NFL Player Futures: Is Kirk Cousins Being Overlooked in Player Markets?

Jon Metler

Last Updated: July 13, 2022 6:10 AM EDT • 1 min 39 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings reacts after a touchdown in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Photo by David Berding/Getty Images via AFP.

The Minnesota Vikings will begin their first season under the leadership of Kevin O’Connell, and there are reports of a new offensive scheme for the team. This article examines the Offensive Player of the Year futures market and why Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins may be of value.

Last season, Cooper Kupp was named the Offensive Player of the Year and became only the third wide receiver to win the award. Kupp was chosen over Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who is the preseason favorite to win the award this year at +800.

The NFL season is rapidly approaching and bettors are beginning to build their futures portfolios. As discussions regarding this market intensify, one name on the odds board caught my attention as a potential long shot.

https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/xYY3l/1/

Kirk Cousins, QB, Vikings (+12500 via BetMGM)

Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson made news this offseason with this statement regarding the new offensive-minded head coach in Minnesota: "Our offensive style, it's not a run-first offense anymore. Just us being able to put different people in different positions and distribute the ball. … We're just excited to start it up, really. We want to see how this season really turns out for us."

In light of the reports coming out of Minnesota, several bettors have taken a closer look at Jefferson for Offensive Player of the Year, myself included, who is available at +2500.

https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1544712876396609548?s=20&t=47aShHseuLOCd3C05-J3sw

The obvious choice for this award is Jefferson; however, once I learned how Kirk Cousins was priced in comparison to other quarterbacks in the league, I knew I had to write about him.

Here is the pricing for several quarterbacks in the NFL to win the Offensive Player of the Year award at BetMGM:

https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/lMRgZ/1/

Even if the Vikings were still running Mike Zimmer's run-heavy conservative offense, which they are not, how can Cousins be considered a longer shot to win this award than Justin Fields or Jared Goff?

Cousins has accumulated 4,000 or more passing yards and 33 or more passing touchdowns in each of the past two seasons in Minnesota. He's surrounded by weapons on offense and a new air raid-style scheme could easily result in career-high stats for him.

I would have moved on if Cousins was priced at +6000, but when you see a +12500 available, it sounds the alarms that Cousins is being undervalued heading into the 2022 season and that will not be limited to this market alone.

https://twitter.com/CaesarsSports/status/1546921107265052673?s=20&t=t6uy4aw6ELCZSLvbFhG_Og

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Written By:
Jon Metler

Jon Metler is a Sports Betting Analyst at SportsbookReview.com. Having played, coached, and officiated basketball, he immediately turned his attention to the NBA and College Basketball when he entered the sports betting space. Sports betting has been a part of his life for over 13 years, and he specializes in futures markets and player props, particularly in the NBA. In pursuit of value, he keeps a close eye on movements in the betting markets. He believes strongly in analytics and staying ahead of the curve; let the numbers do the talking. A graduate of the University of Windsor with a degree in Sports Studies, Jon enjoys spending time with his dogs when he isn't watching basketball.