Bet the over on Kyler Murray’s rookie season

The 2019 NFL Draft is officially a wrap, and NFL 90-man rosters are just about settled. We had the annual rush on undrafted free agents Saturday and Sunday, and most signings will be announced over the next week or two.

With offseason rosters getting settled, we are officially into on-field prep mode for the coming season. Rookie minicamps will take place over the next two weeks, followed by OTAs and mandatory minicamp to close out the offseason workout program. That will be followed by downtime until training camp starts, and then the race to Super Bowl 54 will be underway.

Numerous odds have been released over the past month, but this weekend brought us the first odds on the Cardinals first-overall pick, quarterback Kyler Murray. They were able to deal away Josh Rosen, and it seems likely Murray will be Kliff Kingsbury’s starting quarterback when Week 1 rolls around. It’s time to profit on Murray!

DraftKings Sportsbook is offering odds on whether or not he’ll take home offensive rookie of the year, and also his individual performance this season. He’s favored for OROY with +170 odds (bet $100 to win $170). He is followed by Josh Jacobs (+1000), David Montgomery (+1200), and Miles Sanders (+1400).

The sportsbook offered up these two over/under bets:

Murray passing touchdowns: 21.5 touchdowns (-110 for both over and under)
Murray passing yards: 3,500.5 yards (-110 for over, -110 for under)

The Cardinals have a lot of work to do to build back from their 3-13 season, but from a sheer volume perspective, these are interesting bets. Kliff Kingsbury is bringing his Air Raid background, as the league continues its evolution on the passing front. He has long been a fan of Murray, and now he gets a chance to pair with him and try and continue the passing revolution.

Whether or not it works long term, a bet on the over for passing yards is a bet on volume more than anything. The Cardinals will pass quite a bit, and if the defense struggles, it means all the more passing in comeback attempts. And the addition of Andy Isabella and Hakeem Butler in the second and fourth round, respectively, offers up a couple more useful weapons in the passing game. Even if Murray struggles as a rookie, this is a volume play.

Betting the over on the touchdown total is a tougher bet given the number in place. Baker Mayfield set the rookie record for passing touchdowns with 27, and 22 to get the over is a big number. This is a volume play, with the expectation that the Cardinals will be throwing the ball a ton, and even more so because they’ll be trailing regularly.

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
Odds and lines subject to change. See website for actual odds.
*21+. NJ/WV only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.