May 28, 2026
If you're a gambler, you're already thinking about the 2026 NFL season, which kicks off in early September.
Sportsbooks are already offering a bevy of futures, and sports betting on each of the individual games on the recently released NFL schedule.
If you're not a sports betting enthusiast, sportsbooks are still a pretty good resource as a fan. They usually know what they're talking about. Eagles fans can learn a lot about what sort of expectations their star players have by looking at how the oddsmakers handicap individual prop bets for them.
We'll start with one-time Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, who will have yet another new play-caller for his seventh NFL season. A.J. Brown is all but gone, with rookie Makai Lemon filling his shoes in an offense that might look a little different this season (and utilize the middle of the field).
According to DraftKings, Hurts' over under for passing yards this season is 3,249.5 yards. In five seasons as a full-time starter, he's eclipsed that number twice — but both times he did he surpassed it easily with more than 3,700 yards in both 2022 and 2023. The real question comes down to his health, and how well the Eagles are playing at the end of the season.
If you think the Eagles will lock up a playoff spot before the final game of the season, like they've done in most of the five playoff berth seasons Hurts has manned the offense for, it might be smart to go under. If you think he's going to get hurt, go under. A healthy Jalen Hurts — no matter who he's throwing to or who is calling plays for him — averages just over 192 passing yards per game. That over 17 games is just a hair higher than his over/under total. It could come down to how many games he plays.
What about his pass catchers? We'll start with first round pick Lemon who carries with him the sixth best Offensive Rookie of the Year odds (+950) depending on which sports betting market you look at.
Lemon should be on the field a lot for the Eagles, whether he's in the slot, or on the outside and those reps should lead to receptions. Just how many? DraftKings is offering plus odds (+120) for Lemon collecting 750 receiving yards. If he does that, he'll probably be in the mix for Rookie of the Year.
What about touchdowns? It's -200 for Lemon to collect four of them but +160 for him to get six. Sounds like Vegas thinks five touchdowns is the sweet spot.
DeVonta Smith will be opposite Lemon and with Brown likely gone, he'll be the No. 1 receiver. There is a real chance he takes a leap this season — an impressive contemplation considering he routinely lives above 1,000 receiving yards. It isn't a crazy notion to take a flier on him winning offensive player of the year, on the heals of Jaxon Smith-Njigba's performance last season, jumping from 1,100 yards and six TD to nearly 1,800 yards and 10 TD after D.K. Metcalf left Seattle.
Smith's offensive player of the year odds are +10000. And while he might not be a favorite, those odds are way undervalued. He's worth a very small gamble there as the payoff is massive.
Finally, from a potential Offensive Player of the Year to a former Offensive Player of the Year, how close will Saquon Barkley get to 2,000 yards again — like he did in his historic 2024 season?
The running back leads all Eagles skill players for the award again — +1600 — and his over/under rushing yards total is 1,099.5. In both of his Eagles seasons he exceeded this total, even last year when he dropped way off from his incredible 2024. He averages 78.8 yards per game over his career so once again, anyone betting under is going to be banking on Barkley missing some games.
The over has to be the smart play for Barkley, who theoretically doesn't even need an entire season to get to 1,100 yards. The Eagles' offensive line is entering the season with good health and things should shape up for Barkley to star once again in 2026.
