The preseason Comeback Player of the Year odds for 2023 had Bills safety Damar Hamlin as the overwhelming favorite, with the theory that any player who is able to return to action following a on-field collision that almost cost that player his life was a shoo-in to win the award. Instead Hamlin finished in second place, as Joe Flacco rode an impressive five-start stint that led the Browns to the playoffs to a close win.

The situation was enough for the Associated Press to clarify who it believes the award is supposed to spotlight. "The spirit of the AP Comeback Player of the Year award is to honor a player who has demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity by overcoming illness, physical injury or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season," AP senior writer Rob Maadii, who oversees NFL awards voting, said. "The decision to provide this guidance was made last December but could not be implemented for the 2023 awards because the season was almost completed."

The previous season, Christian McCaffrey seemed to be an obvious preseason play coming off two major season-ending injuries in the last two years. Despite him looking like one of the best players in the league following the trade to San Francisco, McCaffrey was beat out by Geno Smith, who came back from years in the wilderness as a little-used backup after two mediocre seasons as Jets starter to lead Seattle to a 9-8 record. Pairing the Smith win with the Flacco win, you can definitely see how the reiteration of the intent of the award was necessary if returning from "illness, physical injury or other circumstances" that led to missed playing time is supposed to be the determining factor, unless you consider sitting on the bench "other circumstances."

I'll break down the fields for Comeback Player of the Year below and identify who I think makes the most sense to back, including some longshots I think could be worth small-sized plays. But first, let's look at the list of odds for anyone shorter than +10000 in our consensus average.

2024 Comeback Player of the Year odds

Which favorites are worth playing to win Comeback Player of the Year, and which should be faded? And which candidates make for the best values to take home the award? ... Join SportsLine right now to see NFL Comeback Player of the Year futures betting strategy from SportsLine's No. 1 NFL expert!