National Football League

Back Detroit's Jameson Williams to win Offensive Player of the Year

Published Sep. 13, 2024 9:41 a.m. ET

NFL Week 1 is in the books. This means that half of the league is undefeated, and fans of those teams are dreaming of the Super Bowl, while the other half sits winless and desperate for a victory in Week 2.

Regardless of who you root for, it was great to have a full Sunday of NFL action back, and naturally, the awards market had some predictable adjustments after opening week.

Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen had good games and remain favorites for MVP at 4-1 and 5-1, respectively. Joe Burrow saw his odds go from 8-1 to 17-1 at DraftKings Sportsbook after the Bengals were upset 16-10 by the Patriots.

Rookie of the Year didn’t adjust very much, as you might expect. And that's because none of the high-profile rookies were impressive in their debuts.

One market and one player caught my eye, however. And I think it merits a bet.

Offensive Player of the Year — Jameson Williams

250-1 (FanDuel)
120-1 (DraftKings)

Williams had a monster performance on Sunday night against the Rams and will play an increased role on a Lions team that is one of the best in the league.

It’s been an interesting and an unusual trajectory for Williams’ young career.

His lone traditional year in college was at Alabama in 2021, when he had 1,579 yards and 15 touchdowns. The year prior, he only played a shortened season due to COVID-19.

His pro career has seen him battle a few obstacles as well.

Williams suffered a significant knee injury in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Georgia, which wiped out his 2022 rookie year.

A four-game suspension for gambling forced him to miss a chunk of his second season in 2023, where his production was fairly limited. But he did show flashes of stardom in the playoffs with a two-touchdown performance in San Francisco against the 49ers in the NFC title game.

Was the Rams vs. Lions a preview of the NFC Championship?

Williams seems poised to break out, evidenced by his five-catch, 121-yard, one-touchdown performance in Week 1 against the Rams.

And 250-1 is simply too long of a number for a player with this talent — especially on a team that looks poised to once again be in the spotlight as one of the league’s contenders.

Will Hill, a contributor on the Bears Bets Podcast, has been betting on sports for over a decade. He is a betting analyst who has been a host on VSiN, as well as the Goldboys Network.

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