Jeremiyah Love Opens at +250 for Rookie Of The Year
Jeremiyah Love opened as the consensus betting favorite to win rookie of the year after the Arizona Cardinals took him third overall. His line has already settled at different prices across books, but the early market put him ahead of the rest of the class.
Love Tops the Board
Love’s best opening number was +250 at DraftKings, with BetMGM posting him at +300 and FanDuel at +320. A +300 listing implies a 25% chance to win the award, which is a strong opening position for a running back in a race that has leaned away from the position for years.
The Cardinals have not had a running back win Offensive Rookie of the Year since Ottis Anderson in 1979 while he was with the St. Louis Cardinals. Arizona has also produced Kyler Murray in 2019 and Anquan Boldin in 2003, giving Love a team history that already includes three Offensive Rookie of the Year winners.
Cardinals Backfield Pressure
Love is entering a crowded backfield, and that is the first wrinkle in his case. He is flanked by James Conner, Tyler Allgeier and Trey Benson, so he is not likely to get the same percentage of carries Saquon Barkley handled as a rookie with the New York Giants.
Barkley was the last running back to win the award, and he did it after the Giants drafted him second overall in 2018. He set a rookie scrimmage-yards benchmark of 2,028 yards, rushed for 1,307 yards and still had no other Giant top 176 rushing yards that season.
Ben Solak’s Rankings
’s Ben Solak put Love second on his candidates list and placed him in the frontrunners tier. Solak said Love has the “receiving chops to be a dynamic three-down player,” and that profile fits a player who caught 45 passes over his last two seasons at Notre Dame.
The award race has not broken toward backs lately. Quarterbacks and wide receivers have combined to win Offensive Rookie of the Year for the last seven seasons, which is why Love’s opening position stands out before a snap is played.
Carson Beck gives Arizona another layer to watch. The Cardinals’ third-round quarterback was listed at +1500 on DraftKings and appeared in Solak’s longer shots tier, while he was absent from the FanDuel and BetMGM boards. He is competing with Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II for playing time, and the Cardinals have not handed him the job or closed the door on an early start.
If Beck gets the nod in Week 1, he would do it under Mike LaFleur with a solid group of pass catchers. For now, Love remains the stronger award play, but the Cardinals’ quarterback battle could still shape how much of the offense he has to carry.
