Every AFC West quarterback has better MVP odds than Patrick Mahomes

Las Vegas has set the betting odds for NFL MVP for the 2018 regular season and Patrick Mahomes is coming up fourth among AFC West quarterbacks.

As fantasy football fans hold their drafts and actual players enjoy their final weeks of time off before training camps, sports bettors are preparing their preseason wagers for the 2018 NFL regular season.

Las Vegas has set the official opening odds on several NFL futures including the odds for Most Valuable Player and the usual names are up top. As predicted, you can put your money on the overall favorites which include Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

From there, however, things get a bit interesting in a few directions. Using the MVP odds found here, some things we find interesting:

• Carson Wentz is No. 3 overall (+900)  which means any concerns about his health aren’t scaring those who are actually putting money on it, which means Vegas is certain that there’s no QB controversy with Nick Foles nor is there a health issue with Wentz. By the way, Foles’ odds are at +12500.
• Andrew Luck on the other hand is No. 15. That means Vegas is sold on his ability to perform well if and when he is healthy but no one is quite sure just yet. In short, you can’t read the Vegas lines to find out some insider info yet here. If he’s healthy, Luck would be higher ranked than he is now.
• As for the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes (+5500) is ranked behind Jameis Winston, who won’t even play the first three games, but ahead of Alex Smith. Unfortunately Mahomes is also ranked behind Phillip Rivers, Derek Carr and, ahem, even Case Keenum. [Sad trombone]
• When it comes to running backs, David Johnson of the Arizona Cardinals is the first listed, and for good reason given that he’s really the entire offense there in the desert.
• Kareem Hunt comes in behind Johnson, Le’Veon Bell, Todd Gurley and Zeke Eliott. He’s tied (at +6000) with Leonard Fournette, rookie Saquon Barkley and LeSean McCoy.

If you’ve never bet on sports before, the simple way to read it is to know that if you placed a $100 wager on, let’s say, Kareem Hunt to win MVP, you would earn $6,000 in return (plus your original $100 back). So Tom Brady at +700 would net you $700. Rocket science!