2013 NFL Picks / Prop Bets
This year’s rookie class can’t hold a candle to last year’s, but someone will win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, and that means an opportunity to cash in. While there is no standout among this year’s crop of rookies, there are some players entering favorable situations, and that’s where we’ll go to look for value. Here are five rookies that could make big impacts for their teams.
Odds courtesy of BetOnline.
Tavon Austin, St. Louis Rams (+300)
Austin is the centerpiece of the Rams’ attempted reconstruction of the spread offense that Sam Bradford was so successful in at Oklahoma.
That will mean plenty of touches out of the gate for the former Mountaineer. Austin will be a matchup nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators, as the Rams plan to use him all over the field in a variety of packages.
Many have pegged Austin as a Percy Harvin-clone, but Austin has a nose for the endzone, breaking through for 18 scores a year ago.
EJ Manuel. Buffalo Bills (+600)
Manuel was the only quarterback selected in the first round of this year’s draft, and the Bills speak very highly of him, but there’s some doubt that he’ll be the team’s week one starter. Kevin Kolb is the man he’ll be competing with for the starting gig so you have to like Manuel’s chances of seeing the field at some point early in the year.
Once he does get out there, he’ll enter a favorable situation with solid targets in Stevie Johnson and Robert Woods, while C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson are always dangerous out of the backfield. Manuel can also pick up yards with his feet.
Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers (+1000)
Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer wasted their opportunities to be the lead back in Pittsburgh a year ago, and that leaves Bell with a clear path to touches in his rookie season. The team’s offensive line gets a bad rap, but injuries derailed a rebuilt unit a year ago. They should be a lot better this year with guys like David DeCastro entering training camp healthy.
The Steelers have been known to run the ball on occasion, making Bell’s situation a very favorable one. A three-down back, Bell won’t leave the field often if he can take a firm hold on the lead role, and that will mean an impressive stat line. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals (+1000)
Bernard has all the right moves on the field. The problem is that he’s got the Law Firm in front of him on the depth chart right now. The lead job is going to be Bernard’s at some point, but that could be a year or two down the line.
If Bernard can impress the coaching staff enough in training camp and in the preseason, he could see the bulk of snaps sooner rather than later, and reduce Green-Ellis to a goal line role.
It’ll be a good idea to follow Bengals training camp if you plan to put your money down on the North Carolina product.
Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota Vikings (+1500)
Patterson was originally thought to be a project, but rumblings out of Vikings camp make it sound as if the coaching staff may have carved out a large role for him this season after all.
With Percy Harvin out of town, there will be a lot of targets up for grabs, and since Greg Jennings doesn’t operate in a lot of the areas that Harvin did, Patterson could be the guy who assumes that role.
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds:
Tavon Austin +300
Montee Ball +500
EJ Manuel +600
DeAndre Austin +800
Eddie Lacy +800
Le’Veon Bell +1000
Giovani Bernard +1000
Tyler Eifert +1000
Geno Smith +1000
Jonathan Franklin +1500
Cordarrelle Patterson +1500
Keenan Allen +1800
Matt Barkley +1800
Zach Ertz +1800
Justin Hunter +2000
Robert Woods +2000
Marcus Latimore +2500
Denard Robinson +3000
Eric Fisher +4000
Luke Joeckel +4000
Field +400
