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.
