Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston was called a darkhorse candidate for the MVP Trophy by NFL analyst Todd Fuhrman.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a decision to make when it comes to QB Jameis Winston, but that shouldn’t be a tough choice according to NFL analyst Todd Fuhrman.
On Tuesday’s edition of ‘Lock It In’ on Fox Sports 1, Fuhrman and several other analysts were discussion MVP favorites for the 2020 season.
Fuhrman pointed out that Lamar Jackson– who won the award in 2019- had just 50/1 odds coming into the season and that Winston could, indeed, be another darkhorse candidate to win the award.
"“I think there’s a quarterback down there in Tampa [Winston] that Cousin Sal loves that’s a longshot worth investment,” Fuhrman said. “I find Jameis Winston at prices of 60/1 or better if you shop around. He led the league in yards, second in touchdown passes. His second year in Bruce Arians’ system and if Tampa gets to the playoffs, Winston is going to have an excellent chance at being a darkhorse for the award.”"
Fuhrman’s darkhorse drew eyerolls from fellow Fox Sports analysts who pointed out that the Buccaneers may not even choose to bring Winston back for another season.
“There is a QB down there in Tampa that @TheCousinSal loves that’s a long shot worth an investment… If Tampa gets to the playoffs, Jameis Winston has a chance to be an excellent dark horse to win MVP.” — @ToddFuhrman pic.twitter.com/ejK65xhq1a
— FOX Bet Live (@FOXBetLive) February 4, 2020
The absolute divide and wide spectrum on Winston is crazy. For some, he’s a darkhorse to win the MVP and has the ability to put Tampa Bay in the playoff hunt. For others, he’s a turnover machine that is holding the team back from reaching the playoffs.
It’s amazing to hear the different sides and to see varying viewpoints, but I do think it’s interesting to think of Winston as a darkhorse candidate. The point is valid, but there’s a huge ‘if’ when you talk about ‘if Winston can cut down on his turnovers.’
That’s not something that just happens, especially for a guy that has already been in the league for five years. However, it’s certainly possible and he’d no doubt be an obvious candidate for the award if he did somehow limit the interceptions and still throw for video game like numbers this season.
Currently, here’s a look at the top-five MVP Candidates, according to Vegas odds.
- Patrick Mahomes (+333)
- Lamar Jackson (+600)
- Russell Wilson (+700)
- Jimmy Garoppolo (+1000)
- Deshaun Watson (+1200)