already won the RB1 job in Houston and should be the main back in their offense. The Texans are a team that will probably get behind in games but he is good out of the backfield as well so that shouldn't limit his production too much. He's got a lot of power in his game but his balance is really good as well. Lovie Smith will definitely work to run the ball and they will try to shorten games with their porous defense. Pierce also seems to be a really smart runner as well, he does a good job picking his spots and he finishes every run. This is a year that really doesn't have many legit QB options for rookie of the year so this could be a really good year for a skill position player like Pierce.

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year - Devin Lloyd

This is an interesting market and one that usually requires some eye popping sack totals or maybe a lot of interceptions. Middle Linebackers don't usually win this award but this kid Lloyd seems to really be built differently. You could easily see a season like Darius Leonard had in 2018 when he won this award as a MLB. He had 163 tackles, 7 sacks, 4 FF, and 2 INTs. Last year at Utah Lloyd had 111 tackles, 7 sacks, 4 INTs, and 2 Def TDs. He is already listed on the depth chart as the starting MLB and he will need to make a lot of plays for a Jacksonville defense that will be on the field a lot. Beyond his production and his situation however, the reports out of Jags camp have been tremendous on his commitment, drive, and character. He was in the team facilities all summer and was the first one to show up and the last one to leave. He is a natural leader and a very hard worker, combine that with his tremendous physical traits and he should have a great rookie season and be in the discussion for DROY.

NFL Defensive Player of the Year - Nick Bosa

San Francisco continues to churn out elite level defensive lineman. They get better production out of veteran and continue to develop monsters up front. Nick Bosa is primed for an incredible year, the whole 49ers front is stacked with Armtead, Ebukam, Kinlaw, and rookie Drake Jackson. This should give Bosa plenty of room to operate and he should be able to build on his 15.5 sacks, 4 FF, 21 TFL, and 37 QB hits that he put up last year. He is just coming into his own as an NFL player now in his 4th year in the league, the word out of 49ers camp is that he continues to get better and is primed for a monster year. The 49ers defense will be elite as they ahve talent at all levels and at 16/1 Nick Bosa provides some great value in the DPOY market.

Written by

Travis Gillmore

Senior Editor | Top Shelf Futures