Admin October 10, 2024
NFL Week 6 picks and predictions
Lorenzo Reyes is back with his best bets for Sunday’s games. Find out why he’s eyeing up the Bengals, Texans and Commanders vs Ravens.
The NFL’s Battle of the Beltway during Week 6 is also suddenly a battle between the league’s hottest MVP candidates.
Lamar Jackson, the reigning league MVP, watched his odds of repeating drop when the Baltimore Ravens opened the 2024 season with two losses. But he’s surged back into contention after three wins in a row and Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders brings another level of intrigue. Jayden Daniels has emerged as the best rookie quarterback in the league through five games, pushing Washington to four-straight wins and a spot atop the NFC East. It has provided him with an unexpected entry into the MVP race.
Though Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes remains the leader to win MVP after Kansas City’s 5-0 start to the season, Daniels’ MVP odds are rising faster than anyone in the NFL at the moment. Jackson, meanwhile, has surged all the way to the second-best odds, behind only Mahomes.
Here’s what the rest of the 2024 NFL MVP picture looks like ahead of Week 6, with players ranked in order of current betting odds, courtesy of BetMGM:
NFL QUARTERBACK QBR POWER RANKINGS: Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels near Josh Allen’s top spot
NFL MVP rankings: Odds ahead of Week 6
Odds as of Thursday, Oct. 10.
5. Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders (+1000)
It only took until Week 6 (and four-straight wins by the Washington Commanders) for oddsmakers to buy into the hype and enthusiasm now surrounding Daniels’ impressive start to his rookie season. The Heisman Trophy winner jumped up the rankings this week, seeing his odds improve to top-5 levels after throwing for 238 yards and a touchdown and running for 82 yards in Washington’s 34-13 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 5. He currently leads the NFL in completion percentage (77.1%) and suddenly looks like a dark horse MVP candidate.
4. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills (+750)
Just two weeks ago, Allen was considered the MVP favorite following a sublime four-touchdown performance in a win over Jacksonville. But his odds dropped significantly in recent days after one of the worst two-game stretches of his career, including last Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans in which Allen completed a career-worst 30 percent of his passes (9 of 30) for 131 yards and a touchdown. Don’t count out Allen in the MVP race yet, but his chances took a serious hit.
T-2. C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans (+650)
Stroud out-played Allen in last week’s Texans’ win over the Buffalo Bills and moved past him in the latest MVP odds as a result. The former Ohio State star is completing a higher percentage of his passes (68.9) and throw for more yards and touchdowns than he did when he won rookie of the year last season. He had his second-straight game in which he had more than 300 passing yards in Week 5, completing 28 of his 38 passes for 331 yards, one touchdown and one interception against the Bills.
T-2. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens (+650)
The reigning MVP briefly dropped out of the MVP picture when the Ravens began this season with two losses in a row, but Jackson’s presence near the top of this list should a constant now that Baltimore re-positioned itself as an AFC title contender with three-straight wins. Particularly if Jackson has more performances like the one he put on against Cincinnati in Week 5. He was 26 of 42 for 348 yards and four touchdowns and also had 55 rushing yards in the 41-38 overtime win. It’s the second-most yards Jackson has thrown for in a regular season game during his NFL career.
1. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs (+240)
As others rise and fall in the NFL MVP race, Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs remain steady at the top of the league. Though Mahomes isn’t putting up gaudy numbers this year, he is the best player on one of two remaining undefeated teams in the league and oddsmakers still seem confident that his numbers will eventually match his reputation. To that end, Mahomes had arguably his best performance of the 2024 season in the Chiefs’ 26-13 win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday night ahead of the team’s bye week. He set new season highs in passing yards (331), completion percentage (71.8%) and completions (28).