This Raiders player is betting favorite to win NFL award this season
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A running back hasnât been named the NFLâs Offensive Rookie of the Year since 2018, when Saquon Barkley won the award with the New York Giants.
Oddsmakers expect Ashton Jeanty to end that drought this season. The rookie Raiders running back is the +290 favorite at Caesars Sportsbook to win the award.
âRunning backs are getting drafted earlier and earlier. Ashton Jeanty was drafted sixth overall this year, so there are a lot of expectations,â Caesars head of football Joey Feazel said. âHeâs likened to Saquon Barkley and how much of an impact heâs going to make in year one.
âAlso, the system heâs going to be put in with (Raiders offensive coordinator) Chip Kelly running the ball. We saw (Kelly) win the national championship last year with Ohio State, and weâre not going to expect anything less than running the ball first.â
Jeanty is the ticket and money leader in the market at Caesars, where he accounts for 16 percent of bets and 26 percent of the money wagered.
The former Boise State star, who led the nation in rushing last season with 2,601 yards, also is the +275 favorite at the Westgate SuperBook.
âI think Jeantyâs got a great shot because he figures to get a ton of carries,â SuperBook vice president of risk Ed Salmons said. âThereâs a lot of people that usually donât say a lot of positive things about running backs, and theyâre really hyping this kid up.
âHeâs got a chance to be really special.â
Jeantyâs total rushing yards prop at STN Sports is 1,050½, and his rushing touchdowns prop is 6½ (over-135).
Titans quarterback Cam Ward, who went No. 1 overall in the draft, is the +330 second favorite at Caesars and the money leader at the Westgate, which took a $9,000 wager on Ward at 4-1 odds before lowering him to 3-1.
Quarterbacks have won the award the past two seasons (C.J. Stroud, Jayden Daniels) but only five of the last 12.
âQuarterbacks donât always win this thing, just given they usually go to teams that stink and have no offense and itâs a process,â Salmons said.
Jeanty opened as a +320 co-favorite with Ward at Caesars before becoming the favorite.
âThatâs a reflection of the action heâs taken,â Feazel said. âA lot of our action comes from Las Vegas at times. Thatâs also driving it.â
In the hunt
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough and Jaguars wide receiver-cornerback Travis Hunter are tied for the 10-1 third choice at Caesars, where Shough is second in tickets and money and Hunter is third in each category.
Hunter, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, also is tied for the 12-1 fourth choice at Caesars to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
âIf he can make the same impact he did in college, he should be in the running,â Feazel said. âA lot of it, too, is going to be popularity, and he certainly has that âitâ factor.â
Rushing leader
Jeanty is tied for the 20-1 eighth choice with the Buccaneersâ Bucky Irving at the Westgate to lead the league in rushing yards this season.
âHe certainly has the tools, coaching and scheme to be up there in the mix if he can stay healthy,â Feazel said.
Barkley, the star Eagles running back, is the 3-1 favorite, and the Ravensâ Derrick Henry is the 5-1 second choice.
âYou would think the leading rusher would come from a team thatâs winning games. Theyâre obviously running the ball more just because theyâre winning,â Salmons said. âThe Raiders wouldnât fit that mold, so that would obviously be a little harder.
âBut most of the teams usually have a 60-40 breakdown with the running backs. They just donât have one guy who has 80 to 90 percent of the rush attempts. And heâs got a chance to be that.â