Saints' Week 1 starting quarterback odds: Jameis Winston clear leader over Taysom Hill; Winston now among betting favorites for 2021 NFL Comeback Player of the Year

Before Monday night's Week 2 preseason game vs. Jacksonville, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton said he wanted to name his regular-season starting quarterback between Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill ahead of the team's Week 3 preseason finale against Arizona on Saturday. You didn't need to be an NFL talent evaluator to see that Winston was vastly better than Hill against the Jaguars, and SportsLine oddsmakers now heavily favor the former Heisman Trophy winner to be the Week 1 guy against Green Bay on Sept. 12.

A perfect quarterback rating in the NFL is 158.3 and Winston's was 157.5 on Monday as he completed 9-for-10 for 123 yards and two long first-quarter touchdown passes (43 and 29 yards) to Marquez Callaway, who likely was a popular Fantasy Football pickup today. Winston hadn't started any games, preseason or regular season, since the end of 2019.

Winston had thrown two first-quarter TDs just twice in 70 career starts with the Tampa Bay Bucs, who chose him No. 1 overall in the 2015 draft out of Florida State. Winston's first TD pass to Callaway traveled 53.3 yards in the air, which was the most air distance on a New Orleans TD pass 2016 (preseason, regular season or playoffs).

Before Monday, Winston was +2000 to win 2021 NFL Comeback Player of the Year at Caesars Sportsbook. Now he's a +750 second-favorite behind Cowboys QB Dak Prescott.

To lead the NFL in passing yards, which Winston did in his final 2019 season with the Bucs, he's +6500. He's +5000 to win NFL MVP, which, rather amazingly, Drew Brees never did with the Saints. There are no Winston Over/Under season props yet because he hasn't officially won the job.

Hill, meanwhile, stared slowly but finished with respectable numbers, going 11-for-20 for 138 yards and a TD. The mobile QB didn't rush the ball at all – that's really where he has the only advantage over Winston -- and was flagged for intentional grounding once. Hill held on to the ball way too long more than a few times.

Despite the clear one-sided results, Payton is not ready to name Winston his starter yet: "I don't have a timeframe. When we know what direction we are going, we will let you guys know. We're not going to try to anticipate saying, 'Hey, it's going to be midweek or next week.' That's, I think, the best way for us to handle it. It's kind of how we've always handled something like this."

Winston was also a bit better than Hill in the preseason opener vs. Baltimore. Expect Payton's decision soon so Winston can get all the first-team reps, although Hill certainly will still be part of the game plan going forward as a Swiss Army Knife-type QB like he was behind Brees. There's also the school of thought where Payton should not say anything until right before the opener against Green Bay because why give the Packers any information?

Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Who will be the Saints' Week 1 starting QB?

• Jameis Winston -450
• Taysom Hill +300

Which Fantasy Football sleepers, breakouts and busts should you target and fade? And which QB shocks the NFL with a top-five performance? Join SportsLine now to get 2021 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called Josh Allen's huge season.