Fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders has attracted betting action to win Offensive Rookie of the Year after his preseason debut for the Browns. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
Storm around Sanders
NFL fans must like what they’ve seen from fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders in his preseason debut for the Cleveland Browns, as betting markets are spiking around the former Colorado star.
needle moved on the futures market
After his performance as the Browns’ starting QB against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, the needle moved on the futures market for Offensive Rookie of the Year with DraftKings, ESPN Bet, and BetMGM reporting a surge of bets on Sanders.
FanDuel reported taking 341 bets on Sanders to win OROY in “a three hour window” and revealed on X that the QB was the most bet player to win the rookie title:
According to Covers on Monday, Sanders was already FanDuel’s most-bet player to win OROY before his performance in the Browns’ 30-10 victory over the Panthers.
Even for the son of a former NFL great, the surge in betting interest for a player listed fourth on the Browns’ depth chart ahead of the Panthers game shows significant numbers of fans have already taken a major leap of faith that Sanders will not only become a regular starter, but also play a starring role for Cleveland this season.
Breaking the internet
Deion Sanders’ son finished the game having completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. A pinpoint seven-yard bullet to Kaden Davis for the rookie’s first NFL touchdown pass had LeBron James reacting positively on X:
There was even more to come, with Nike using Sanders’ debut performance to create a viral marketing post. According to Athlon Sports, Nike “broke the internet” with its powerful message about seizing opportunities:
Covers cited FanDuel on Monday as stating Sanders was the most-bet OROY before his debut game and after it, receiving “15% of the bets and 20% of the handle.”
Despite the focus, Sanders has other QBs ahead of him in the Browns roster, and is currently listed at +5,000 to win OROY.
What next?
While Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski has yet to announce a Week 1 starter, veteran Joe Flacco is expected to be QB1. According to reports, Kenny Pickett and rookie Dillon Gabriel, while nursing bruises, also block Sanders path to offensive rookie glory. Casting further doubt was Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, who, while saying that Sanders’ debut was “exciting and promising,” also said he was “still a long shot to beat out Joe Flacco and win the starting job less than a month away.”
Cabot added that Sanders still had “a long way to go before he can go head-to-head with Burrow in the opener and then venture into M&T Bank Stadium against the Ravens’ vaunted defense.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
