Damar Hamlin made his much vaunted return to the Bills defense on Monday vs. the Broncos.
The safety recorded his first tackle since suffering a cardiac arrest in January during a game against the Bengals. Hamlin had to be resuscitated on the field after a case of commotio cordis, a rare condition that occurs when a specific part of the chest is struck with high force during a specific portion of heartbeat.
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The condition has less than a 5% survival rate if not treated within three minutes. The Bills' training staff saved Hamlin's life by performing CPR and utilizing a defibrilator on that field in Cincinnati on Jan. 2.
This year before Monday's game, Hamlin suited up for 73 defensive and 19 special teams snaps during preseason but had been active for only one game in October vs. the Dolphins and was utilized only on special teams.
The performance Monday night moved his odds for Comeback Player of the Year from a slight favorite at -110 to a firm favorite at -200 at DraftKings. At FanDuel, his odds moved less precipitously, from -160 to -190.
Implied odds of -200 indicate a roughly 66.7% chance that Hamlin wins the award.
In a corresponding move, his main competition, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, has seen his odds move to as long as +470.
Typically, quarterbacks win this award, with most winners coming back from a serious injury or health condition. Comeback Player of the Year recipients also ordinarily win a lot of games and make the playoffs.
These factors favor players like Tagovailoa — who is coming back from three concussions and potential retirement — but the extenuating circumstances surrounding Hamlin's return to play have made him the wire-to-wire favorite through Week 11.
On account of Hamlin's story, he was a -430 preseason favorite, which has closed down slightly on account of his lack of play.
