NFL MVP Odds: Patrick Mahomes emerges as unchallenged betting favorite

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes burst on to the scene in stellar fashion during the 2018 season, earning NFL MVP honors and generating more than 5,000 passing yards and 50 touchdowns through the air. By any objective measure, Mahomes operates as one of the best players in the league and, because of the impact made by any top-tier quarterback, he also exists as an obvious candidate to repeat as the recipient of the league's top individual honor. In fact, Mahomes opened the 2019 campaign, at least in most places, as the betting favorite to repeat as MVP but, after four weeks and some line movement, he is now the prohibitive front-runner. 

DraftKings Sportsbook released updated MVP odds in advance of Week 5 and, after opening the season at +600, Mahomes is now even money (+100) to grab the award. On its own, that type of shift would be noteworthy but, even after less than 25 percent of the season is complete, the closest competition to Mahomes is Tom Brady, who lands at +800 to win the award. 

There are other potential challengers that are noteworthy, headlined by Carson Wentz (14-1), Aaron Rodgers (16-1) and Russell Wilson (16-1), but Mahomes zooming to the front of the line in this fashion is at least moderately surprising. On one hand, he leads the league in passing yards (1,510) and touchdowns (10) while leading his team to an unblemished, 4-0 record. On the other, there is a long way to go in the 2019 season and the lack of anything approaching a co-favorite is something that isn't standard operating procedure. 

The Chiefs take on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5 and, at the moment, Kansas City is an 11-point favorite with an eye toward a 5-0 record. If that happens in conjunction with another stellar outing from Mahomes, these odds could move even further in his favor. With that in mind, it might be time to invest in Mahomes if you have any plan to do so, even with the caveat that the value is significantly lower than it was just four weeks ago. 

So who should you pick in every Week 5 NFL game? And what teams will deliver huge upsets this week? Join SportsLine now to get every pick from the model that would have won over 96 percent of CBS office pool leagues last season, plus find out what home favorite is in for the shock of a lifetime.