Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is the betting favorite to win the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year at +210 odds, according to the futures board at Draft Kings. Joe Burrow from Cincinnati Bengals is also near the top of the board at +700 odds to win the Comeback Player of the Year.
Prescott suffered a freak ankle injury in Week 5 last season. He had multiple surgeries to repair his ankle and he’s ready to lead the Cowboys to a division title and playoff berth this year. Burrow had the inside track to the Rookie of the Year last season with the Bengals before his season ended prematurely with a blown ACL. Reports out of Cincy suggest Burrow looks even better this season.
| 2021 NFL Comeback Player of the Year |
- Dak Prescott +210
- Joe Burrow +700
- Saquon Barkley +700
- Christian McCaffrey +800
- Nick Bosa +1000
- Carson Wentz +1000
- George Kittle +1000
- Jameis Winston +1000
- Jimmy Garoppolo +1200
- Michael Thomas +1200
- Laurent Duvernay-Tardif +1200
- Odell Beckham Jr +1400
- Courtland Sutton +1400
- Sam Darnold +1600
- Von Miller +2500
- Julio Jones +2500
- James Conner +3500
- OJ Howard +3500
Since 2008, a quarterback has been named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year nine times, including three in a row. Alex Smith won the 2020 Comeback Player of the Year after returning to the Washington Football Team following a gruesome compound leg fracture and ensuing infection that nearly killed him.
Comeback running backs: Barkley and McCaffrey
Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey are two of the most explosive running backs in the league when they’re healthy. Both are dual-threat beasts who can beat you on the ground and in the air.
McCaffrey, who became the youngest player to earn a 99 rating on Madden Football, struggled with a high-ankle sprain last season with the Carolina Panthers. CMAC was sidelined for 13 games in 2020. He was the consensus #1 pick in every fantasy football league. McCaffrey is +800 odds to win the Comeback Player of the Year and is +4000 odds to win the MVP this season.
Barkley, of the New York Giants, blew out his ACL in Week 2. You can back him at +700 odds to win the Comeback Player of the Year.
CPOY value town: Sam Darnold
Keep an eye on Sam Darnold. He has a second chance at life after the New York Jets traded him to the Carolina Panthers where he has a chance to thrive in a new system without Adam Gase at the helm. The inept Gase ruined both Darnold and Ryan Tannehill during his tenure as the head coach of the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins.
In 2019, Tannehill came off the bench to win the starting job with the Tennessee Titans. He thrived with the Titans after recovering from Gase-induced PTSD in Miami. A fresh start could provide Darnold a similar opportunity to shine and prove to the world that he’s not a draft bust, but instead, incurred a bad beat with Gase.
You can back Darnold at +1600 odds to win the 2021 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.