5 Sleeper NFL MVP bets to jump on for the 2020 season

3. Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers | NFL MVP odds: +5000

In the 2018 season, Ben Roethlisberger led the NFL in passing yards (5,129) while throwing for a career-high 34 touchdowns and completing 67 percent of his passes. The veteran quarterback was asked to air it out and he did so with aplomb. His follow-up act last year was not as impressive as injuries limited him to less than two whole games and he spent the majority of the season holding a clipboard.

The quarterback struggles of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2019 campaign were widely noted and, frankly, were the reason that the team fell short of making the playoffs. Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges weren’t good enough to capitalize on an elite defensive performance and, despite injuries to skill-position players, a nice cast of talent on offense as well.

Big Ben is slated to return for the 2020 season, though, and he’s stepping into a great situation. The Steelers defense remains intact and could be dominant once again. Furthermore, JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner are healthy now as well and in contract years, ready to prove themselves and help out their bank accounts.

With the situation Roethlisberger is returning to, there’s no reason to believe he can’t recapture some of his 2018 form, assuming health. Granted, his health at this point in his career is no sure thing. But if Big Ben can play all 16 games, can continue airing it out and can lead Pittsburgh to the postseason, he’s going to be a viable MVP candidate.