Bills safety Damar Hamlin is a survivor and a warrior, making his way back onto the field when no one thought it was possible after he suffered cardiac arrest against the Bengals on “Monday Night Football.”
He opened as a -250 favorite to win Comeback Player of the Year before he played a single snap this season.
His stranglehold on the award appears to be loosening, as quarterback Joshua Dobbs has jumped from 75/1 to 15/1 (+1500) on FanDuel Sportsbook and now has the fourth-best odds to win Comeback Player of the Year.
The recently acquired Viking is on his third team in three months, having just walked into the building in Minnesota to lead a wild come-from-behind victory over the Falcons.
And now the debate continues over whether Hamlin, who is yet to play a defensive snap this season and appeared only on special teams, will be the Comeback Player of the Year.
The narrative will be ever in his favor, as we know.
Many remember that Denny Kellington of the Bills’ medical staff, who saved his life on that scary Monday night, received a vote last season for Comeback Player of the Year.
In the NBA, players need to appear in 65 games to be eligible for awards and All-NBA teams.
For Hamlin, he’s a winner because he’s still in the league and he likely will win no matter how many snaps he plays this season.
And the NFL doesn’t have mandatory playing requirements when it comes to winning awards.
| Comeback Player of the Year odds |
|---|
| Damar Hamlin -175 |
| Tua Tagovailoa +300 |
| Lamar Jackson +750 |
| Joshua Dobbs +1500 |
| Breece Hall 20/1 |
| TJ Watt 26/1 |
| Chase Young 30/1 |
From a betting perspective, Hamlin is coming in at -115 odds on BetMGM Sportsbook and that would actually profile as value.
Is there a better than 53 percent chance that Hamlin wins the award? That certainly has to be the case.
Having said that, Dobbs shouldn’t be 10/1 either.
Dobbs’ season has unbelievable considering he has been thrust into starting roles on next to no notice.
If he leads the Vikings to a playoff berth, he should be in the middle of a three-horse race with Hamlin and Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Fair value on Dobbs is probably in the +400 area and Hamlin should also be around -300, so there’s value on both sides here.