As Week 5 of the NFL season approaches, it’s a good time to take stock of some unexpected emerging contenders for the end-of-season awards while they still have value in the betting market.
Here are three interesting betting underdogs we won’t be surprised to see emerge as genuine contenders for their respective NFL awards down the stretch.
Bryce Young — MVP (+5000)
The fourth-year Carolina Panthers quarterback is leading the NFL in passing yards with 1,268, is tied for second with nine touchdowns, and is seventh at 7.8 yards per attempt. And entering Week 5, he’s guiding an offense that has put up 122 points, the fourth most in the NFL.
Young surpassed 3,000 passing yards for the first time in 2025 while leading Carolina to the NFC South crown. He’s on pace to blow through that and challenge for 5,000 if he can continue on his torrid early pace. And while that might feel unlikely, the Panthers play outdoors and north of the Mason-Dixon Line only once after the start of November, which should help keep the passing numbers elevated.
If he can do that, he just might climb into the MVP conversation.
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Greg Rousseau — Defensive Player of the Year (+1400)
Rousseau is in his sixth NFL season for the Buffalo Bills, and is on pace to obliterate his previous career highs, having already made a league-leading six sacks and forced three fumbles.
And while there’s no indication in his past that he’s capable of keeping up this pace, NFL pass rushers can be late bloomers. Miami Dolphins great Cameron Wake, Pittsburgh Steelers legend James Harrison, and Indianapolis Colts hero Robert Mathis are some of the most notable examples.
If Rousseau can somehow manage to finish as strong as he’s started, he’ll have plenty of attention from voters while playing on the opposite side of the ball as reigning MVP Josh Allen.
Jesse Minter — Coach of the Year (+1500)
Aside from a decisive win over Indianapolis in their season-opener, the Ravens haven’t played particularly well in 2026, and are entering Week 5 with two-time MVP Lamar Jackson doubtful with an ankle injury.
And yet, Baltimore is 3-1, with their two most recent wins over Dallas and Tennessee coming in the kind of close games this team habitually lost in 2025.
If Jackson gets healthy and the offense takes a major step forward in the second half of the season after becoming more accustomed to Declan Doyle’s offense, this could still be one of the NFL’s most formidable teams.
And that could lead first-year head coach Jesse Minter into the coach of the year conversations, particularly if voters give him extra credit for replacing an institution in now-Giants head coach John Harbaugh.
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