Early 2026 NFL Offensive Player Of The Year Bets And Odds: Jahmyr Gibbs And Bijan Robinson Lead The Pack
Adam Kaufman compiled some of the early betting favorites to win the 2026 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award, led by Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson.
Last time, we talked MVP. It's essentially a quarterback award.
Offensive Player of the Year? Different deal. This is where the non-QBs get their shine.
The reigning winner and recently PAID Jaxon Smith-Njigba made it seven straight years this award has gone to a wide receiver or running back.
Yeah, quarterbacks used to win this thing. Nine of them from 2004 to 2018.
Not anymore. The top 22 players listed on DraftKings are non-QBs, before MVP favorite Josh Allen checks in at 45/1.
Tight ends? Same story as the MVP market. Not a single winner. Ever. That’s why Cardinals standout Trey McBride leads his position at +8000, way down at 40th on the board.
Yikes.
Another trend worth considering? Team success. The last 11 OPOY winners all played for division champs. So, when you’re betting this market, you’re not just counting stats. You’re banking on production and environment.
Let’s get into it.
Favorites for 2026 NFL Offensive Player of the Year
Jahmyr Gibbs | RB | DET | +700
The number has already moved off the 8/1 opening odds, and it’s easy to see why. Jahmyr Gibbs has been ridiculous sharing a backfield with David Montgomery, exceeding 3,700 total yards while scoring 38 touchdowns the last two seasons.
Now? This is his show.
Montgomery’s gone and the workload is going up. New oft-injured partner Isiah Pacheco (Hello, Sonic and Chuckles) is unlikely to compete for the same reps as his predecessor. Detroit returns most of the key firepower from last year’s fifth-ranked scoring offense, and the Lions will be eager to do whatever is necessary to bounce back from a 9-win season to playoff glory.
That likely includes a new career high in touches for a three-time Pro Bowler, who turned only 24 last week.
Some quick perspective: After rushing for 1,223 yards in 2025, Gibbs’ prop for the upcoming season is 1,249.5. New offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is expected to keep the future All-Pro busy.
Bijan Robinson | RB | ATL | +800
Bijan Robinson finished fourth in the OPOY vote last month after completing his first All-Pro season. The dynamic back led the NFL with 2,298 scrimmage yards, with nearly 1,500 on the ground and more than 800 through the air. If anyone can become the NFL’s next 1,000/1,000 guy, it’s Robinson.
The scary part is the two-time Pro Bowler is still getting better. Over his first three years in the league, Robinson has scored 34 touchdowns while averaging 1,883 total yards.
Doesn’t really matter who’s at quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa? Michael Penix Jr.? New HC Kevin Stefanski knows Atlanta’s best path to its first playoff berth since 2017 is handing Robinson the rock.
Ja’Marr Chase | WR | CIN | +900
Sure, only five receivers have won OPOY since the award’s inception in 1972, but it’s happened four times in the last six years.
Ja’Marr Chase is the top wideout on the board and a model of consistency despite annual uncertainty at quarterback. Such is life with Joe Burrow, twice a top-5 finisher on the MVP ballot and twice the Comeback Player of the Year. There’s just no telling whether he’ll stay healthy.
The thing about Chase, though, is he’s pretty much QB-proof. Burrow or no Burrow, he’s cleared 1,000 yards in all five seasons. Last year, even with only eight games alongside Burrow, the two-time All-Pro racked up 1,400+ yards, 125 catches and led the league in targets (185). With a full season of Burrow in 2024, Chase led the NFL with 1,708 yards, 17 touchdowns and 127 receptions, finishing third to Saquon Barkley’s historic Offensive Player of the Year campaign.
Chase is one of a few who could challenge Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yards record, but he’ll need his QB to get voters’ attention.
Value Players
Jonathan Taylor | RB | IND | +1800
Do I think Jonathan Taylor is the most likely winner? No.
Is 18/1 too big for a guy who finished 37 yards shy of the rushing title and led the league in carries and touchdowns? You bet.
With the Colts 8-2 last year, Taylor was running away (pun intended) with OPOY, but Indianapolis never won another game. From the AFC’s top seed…to missing the playoffs. As a result, despite nearly 2,000 scrimmage yards, Taylor wasn’t one of the eight players to receive a first-place vote.
Team success matters.
The Colts are banking on Daniel Jones to return to form after rupturing his Achilles last December and Alec Pierce will take on No. 1 receiver responsibilities with Michael Pittman Jr. pushed to Pittsburgh. But Indy is at its best when it employs a run-first offense. If the team is functional this season, this is a price we should entertain.
Malik Nabers | WR | NYG | +2000
The Giants have the worst odds to win the NFC East, but it might be worth looking under the hood. Tossed aside by Baltimore, Super Bowl-winning HC John Harbaugh leads a new regime in New York with some intriguing young pieces around the rehabbing Malik Nabers.
The third-year receiver was exceptional as a rookie, earning Pro Bowl honors with 1,200+ yards, 100+ catches and 7 touchdowns. Sadly, a torn ACL in Week 4 wiped out most of Year 2. The Giants are optimistic Nabers will be ready for the start of training camp, but it’s a waiting game.
If he’s healthy, he’s going to be one of the highest-volume receivers in football. If he’s slow out of the gate or not ready for Week 1, this number probably gets longer and may be worth an in-season investment.
Kenneth Walker III | RB | KC | +3500
Longshots happen. Smith-Njigba opened last season at 40/1 to win this award. Back in 2021, Cooper Kupp had 80/1 preseason odds, then rewrote the record books. When elite production meets the right narrative, watch out. And, after leaving Seattle, Kenneth Walker has both paths available.
Kansas City hasn’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since 2017, but that could change quickly with Patrick Mahomes coming off a torn ACL. If the Chiefs lean more on the ground game early, Walker’s volume could spike in a big way.
The Super Bowl MVP is coming off a 1,027-yard rushing season—1,340, including playoffs—and he reached that plateau while in a near 50-50 split for touches with Zach Charbonnet.
As of now, Walker’s poised to share work with Brashard Smith and Emari Demercado. Translation? It’s Walker’s backfield.
If the Chiefs reclaim the AFC West and Walker is the offensive catalyst while Mahomes works back into form, voters will notice. This line is too steep to ignore.
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