National Football League

NFL odds: Ja'Marr Chase leaps Mac Jones as Rookie of the Year favorite

Updated Jan. 4, 2022 8:37 p.m. ET

When it comes to this season's NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (ROY) race, two names have remained at the forefront most of the year: Ja'Marr Chase and Mac Jones.

Cincinnati's star wideout and New England's young quarterback have separated themselves from the rest of their peers, which is why they sit alone at the top of the ROY odds at FOX Bet. And with only one week left to play in the regular season, these talented rookies will get another shot to prove to voters and bettors why they deserve to be named the League's best newcomer.

Drafted fifth overall out of LSU, Chase was not an early-season favorite for the esteemed ROY honor. At the beginning of the year, he had the eighth-best odds to win the award (+1300 at FOX Bet). From Weeks 1 through 4, the wide receiver also sat behind quarterbacks like Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence and Chicago's Justin Fields in ROY futures.

During those early weeks, his odds to win the award stayed at +1300. But after racking up 97 receiving yards against Detroit in Week 6 and then 201 against Baltimore the following week, Chase's odds shortened drastically from +1000 to +450.

Currently, the Bengals' top target ranks second in the NFL in touchdowns with 13 catches on the season and fourth overall with 1,429 receiving yards. In Cincinnati's Week 17 matchup against Kansas City, Ja'Marr made history by breaking the single-game record for receiving yards by a rookie. In that monster performance, Chase racked up 266 yards for three touchdowns and helped lift the Bengals to a 34-31, division-clinching win over the Chiefs.

That statement game also catapulted Chase in the Rookie of the Year race. The star WR is now the big favorite to take home the honor, listed at -225 to win at FOX Bet.

Speaking of Mac Jones, the young stud has played well thus far this season. Could Jones possibly help coach Belichick replicate the Bill and Brady wonder years? That's a discussion for another day.

When it comes to gambling, unlike Chase, oddsmakers pegged Jones as a favorite straight out of the gate. The 15th overall pick out of Alabama had the fourth-best odds to start the season, at +600. And his odds in that category never lengthened beyond that number this season. As a matter of fact, the number flipped altogether. In Week 14, the rookie QB became a massive favorite to win the award, getting as high as -800 at FOX Bet.

Throughout the season, Mac — who beat out veteran Cam Newton for the starting position — demonstrated why the Patriots were so high on him. His 21 TD passes are tied for 13th overall in the League, and his 3,540 passing yards also rank 13th.

And while Jones began this season with better odds than the Bengals pass catcher, the QB is now chasing the wide receiver for the top spot as his current odds are second-best at FOX Bet (+175).

So what do oddsmakers think of the too-tight-to-call race between the rookies? For that, we turn to FOX Bet content integration specialist Jacob Blangsted-Barnor.

"From Mac being announced as the Patriots' starter to Chase’s pre-season struggles, and then, to Chase blowing up early in the season, it really has been a roller coaster when it comes to ROY," the oddsmaker explained. "Chase has been one of the best wide receivers in the league, but Mac has been the best rookie QB and has led his team to the playoffs, and is very close to a division title."

Blangsted-Barnor also noted that Chase started losing momentum just as Jones was gaining it.

"When teams were keying in on Chase, that led to huge games for Tee Higgins, and you have to remember, the QB bias is real in this league — especially with this award," he said.

As the Bengals face Cleveland and the Patriots face off with Miami in Week 18, both players get another opportunity to prove their rookie worth. But Blangsted-Barnor believes this race can go either way and will come down to the final whistle.

So which player are you wagering to take home Rookie of the Year hardware? Get in on the betting action at FOX Bet!

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