Luke Kuechly’s NFL DPOY Odds Shorten from +2000 to +1500 After Week 6

• Luke Kuechly’s Defensive Player of the Year odds were once listed as long as +4000
• The Panthers linebacker has a league-leading 62 total tackles this season
• Khalil Mack is still the DPOY favorite with his odds improving to +300 after Week 6

Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly has thrown his hat into the ring for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Kuechly, who was considered a longshot to win the award prior to the season, is now listed at +1500 in the latest NFL DPOY odds released on Wednesday.

Is Kuechly worth a wager at this price or are the frontrunners just too strong?

2019 NFL DPOY Odds

Odds taken on October 16.

When the odds opened last week, Kuechly was listed at +2000. His odds shortened after a strong Week 6 performance, when he had six tackles — five of which were solo — as well as a pass deflection in Carolina’s win over the Bucs.

Through six games, Kuechly has 62 total tackles, which puts him in a three-way tie for the most in the NFL along with Jordan Hicks of the Arizona Cardinals and Joe Schobert of the Cleveland Browns.

Kuechly has 32 solo tackles and one interception this season.

You can put @lukekuechly in London…
But you can't keep him away from the football.@Panthers PICK!

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Kuechly is in his eighth year in the league; his best season to date came in 2012 as a rookie when he recorded 164 tackles, 103 solo tackles, and two interceptions.

Kuechly has had two years with four interceptions — his last coming 2015 when he also finished with 118 total tackles and a sack.

Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald could give the Rams a scary 1-2 punch for the foreseeable future.

But are they the best duo in the NFL? pic.twitter.com/AD9sx0Vat4

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 16, 2019

Kuechly was a massive underdog when the season began, opening as a +4000 longshot for NFL DPOY, but he’s worked his way into the top-seven frontrunners.

Can Kuechly hang around with the big names or will he fade out of the NFL DROY picture? He will be up against tough competition, especially with Chicago Bears linebacker Khalil Mack on the rise.

Khalil Mack’s Odds Improve

After overtaking Aaron Donald as the top  NFL DPOY favorite last week, Mack saw his odds go from +400 to +300 after Week 6.

Mack has had an incredible start to the season as part of Chicago’s rock-solid defense, posting 15 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, as well as a league-leading four forced fumbles.

Mack’s odds have moved subtly but have held firm around its current mark since opening at +400 in July. The longest we’ve seen Mack’s odds get during that stretch came on Sept. 22 when he was listed at +550. After three weeks of staying at +400, Mack’s odds shortened to their current price of +300.

Can Aaron Donald Rebound?

Donald’s odds have been trending the opposite way as the longtime favorite is now listed at an enticing +500 to win the 2019 NFL DPOY.

When the odds first opened, Donald was the +200 favorite and held the top position up until last week when Mack was given the best odds.

Donald’s odds stayed at +500, which still ranks the Rams defensive tackle as the No. 2 favorite.

As good as Donald was in 2018 en route to winning the NFL DPOY, the Rams star is having a down season with just three sacks after leading the league with 20.5 a year ago.

Look for Kuechly to continue to move up the ranks, but it will be difficult at this point to bet against Mack for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Pick: Khalil Mack (+300)