Marquise Brown Given 3rd-Best Odds to Win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year After Week 1
- Marquise Brown had 147 receiving yards and two touchdowns in Week 1.
- As Calvin Ridley and D.J. Moore showed us last season, rookie wideouts tend to be inconsistent week-to-week.
- The Ravens played the worst team in the NFL in Week 1 and their schedule will get much more difficult in the coming weeks.
Marquise Brown was one of the most impressive rookies in Week 1 as he – with the help of Lamar Jackson – shredded the Miami Dolphins secondary. As a result, his NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have shortened from +2900 (before Week 1) to +830 on average. Is he a good value play at this point to win the award?
2020 Offensive Rookie of The Year Odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kyler Murray | +150 |
| Josh Jacobs | +500 |
| Devin Singletary | +1000 |
| Marquise Brown | +1000 |
| D.K. Metcalf | +1200 |
Odds taken 09/11/19.
Brown Carves Up Dolphins
We didn’t hear much about Hollywood Brown in the offseason as he was recovering from a foot injury but he appears to be fully over it. We saw the first-round pick’s blazing speed on display in Week 1 as he caught four passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns. The touchdown grabs were absolute bombs of 83 and 47 yards.
It’s clear that Brown can take any catch to the house as he’s that electric. More importantly, quarterback Lamar Jackson looks like he’s significantly improved as a passer, which is crucial to Brown’s success. Jackson finished the day 17-of-20 for 324 yards and five touchdowns.
Brown Won’t Play The Dolphins Every Week
It’s important to remember that the Dolphins are among the worst teams in the NFL – if not the worst. They allowed 59 points in the first week of the season and a number of players spoke to their agents after the game to request trades.
The schedule is going to get much tougher in the coming weeks with Kansas City, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Seattle all on the docket before the Ravens bye in Week 8. Now that Brown has exploded onto the scene, expect those teams to be far more aware of him and far better prepared.
Rookie Wideouts Tend to Be Inconsistent Week-to-Week
It’s easy to get excited about Brown’s Week 1 effort. He looks like he’ll be a stud in this league as speed kills. However, let’s not go overboard. Remember that rookie wideouts tend to be inconsistent in their first seasons, so Brown isn’t going to show out every week like this.
Taking a look back at Calvin Ridley’s rookie season last year, he generated a lot of excitement in his first two games as he had touchdown catches in each while compiling 122 receiving yards. He would have a total of 74 receiving yards with no touchdowns in the following three weeks.
D.J. Moore – the top receiver selected in the 2018 NFL Draft – was about the same. He exploded for eight catches and 81 yards in Week 1 last season. He had just four catches for 31 yards combined in the following two weeks.
What’s The Best Bet?
Rookie wideouts tend to be inconsistent week-to-week. Brown had a fantastic first game but he’s going to face much better defenses the rest of the way, and teams are now aware just how much of a threat he’ll be. I wouldn’t overreact and bet him here. Players with more guaranteed volume like Devin Singletary and Josh Jacobs are smarter plays.
For over 15 years, Dave has been working in mainstream media and sports betting. He hosted a station on Sirius Satellite Radio for four years, and is currently a senior writer for AskMen. He's interviewed hundreds of hundreds of high-profile sports stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Floyd Mayweather.
