NFL MVP Odds Show Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson Tied Atop Race With Deshaun Watson Close Behind

Kansas City Chiefs' star quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been the undisputed NFL MVP favorite since the odds were first released in late June, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, but it looks like he finally has some company at the front of the pack.

Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson (+230) has seen his NFL MVP odds steadily increase over the past several weeks, and he is now tied with Mahomes as the favorite to take home the 2019 NFL MVP Award.

Russ & Mahomes are now TIED for favorite to win MVP ? pic.twitter.com/RIoqBZGwDi
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) October 16, 2019

Wilson has been at his very best in 2019 and it doesn't look like he's going to slow down any time soon. So far, the 30-year-old QB has completed 72.5 percent of his pass attempts for 1,704 yards and 14 touchdowns with no interceptions. Additionally, he owns a league-best 124.7 passer rating on the year.

Unfortunately for Mahomes and the Chiefs, the star QB suffered a knee injury in the first half of Thursday night's game against the Denver Broncos, and he is now expected to be out for at least three weeks.

Cam Newton (2016) is only reigning MVP QB to miss a game in the last decade – last reigning MVP QB to miss multiple games was Tom Brady in 2008 (torn ACL). pic.twitter.com/D6itRqgIq5
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 18, 2019

Beyond Thursday's setback from a knee injury, Mahomes' performance this year has been exceptional as well, as he's completed 65.1 percent of his passes for an NFL-best 2,180 passing yards and he is tied with Matt Ryan for an NFL-best 15 touchdowns.

However, an ankle injury had also hindered his performance over the past couple of weeks, as the Chiefs lost two straight contests prior to Week 7's win over thee Broncos.

Patrick Mahomes just went down with an injury on a QB sneak, appeared to be in massive pain and unable to move. Trainers then seemed to pop his right kneecap back into place and Mahomes walked off the field. And is now ruled out for the rest of the game. pic.twitter.com/u0o7ZK6y94
— The Ringer (@ringer) October 18, 2019

Unsurprisingly, the next two names after Wilson and Mahomes are also QBs. Deshaun Watson (+550) has played well above expectations for the 4-2 Houston Texans, and Aaron Rodgers (+850) has been instrumental to the resurgent Green Bay Packers' 5-1 start to the year. Rounding out the top five is Carolina Panthers' running back Christian McCaffrey (+1100), who owns the best MVP odds among all non-QBs.

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Mike Esposito is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Mike Esposito also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username espo6891. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.