Saquon Barkley has a higher yards-per-carry average this season than the Giants’ yards-per-pass-attempt average. It was that kind of day for Giants fans.
Barkley capped the Sunday slate of NFL Week 12 with 255 rushing yards and two long touchdown runs in a dominant Eagles win over the Rams. Philly has now won seven straight and is clear at the top of the NFC East.
A performance like that in prime time will obviously attract a lot of attention, and the betting market was immediately affected. Barkley’s MVP odds at FanDuel went from +6500 to +650 on Sunday night. It’s still there as of 12:45 p.m. ET on Monday.
Normally, I have a good feel for the MVP race at this point in the season, but there’s no clear answer. Ahead of Barkley is Josh Allen (+135) and Lamar Jackson (+300). I don’t know if I think it’s Jackson yet ahead of the Ravens’ Monday Night Football game with the Chargers, and I’m not sure I think Allen can finish the season well enough.
I don’t quite know who to bet yet.
Here are the odds at FanDuel as of Monday afternoon ahead of Monday Night Football:
| Player | MVP Odds |
|---|---|
| Josh Allen | +135 |
| Lamar Jackson | +300 |
| Saquon Barkley | +650 |
| Jared Goff | +700 |
| Patrick Mahomes | +800 |
| Justin Herbert | +3300 |
| Jalen Hurts | +4000 |
| Sam Darnold | +5000 |
What I do know: I’m not going to tell you to bet on a running back to win the NFL MVP at the peak price.
You simply can’t invest in Barkley now. He had more than 300 total yards against the Rams and won’t have bigger holes than he did on Sunday night thanks to an elite Eagles offensive line. He gets through one step untouched and is gone.
I wore my Vikings jersey tonight after their win, and we haven’t seen a talent like him since Adrian Peterson, who’s the last non-quarterback to win the MVP back in 2012. Those are the kinds of numbers that Barkley is putting up right now, though.
I can’t recommend betting it, but I can’t say I’d be loving to fade Barkley right now. The path is certainly there for a non-quarterback to win the award without a QB taking control of the race. The Eagles have a real shot to be the No. 1 seed in the NFC and are steamrolling teams right now. The defense looked great, and the offense is thriving right now under offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
