Best bet for offensive rookie? Look at running backs, wide receivers

Given that we are going to get a 2nd look astatine Las Vegas Raiders No. 1 wide prime Fernando Mendoza connected Thursday nighttime successful preseason enactment against the Texans, it’s a bully clip to deliberation astir the Offensive Rookie of the Year grant and the betting marketplace for that honor.

VSiN, The Sports Betting Network

It is fascinating however antithetic the draught classes are from twelvemonth to year. Back successful 2024, determination were 14 violative players taken earlier the archetypal antiaircraft player, including six quarterbacks and 7 wide receivers. In 2025, determination were 17 violative players and 15 antiaircraft players, but lone 3 QBs and 2 WRs. Not surprisingly, 1 of those 5 players won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Those who similar to stake immoderate agelong shots successful awards markets person been sorely disappointed successful this one. With Tetairoa McMillan’s triumph successful 2025, 8 of the past 10 OROY winners person been top-10 picks. McMillan’s lone existent contention successful that respect was Cam Ward and Ashton Jeanty aft Travis Hunter suffered a season-ending injury. Two of the archetypal 10 violative picks were choky ends and 4 were violative linemen — 2 positions that person ne'er won this award.

Is the 2026 Offensive Rookie of the Year marketplace acceptable up otherwise and successful a mode that could subordinate immoderate trends? For the existent top-10 inclination to continue, the options are Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love — who has an ankle wounded already — and Jordyn Tyson, whose play volition get disconnected to a delayed commencement acknowledgment to a hamstring injury.

Given however overmuch of a agelong changeable Ty Simpson of the Rams volition beryllium due to the fact that he’s not adjacent going to commencement barring injury, the adjacent eligible subordinate based connected the caller past of the grant is Makai Lemon, who was picked 20th. Alvin Kamara was the past non-top-10 prime to triumph OROY and besides the past non-first-round prime backmost successful 2017. Love (or chap Notre Dame RB Jadarian Price, 32nd overall) is hoping to go the archetypal RB since Saquon Barkley successful 2018 to win.

Wide receivers present person 3 wins successful the past 5 seasons aft going from 2014 (Odell Beckham Jr.) to 2021 (Ja’Marr Chase) without winning. Prior to Beckham, you person to spell backmost to Percy Harvin successful 2009.

Mendoza remains a tenable choice, fixed that the Raiders person an offensive-minded caput coach, a coagulated accomplishment group, and the past 4 QBs to triumph person each been top-six picks, with Kyler Murray arsenic the archetypal wide prime successful 2019 arsenic the grant winner. Plus, accidental is simply a immense woody here, arsenic Mendoza and the Raiders are apt to way a lot, giving him the accidental to rack up numbers, arsenic agelong arsenic helium starts implicit Kirk Cousins sooner alternatively than later.

Even though Mendoza isn’t guaranteed to commencement successful Week 1, or, frankly, anytime soon, he’s inactive the 2nd oregon co-second prime connected the betting committee astir 5-1 oregon 6-1 down Love. He’s besides 1 of conscionable 4 players with single-digit likelihood per astir sportsbooks astir town.

With Kubiak committed to Cousins, astatine slightest successful the aboriginal going, it is wholly imaginable that we truly spot this year’s grant much wide-open than astir seasons. Furthermore, it could beryllium a play that serves arsenic a existent outlier, overmuch similar we saw with the Defensive Rookie of the Year past play successful Carson Schwesinger — the archetypal non first-round prime to triumph the grant since Darius “Shaquille” Leonard successful 2018 and conscionable the 2nd since DeMeco Ryans successful 2006. Ryans volition beryllium connected the opposing sideline connected Thursday nighttime arsenic the caput manager of the Texans erstwhile the Raiders travel to town.

As the preseason rolls along, the rookies who person an impact, gully immoderate headlines, and get immoderate phantasy shot buzz are apt to spot their likelihood spell down arsenic a effect of bets, but besides buzzworthiness. If you spot a subordinate that you similar astatine longer odds, it mightiness beryllium a bully clip to stake them now, alternatively than instrumentality a little terms later. If you spot a subordinate that you similar astatine shorter odds, the existent rookie scenery mightiness assistance you get a amended terms during the play with what looks similar an grant that virtually anybody could win.