December 23, 2020
It's the regular season's penultimate week. Which means, just like so many great TV shows you've been binging during the pandemic, it could be the best one of the season.
With action set to kick off Friday as part of a very rare four-day football weekend, many will be watching to see if they can win their fantasy football championship, or if their favorite team can slide into the playoffs, which start in two weeks.
But others will no doubt be paying close attention to the ever-changing awards and betting landscape. We are here to help.
From who will lead the league in passing yards to who is most likely to win Defensive Player of the Year — and everything in between, including the Super Bowl winner — we've compiled some of the most common props and futures below in order to keep you posted on how your bets are looking as we head down the stretch.
All of the odds have been assembled from TheLines.com, which collects lines and odds from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetRivers and UniBet to provide contrasts for bettors to get their money in the best they can. Here's how things stand with three weeks of games to go before the postseason:
With a single-elimination tournament, there is really no telling which teams currently leading their divisions will still be playing come February. But as always, the sports books have done their best to handicap the favorites. The Chiefs are far and away the team with the best chances of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, with the Bills and three NFC teams chasing them in the odds department.
Here's a look at the current top five teams, according to DraftKings:
| Team (W-L) | SB Odds |
| Chiefs (13-1) | +170 |
| Packers (11-3) | +550 |
| Saints (10-4) | +850 |
| Bills (11-3) | +900 |
| Seahawks (10-4) | +1300 |
The Chiefs have improved their odds slightly from +180 a week ago, and the Packers have made a pretty big jump from +650 to +550. The Bills have also made a big jump, up from +1200 last week. The Rams' loss to the Jets in Week 15 dropped them out of the top five, tied with the Bucs and Ravens at +1400.
Not surprisingly, this is a two-man race between Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers. Last week the race was much tighter, but Mahomes separated from Rodgers in Week 16 and looks to be pulling away...
| Player | Stats | MVP odds |
| Patrick Mahomes, KC | 4,462 yds, 36 TD, 5 INT | -400 |
| Aaron Rodgers, GB | 3,828 yds, 40 TD, 4 INT | +400 |
Rodgers dropped from +175 to +400 (according to DraftKings numbers), and after him, it's not even really worth talking about any other candidates.
It appears that when the season is over and the year-end awards are handed out, it will once again be going to a pass rusher, which is where it had gone for five straight years before cornerback Stephon Gilmore took home the award last season. And depending on how the last three weeks play out, it could be going to a familiar name.
Aaron Donald won the award in 2017 and 2018 and remains among the favorites to win the award for 2020 as well. But he'll have to pass the current favorite, T.J. Watt of the Steelers, whose brother J.J. is a three-time DPOY himself. Also in the hunt is Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, who has had a stellar season for the better-than-expected Cleveland Browns.
| Player | Stats | DPoY odds |
| T.J. Watt, PIT | 13 sacks, 22 TFL, 7 PD, INT, FF | +180 |
| Aaron Donald, LAR | 12.5 sacks, 11 TFL, 4 FF, FR | +200 |
| Myles Garrett, CLE | 11 sacks, 9 TFL, 4 FF, 2 FR | +350 |
We'll swap to FanDuel for the Rookie of the Year race, which shakes out as follows in a two-man race:
| Player | Stats | ROY odds |
| Justin Herbert, LAC | 3,781 yds, 27 TD, 10 INT | -950 |
| Justin Jefferson, MIN | 73 Rec, 1,182 yds, 7 TD | +550 |
Justin Herbert has a huge edge, likely because of the position he plays, even though the Vikings have had a better season so far than Los Angeles.
| Player | Yards | Odds |
| Derrick Henry, TEN | 1,679 | -225 |
| Dalvin Cook, MIN | 1,484 | +150 |
In what was a very tight race just a week ago, there appears to be some separation in the three-man competition between DeAndre Hopkins, Stefon Diggs and Travis Kelce. However, one game can completely swing the balance, so we've included a handful of competitive wideouts below, with the odds from FanDuel:
| Player | Yards | Odds |
| DeAndre Hopkins, ARI | 1,324 | +110 |
| Stefon Diggs, BUF | 1,314 | +170 |
| Travis Kelce, KC | 1,318 | +300 |
| DK Metcalf, SEA | 1,223 | +1000 |
| Tyreek Hill, KC | 1,211 | +2500 |
| Calvin Ridley, ATL | 1,192 | +3300 |
| Davante Adams, GB | 1,186 | +3800 |
Hopkins, who was in sixth place at odds hovering near +500, leaped ahead of every other receiver thanks to his monster game against the Eagles in Week 15. Diggs, who is questionable for his upcoming game, also leapfrogged from fifth to second after another big game of his own.
This content and the links provided are sponsored by thelines.com and playpennsylvania.com, PhillyVoice.com’s Official 2020/2021 Betting Odds Partner, independently created by PhillyVoice.
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