Super Bowl 55 MVP odds: Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady heavy favorites

The odds for who will win Super Bowl 55 MVP are out and, no surprise, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady are the heavy favorites.

Wins on conference championship Sunday have set the stage for Super Bowl LV with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers becoming the first team in NFL history to host the Big Game and the Kansas City Chiefs, the reigning champions, returning to try and win back-to-back rings. Naturally, the conversation now turns towards the game itself.

Still 12 days away from Super Bowl LV kicking off at Raymond James Stadium, one of the best ways to dive into the matchup is to look at the odds. We already know the Chiefs opened as 3.5-point favorites but the line has already moved 0.5 points in favor of the Buccaneers. But also have Super Bowl MVP odds to glean as well.

Courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook (via The Action Network), we have a list of the players with the top odds to win the honors for the Big Game. And not shockingly, last year’s winner, Patrick Mahomes, is the decisive favorite at +110. Just behind him is Tom Brady before a large chasm and then the rest of the field.

It’s deserved that Mahomes and Brady are favorites. They are the biggest narratives coming into the game and are two legit superstars. For oddsmakers, that’s an easy choice. But for the betting public, it’s at least worth looking at the other players who could make a run at the honor on Feb. 7.

Best dark-horse bets with Super Bowl 55 MVP odds?

Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, the Chiefs two biggest passing game weapons, have the next best odds after the quarterbacks and it’s hard not to like the value at +900. Both players are stat monsters and are fully capable of putting on a game-changing show. Hill is especially interesting after he put up over 200 receiving yards in the first quarter against the Bucs in the regular season.

Outside of that, the other three players that intrigue me as dark-horse candidates to win Super Bowl MVP are Mecole Hardman (+2500), Devin White (+2500) and Shaq Barrett (+3300).

Hardman is undoubtedly a longshot but a worthwhile one. Not only does he offer big-play ability as part of the explosive Chiefs offense but he’s also the return man. With a few game-breaking plays on offense and as a returner, there’s a path for him to be the star of the show.

In the case of White, he’s been all over the football throughout the playoffs, coming up with big plays, fumble recoveries and impressive returns. If that continues, there’s a case there.

But Barrett is even more intriguing. We saw with Von Miller and the Broncos that a pass-rusher making plays getting after the quarterback can win game MVP honors. With the way he played against Green Bay, it’s not inconceivable to see Barrett do that against the Chiefs, especially with Kansas City likely being without starting left tackle Eric Fisher.

In any manner, we’re looking at a group of players who all have paths. If you’re wagering on who will win Super Bowl MVP, it obviously hinges on how you see the game playing out and who you think has the best matchup. Regardless, it gives us something to chew on with time to kill until the game is played.