NFL Defensive Player of the Year Odds & Picks

When I first reported on the Defensive Player of the Year Award odds back in early June, I made some beer money recommendations to throw down over at BetRivers Sportsbook on Micah Parsons, Joey Bosa, Maxx Crosby, Matthew Judon, and Odafe Oweh. While it’s still very early in the regular season, Micah Parsons looks to be the runaway winner of the award. But bragging rights aren’t won in Week 6. Everyone that bet Myles Garrett to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award last year knows all too well how quickly things can change when it matters most. With that, I’m back to offer up my favorite, underdog, and longshot selections to win the award with the calendar set to enter the middle of October.

Bet NFL Defensive Player of the Year Odds at BetRivers Sportsbook

*All remaining players 80-1 or greater

Favorite to Bet: Micah Parsons -114

The Dallas Cowboys have been one of the more surprising teams in the league through the first five weeks of the regular season. Never in my wet and wildest did I expect Mike McCarthy to be able to coach this team to 4-1 records both SU and ATS after losing Dak Prescott in the season opener against Tampa Bay. But it hasn’t been the offense that’s allowed for the team to excel without No. 4 lining up under center. It’s been the defense and Dan Quinn has done a masterful job calling defensive sets that allows for his playmakers to make impacts every passing week.

Micah Parsons has reaped the rewards to lead the league with six overall sacks, 12 QB hits, seven tackles for loss, and countless hurries of opposing quarterbacks. This dude is simply a one man wrecking crew, but he’s also received some help from his friends with DeMarcus Lawrence also proving to be a force. That being said, Parsons is currently being bothered by a groin injury that could either force him to sit out a game or two or impede his counting stats. If that happens, he could run into issues. If not, he’ll be the runaway winner of this award much like Josh Allen on the other side of the ball.

Underdog to Bet: Matthew Judon +5000

While the Patriots haven’t gotten out to the start The Hoodie likely would’ve liked, the defense has really started to turn into a force. It just shut the Lions out last week and made Jared Goff look terrible as he went to work without a number of bullets in the chamber. New England held Detroit to just over 300 scoreless yards of combined offense and registered a pair of sacks along the way. Each just so happened to go to Matthew Judon who upped his season tally to a team-high six for the season.

He’s already halfway towards eclipsing his career-high of 12.5 from last season and the Pats still have 12 games remaining on the docket. With 11 QB hits, four tackles for loss and a forced fumble to his credit through five games, a special season looks to be in store for the seventh-year player provided he can avoid the injury bug and continue to be the constant menace he’s proven to be since coming over from Baltimore a few years back. If the Patriots somehow manage to challenge the Bills for division supremacy, Judon will play a large role in pulling off the feat.

Longshot to Bet: Trey Hendrickson +10000

Trey Hendrickson was one of the main reasons why the Bengals defense dramatically turned its defensive fortunes around to make a Super Bowl run a season ago. In doing so, he was elected to his first Pro Bowl by way of coming up with three forced fumbles, 21 solo tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 27 QB hits, and a career-high 14.0 sacks. Cincinnati’s offense has struggled mightily through the first five weeks, so it’s been up to the defense to pick up the slack until Joe Burrow and his mates finally get on the same page with one another.

The unit has taken the challenge head on and come out looking rock solid because of it. Hendrickson is one of the main contributors of a run defense that’s allowed fewer than 100 yards per game (No. 7) and 4.2 yards per carry (No. 11). With nine QB hits, five hurries, 2.5 sacks and an inordinate amount of hurries, the former FAU Owl has a shot at seeing his odds to win this award get dramatically shorter provided he continues outpacing last year’s stats. The path is there with the DE currently playing 76 percent of the snaps; the most of his five-year career!