For The Win
When Saquon Barkley took his first carry of the NFC Championship to the house for a 60-yard touchdown, he did more than set the tone for a win that would send the Philadelphia Eagles to their second Super Bowl in the last three years. He also made a bunch of sports bettors very happy.
Several of Barkley’s props were among the most popular of the two games that day, and he cashed a good amount of them on that single carry. It should be no surprise then that Barkley is again a public favorite for the Super Bowl.
“Saquon Barkley has been a popular choice for not only first [touchdown scorer] but also anytime scorer,” DraftKings director of sports operations Johnny Avello said. “And it kinda makes sense. If Philly’s going to put a couple scores on the board, you would think he’s going to be one of them.”
The story is the same at other sportsbooks. Barkley has -200 odds to score at BetMGM, and even at those short odds, he’s the most-bet player to reach the end zone. He’s also the book’s most-bet first touchdown scorer at +400 odds.
“Saquon and [Travis] Kelce are the worst outcome for touchdown scorers,” BetMGM senior trader Christian Cipollini said.
Barkley’s popularity isn’t a surprise coming off his historic first season in Philadelphia where he became just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards. The over/under for his rushing yards against the Kansas City Chiefs is a whopping 112.5, and yet his over is still the third most popular player prop at BetMGM.
In fact, many bettors are expecting him to go well over that number. At DraftKings, where Barkley’s over/under is 111.5, some people are buying alternate rushing yards props at much higher numbers.
“They’ve been betting him over the yards. Over 120, over 130,” Avello said.
It all speaks to the expectation of a great game for the 27-year-old. Barkley has unusually short Super Bowl MVP odds for a running back at +240, which makes him the second favorite behind Patrick Mahomes (+105) — ahead of teammate Jalen Hurts (+375). He’s the second biggest liability to win the award at BetMGM. No player has been bet more by ticket or handle.
