If you think bettors react quickly to just one NFL regular-season game, see what happened with Shedeur Sanders shortly after a preseason contest.
Key Takeaways
- FanDuel saw an influx of wagers on the Browns rookie during a three-hour window Friday.
- DraftKings, ESPN BET, and BetMGM have also seen Sanders move the market.
- Sanders isn’t even a lock to start Saturday’s preseason game, much less Week 1 of the regular season.
Many folks placing bets didn’t care that it came against a backup defense or that Cleveland's depth chart is still murky. FanDuel Sportsbook took more than 340 bets on the Browns quarterback to win Offensive Rookie of the Year over a three-hour window Friday.
Over the last 3 hours, we've taken 341 BETS on Shedeur Sanders to win Offensive Rookie of the Year 🤯
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) August 9, 2025
UNREAL. https://t.co/sPjlFGIZSP pic.twitter.com/pw3nE48Chm
Should bettors be hammering a QB that’s still a long way from being a starter in the NFL? He’s currently +5,000 to take home the honor, with 14 players listed at shorter odds.
Listed fourth on the depth chart entering the first exhibition of August, Sanders completed 14 of his 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions as the starter against the Carolina Panthers. He rushed for 19 yards, was sacked twice, and played 45 snaps.
“For him to play as well as he did in that start, that’s a huge win for him,” ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said Monday.
While the team has yet to announce a Week 1 starter, Joe Flacco is expected to be the No. 1. Kenny Pickett and rookie Dillon Gabriel have been banged up but also stand in Sanders’ way.
Still, several viral videos of Sanders making plays, avoiding pressure, and showcasing poise in his NFL debut led to an influx of wagers on the fifth-round pick in the futures market.
FanDuel told Covers on Monday that the former Colorado star and son of Deion Sanders was already the sportsbook’s most-bet player to win the top offensive rookie honor before the game. After it, he kept that lead and has received 15% of the bets and 20% of the handle.
Buying into Sanders
Other sports betting operators have seen changes in the market since Sanders’ solid preseason performance. DratKings told Covers on Monday that the Browns QB is the most-bet player in the Offensive Rookie of the Year market with 39% of the handle and 22% of the bets since his first contest.
Sanders had just 8% of the handle and 7% of the tickets with odds of +1,000 to win the award before the first week of preseason games.
Since Thursday at ESPN BET, Sanders is tied with New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson with 22.9% of the bets in its Offensive Rookie of the Year market.
The online operator told Covers that Sanders received 16.4% of the handle over the weekend, behind Henderson (32.1%) and Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (18.9%). Overall, Sanders is in fourth place since the market opened, with 8.5% of the money.
When BetMGM released an update on Offensive Rookie of the Year betting before the July 31 Hall of Fame Game, Sanders was +3,000 to win the award and sixth on the list with 6.6% of the handle. On Monday, BetMGM data analyst John Ewing stated Sanders has surged to 17.8% of the money, the highest in the entire rookie market.
Hold your horses
Three months ago, Sanders was sitting at home watching the NFL draft, waiting to hear his name called. Many draft pundits believed he was a first-round selection, and a Day 2 pick at worst. Instead, the QB’s stock never materialized, and the Browns didn’t take him until pick No. 144 (after they selected Gabriel).
It’s no surprise that No. 1 pick Cam Ward and first-round running backs Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton were getting more hype and betting action than Sanders over the summer. As promising as Sanders looked last Friday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was noncommittal on Sanders starting against the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday, much less earning the starting job in the regular season.
If news comes out that Sanders is getting first-team reps this week in practice, wagers should continue to flow in on the rookie, but Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com shared comments that might slow Sanders’ market surge.
“The truth is, while the start was exciting and promising, Sanders is still a long shot to beat out Joe Flacco and win the starting job less than a month away on Sept. 7,” Cabot wrote. “Granted, he brought the juice and gave the Browns a much-needed spark, but he still has a long way to go before he can go head-to-head with Burrow in the opener and then venture into M&T Bank Stadium against the Ravens’ vaunted defense and play as fast as he’d need to.”
