Damar Hamlin’s been the frontrunner for Comeback Player of the Year all season long, and for good reason. His story is nothing short of remarkable, and he’s still the odds-on favorite at DraftKings (-450).
However, Joe Flacco is closing the gap in a hurry.
The veteran was out of the league before signing with the Browns’ practice squad on Nov. 19. He became the team’s fourth starting QB in Week 13, and he’s been among the league’s elite quarterbacks ever since.
Flacco's thrown for the most yards (1,307) by any Browns quarterback over his first four games and has exceeded 300 yards in each of the team’s last three games. Cleveland is 3-1 since he took over, and they’re a near lock to make the postseason (99%) according to the NFL’s analytics team.
The Browns fell 36-19 in Flacco’s first start, and he was +25000 to win Comeback Player of the Year after the loss. However, his odds improved to +6000 after leading Cleveland to a 31-21 win over the Jaguars, and then +1200 after beating the Bears. Now it’s all the way up to +450 after completing 27-of-42 passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday’s 36-22 win over the Texans.
Baker Mayfield (+800) is third in the Comeback Player of the Week race after leading Tampa Bay to a 30-12 win that has them on the precipice of the NFC South title. Matthew Stafford (+1500) and Tua Tagovailoa (+1500) round out the top five.
