Ja'Marr Chase 2023 NFL odds, props: Bengals star taking huge action to win Offensive Player of the Year, has lone double-digit touchdown total among receivers

The NFL MVP is now an award for quarterbacks. That's not officially the case, but a non-QB has only won the award once since 2007. Because of the QB monopoly on MVP, voters now essentially give the Offensive Player of the Year Award to the best non-QB, usually a receiver. Bettors at BetMGM are crushing Cincinnati Bengals star wideout Ja'Marr Chase to win the award in 2023.

Since 2017, the OPOY has gone to either a receiver or running back, other than in 2018 when Patrick Mahomes won both MVP and OPOY. If you polled most general managers in the league, the vast majority probably would say that the top wideout in the league was Minnesota's Justin Jefferson, who won this award last year with 128 catches for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns. He's a +1300 second favorite to repeat this year. No one has done that since Marshall Faulk won a third OPOY in a row in 2001.

It clearly helps to lead the league in at least a few categories to win this award, as Jefferson did in catches and yards in 2022. The year before, the Rams' Cooper Kupp was the Offensive Player of the Year and won the receiving Triple Crown.

Chase, considered by most the NFL's second-best receiver behind Jefferson, could pull of a rare career double if he becomes the first Bengal to win OPOY since quarterback Ken Anderson in 1981, as Chase also won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2021 when he had arguably the best rookie receiving season ever with 81 catches for 1,455 yards and 13 TDs. If he puts those numbers up again, chances are he's winning OPOY.

Last year, Chase was limited to 12 games and had 87 catches for 1,046 yards and nine TDs. Extrapolated over 17 games, those totals would be 123 catches, 1,481 yards and 13 TDs. Obviously it helps that he has an MVP-caliber QB in Joe Burrow. Jefferson doesn't really have that with Kirk Cousins (although he always puts up good regular-season numbers).

At BetMGM, Chase is taking both the most tickets at 10.0% and most money at 12.8%. At DraftKings, the only player listed with a double-digit over/under TD catch total is Chase at 10.5, although the Under is a -120 favorite. The team record is 17 receiving TDs. Chase also is set at O/U 1275.5 yards and 95.5 catches. To lead the NFL in yards, he's a +600 second favorite behind Jefferson and is the +400 leader for TD grabs.

Cincinnati is in Cleveland in Week 1 and currently -2.5. The SportsLine Projection Model has Chase finishing with 4.9 catches for 64 yards and 0.53 TDs. In his lone game vs. the Browns in 2022 (injured in the other), Chase had 10 grabs for 119 yards and a TD. 

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