NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year 2025: Emeka Egbuka Emerges as Front Runner

• Early-season favorites for Offensive Rookie of the Year, like Cam Ward and Ashton Jeanty, have seen their stock drop fast

• After standing out in Week 1, Emeka Egbuka has continued to produce for the Bucs, becoming the early betting favorite for OROTY

• Tyler Warren is making a strong case to be the first Offensive Rookie of the Year since 1961

Outside of NFL MVP, few awards get as much attention throughout the season as Offensive Rookie of the Year. These are often the most exciting young players in the league, trying to prove that they are on their way to becoming superstars. Naturally, quarterbacks are usually the front-runners for the award, but plenty of wide receivers and running backs have won Offensive Rookie of the Year over the years. This is what makes the competition for this award so compelling, as there are usually several viable candidates jockeying for position all season long.

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds

Odds taken from FanDuel Sportsbook. Head over to FanDuel to place your bets and claim the following bonus: Bet $5, Get $300 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins.

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Predictions

In the opening week of the season, Tampa’s Emeka Egbuka gave the best performance of any offensive rookie. Two weeks later, there is no doubt that he’s the current favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. Granted, he hasn’t replicated his two-touchdown performance against the Falcons. But Egbuka leads the Bucs in receiving yards and has caught three of Baker Mayfield’s six touchdown passes for a 3-0 team.

At the same time, it’s hard to find other rookies who have gotten off to a good start. Preseason favorites like Ashton Jeanty and Cam Ward have struggled, although those struggles aren’t entirely their fault. That being said, outside of Egbuke, tight end Tyler Warren has been the top performer. He had over 70 receiving yards in each of his first two games. However, the fact that a tight end hasn’t won OROTY since Mike Ditka in 1961 gives Egbuka an even bigger early-season lead in this race.

In fairness, there is a lot of season left to play and a few other rookies worth watching. Omarion Hampton had a big game for the Chargers in Week 3 and appears to be carving out a key role in the LA offense. Tetairoa McMillan has quickly become Carolina’s leading receiver despite still looking for his first touchdown catch. Meanwhile, fourth-round pick Cam Skattebo is a sleeper to watch, as he leads the Giants in rushing yards and should see an even bigger role with the injury to Tyrone Tracy. Cleveland’s Quinshon Judkins is another running back to watch, as he’s been productive after not playing in Week 1.

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NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year - My Pick

• Emeka Egbuka (+360) at FanDuel Sportsbook

We backed Egbuka at +750 coming out of Week 1, and we’ll do the same at +360 after three weeks. There’s a lot to be said about a rookie leading a 3-0 team in receiving yards. If he stays on his current trajectory, Egbuka will be a serious OROTY contender all season. Granted, Hampton and Skattebo have great value at the moment and are worth watching closely. But Egbuka has an early leg up and is a safe pick to win Offensive Rookie of the Year right now.

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How to Bet on NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

Since any offensive rookie is eligible for this award, there are usually a lot of candidates to sift through to find the best betting option. The obvious candidates are the players who are usually first-round draft picks, especially top-10 picks. However, there have been some good OROTY candidates in recent years who were selected much later in the draft. You may not always want to limit the pool of candidates to players who were drafted high.

That being said, players who were drafted by teams that were bad the previous year often have the best chance of winning. These players typically have more opportunities because their teams need them more. Therefore, these are the rookies who are on the field and putting up big numbers. Also, keep in mind that the quarterback position usually gets preferential treatment for Offensive Rookie of the Year. This doesn’t mean that a quarterback always wins the award. But if there is a standout rookie quarterback, he will have an edge over rookies who play other positions.

How to Read NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds

With so many potential candidates for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, most players will be assigned plus (+) odds. This means a significant profit if you bet correctly.. For example, if you place a $100 bet on a player with +600 odds, you will profit $600. Of course, there could be several players with similar odds, making it hard to decipher the best option. Also, later in the season, if there is a heavy favorite, that play may have negative (-) odds. For instance, if a player has -500 odds, you will need to wager $500 to make a $100 profit because it’s viewed as a safer bet.

Where to Bet on NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

Among the many options, FanDuel Sportsbook is one of the best places to bet on the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. FanDuel offers betting markets on several NFL awards, and always has competitive odds. It certainly doesn’t hurt that FanDuel is one of the NFL’s official betting partners.

New FanDuel customers also have a chance to collect a great welcome offer, once they sign up for a new FanDuel account: Bet $5, Get $300 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins. With no promo code, this offer is easy to claim. It’s also a great way to get started if you plan on betting on the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year or making any other NFL bets this season.

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year History

The Offensive Rookie of the Year award only dates back to 1967. A panel of 50 Associated Press members votes to decide the winner.