Devin White’s NFL DROY Odds Fade from +700 to +1600 After Knee Sprain in Week 2
- Buccaneers rookie linebacker Devin White was an early favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year
- After his knee sprain in Week 2, his odds have dropped considerably
- Is there any value at betting on White to win DROY at his current odds?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected linebacker Devin White of LSU fifth overall in the 2019 draft and some betting sites had him listed as the early favorite in the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year odds, with his line being as low as +680 in August.
Following a knee sprain in Week 2 that has his status to play this Sunday in jeopardy, he’s dropped considerably in the odds. Should you jump on his current odds to win DROY or save your cash to place on someone else?
2019 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Nick Bosa (DE, 49ers) | +450 |
| Devin Bush (LB, Steelers) | +500 |
| Johnathan Abram (S, Raiders) | +700 |
| Josh Allen (LB, Jaguars) | +1000 |
| Devin White (LB, Buccaneers) | +1600 |
| The Field | +800 |
*Odds taken 09/19/19.
What Devin White Has Done Through Two Weeks
In his first NFL game, Devin White had a solid if unspectacular start, putting up four solo tackles and two tackle assists. In Week 2, he was only on the field for six snaps, resulting in a pair of tackle assists before departing with a knee injury . That knee injury hasn’t gone away and the chances of him playing on Sunday against the Giants sounds tenuous at best.
HC Bruce Arians said ILB Devin White, CB Jamel Dean, QB Blaine Gabbert and ILB Devante Bond did not practice today.
Says there’s no change in White’s prognosis – he’s still day to day.
— Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV) September 18, 2019
His toughness and heart were on full display in the opening week. He was recovering from tonsilitis and had lost ten pounds, but he gutted through it and had a nice debut to his NFL career.
In two short games, Tampa Bay #Buccaneers LB Devin White has made a tremendous impact on the defense.@zickster21 goes into the #PFNFilmRoom to showcase that even with the injury how great White has been. https://t.co/XGpTrh0G6h
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) September 16, 2019
The Buccaneers sound optimistic he’ll be back by Week 4, but potentially missing most of two of the first three games has seen his odds drop to as low as +1600 to win DROY.
Movement in Devin White’s Betting Odds
For context, last year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year was Colts linebacker Darius Leonard, and he had 111 solo tackles, seven sacks and two interceptions. Should White miss Week 3, he’ll have to have a ferocious final 13 games to get to that level.
Devin White (Knee) is OUT for the rest of the game. Due to the lack of cameras from NFL Network b/c of lightning, here's the only angle of White's injury from the network broadcast. Looks like it's his left knee. repost #TBvsCAR pic.twitter.com/gV6VN7817K
— Scott (@EsplorareTravel) September 13, 2019
In just one week, his odds went from +700 to +1600, and should other top contenders like Nick Bosa and Devin Bush have big Week 3s, he’ll almost certainly be facing even longer odds to win the award.
Should You Put Your Faith in Devin White?
Sure, he avoided a serious knee injury against the Panthers, but knee issues don’t suddenly go away and this could be an injury that lingers throughout the whole season and potentially could rear its ugly head sooner rather than later.
Despite his odds being at a juicy +1600, the smart money is still on him failing to win DROY.
Pick: Stay away from White winning 2019 DROY (+1600)
Michael "Hound Dog" Harrison is well known in the sports industry as the resident statistician for the SC with Jay Onrait Show. He has worked at TSN for over 16 years, where he's been featured on Sportscentre, That's Hockey, That's Hockey 2Nite, The Masters preview shows, and several more.
