Early 2026 NFL Defensive Player Of The Year Bets: Fade Myles Garrett At His Odds?

We’ve covered the themes.

NFL MVP Bets: Nowadays, a quarterback.

NFL OPOY Bets: Typically, a running back or, of late, a wide receiver.

Defensive Player of the Year?

Follow the pass rush.

This is an award dominated by disruption. Sacks, pressures and chaos in the backfield. That’s what voters reward, and they’re not shy about running it back.

Strategy For Betting NFL Defensive Player Of The Year

Lawrence Taylor. J.J. Watt. Aaron Donald. All three-time winners. Nine players have won multiple DPOYs.

Last season, Myles Garrett took home his second trophy in three years, posting a new single-season record for sacks.

Since 2011, only two players outside the front seven have won: Stephon Gilmore (2019) and Patrick Surtain II (2024). Every other recipient has been a linebacker, defensive end or tackle, often showcasing high sack totals and QB pressure rates.

Garrett (last season), Nick Bosa (2022), T.J. Watt (2021), Aaron Donald (2018) and J.J. Watt (2012 and 2015) all led the NFL in sacks on the way to their DPOY wins.

It’s not a requirement, but if you’re betting this market and ignoring sack upside, you’re doing it wrong.

The top of the board is littered with great options between Garrett, Micah Parsons, Maxx Crosby, Aidan Hutchinson and Will Anderson.

DraftKings lists each of them at +800 or better.

Be mindful of age. The favorite Garrett is entering his age-31 season. You’d have to go back to 2009 to find a DPOY winner that old. That was Charles Woodson, doubly an anomaly as a defensive back.

One detail that isn’t particularly relevant for DPOY: team success.

The Browns won five games last season, and Garrett was still the unanimous choice.

What to do, what to do …

Deserving Betting Favorites For 2026 NFL DPOY

Micah Parsons | LB | GB | +700

I wouldn’t normally be comfortable recommending a guy coming off an injury-shortened season at a number inside 10/1, but Parsons is an absolute gamebreaker who completely changes Green Bay’s fortunes when healthy.

The Packers went 9-3-1 with Parsons fully on the field last season. A mid-December torn ACL in Denver ended his year and sparked a five-game skid, capped by a playoff loss to the Bears.

Despite that, Parsons earned his third First-Team All-Pro selection and sixth straight Pro Bowl nod. And, with 12.5 sacks, 41 tackles and a league-best 22 QB hurries in 14 games, a third top-three finish for DPOY.

Green Bay’s defense is built around giving Parsons a chance to eat. If he plays 16-17 games, the production will follow. And eventually, the award will too.

Aidan Hutchinson | DE | DET | +800

Hutchinson ranked among the NFL leaders in total pressures in 2025 and he piled up 14.5 sacks while forcing four fumbles for an otherwise underwhelming Lions defense. The Comeback Player of the Year runner-up has never been better, setting career-highs across multiple categories.

That’s the theme for Hutchinson when healthy. Consistent improvement. And he’s only entering his prime years at 25.

If Detroit bounces back to make the playoffs or even wins the NFC North, as currently favored, Hutchinson will be at the heart of the Lions’ defensive success.

Will Anderson Jr. | DE | HOU | +800

No one came close to beating out Myles Garrett for DPOY last season, but Anderson was next in line with a 35.4% share of the vote.

He’s already on the radar.

Houston’s defense was among the best in the league in 2025, with the first-time All-Pro Anderson Jr. as the centerpiece with career-highs in sacks, tackles, tackles for loss and QB hits in his first fully healthy campaign.

Anderson Jr. is still on the rise at 24, and with the Texans favored to win the AFC South, it’s only logical to assume he’ll continue to dominate if he can stay on the field.

Value Bets For 2026 NFL Defensive Player Of The Year

Brian Burns | LB | NYG | +1300

The Giants were terrible last season, but don’t blame Burns. The three-time Pro Bowler trailed only Garrett after blowing past his career-high in sacks with 16.5.

Burns could be even better in 2026 for a team that is expected to compete for a playoff spot with its new Super Bowl-winning head coach and several talented young players.

If New York lives up to the hype and Burns is padding his stats early, this number will move inside 10/1 in a hurry. Get in ahead of the narrative before the market catches up.

Laiatu Latu | DE | IND | +2800

This is more projection than production. But that’s where the value usually lives.

Latu started just one game as a rookie before moving into a full-time starting role in his sophomore season, doubling his sack total to 8.5.

Indianapolis fell apart following the bye, losing its final seven games and masking Latu’s growth.

If the offense stabilizes and the defense gets more favorable game scripts, Latu has the profile of a breakout star set to post career numbers.

At 28/1, you’re buying upside.

Tuli Tuipulotu | LB | LAC | +3000

Another example of results meeting opportunity.

Still just 23, Tuipulotu was a Pro Bowler for the first time in 2025, with a career-high 13 sacks and personal-bests in tackles for loss and QB hits as well.

Nice way to take advantage of your first full-time starting role.

No position has won this award more than linebacker, so history is on Tuipulotu’s side. The chance to be a primary playmaker for a top-five pass defense should lead to plenty of visibility.

This is how these longshots get there.

NFL DPOY Bets To Fade In 2026

Myles Garrett | DE | CLE | +425

J.J. Watt won DPOY three times in four years between 2012 and 2015. Aaron Donald did the same from 2017 to 2020.

Why not Garrett?

Well, when Watt won his second of back-to-back honors, his stats were steady. For Donald, the jump was noticeable. The career Pro Bowler improved year-over-year in every major category, dramatically climbing in the sack department from 11 to a league and personal-best 20.5.

Both men were also in their mid-20s.

Garrett is already 30. Durable, but aging, and he’s coming off a peak.

His record 23 sacks and a robust 33 tackles for loss were both career-highs by a wide margin, and he matched a personal record in tackles. He was a one-man wrecking crew, but those stats will be hard to replicate.

Add in potential voter fatigue, and this number is simply too short.

Maxx Crosby | LB | LV | +700

Crosby racked up 10 sacks and a career-high tackles for loss in 15 games, but he’s also coming off a meniscus injury that was so significant the Ravens backed out of trading for the superstar.

The celebrated leader reluctantly returned to the rebuilding Raiders, but is anyone sold he’ll still call Las Vegas home when Week 1 rolls around? Don’t forget the team sent him away before last season ended.

Crosby is elite and efficient, but there are too many uncertainties. When will he return? What will he look like when he does? Who will he play for? Will he wind up being traded in-season?

Betting is hard enough when we think we’ve got it all figured out. This is a mess.

Final Thoughts On Betting 2026 NFL DPOY

Sure, someone in the secondary may win. But I wouldn’t put your money on it.

We’re trying to target high-end pass rushers in their prime years with a path to 15 sacks on a visible defense.

Find pressure. Find opportunity.

Everything else is noise.