NFL 2024 Season Predictions: Back 55/1 MVP upset & 7 best bets

• Back Run CMC for MVP in 55/156.00 upset

• Lions can roar in top points scorers market

• Back Jayden Daniels to outshine top pick Caleb Williams

The NFL is back and there's a plethora of betting options to look at on the Betfair Sportsbook, from Super Bowl winner, MVP and the regular season awards, to player props and team win totals.

I've gone over my Super Bowl selections here but now it's time to pick a regular season MVP along with a selection of the best special bets for the 2024 NFL season.

Let's take a look...

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Who will win the 2024 NFL MVP award?

Always the most talked about market after the Super Bowl winners, it's pretty much a quarterback's award in reality with QBs landing the last 11 - including the last six shared out between Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers - but could it be time for a change?

Mahomes is the 9/25.50 favourite and with receiver upgrades this season he can be more expansive in the passing game as well as inventive, and he's now got that winning aura that ensures he has a natural advantage in this award that's about popularity as well as just productivity.

Jackson is 17/118.00 but the arrival of Derrick Henry could just diminish his rushing role, while Dak Prescott was second behind Jackson last year and led the league in touchdown passes, but is 20/121.00 due to the Cowboys being the Cowboys.

I'm expecting a down year for Buffalo which would help 17/29.50 second favourite Josh Allen to showcase his skills, but he'll get overlooked if the Bills miss the play-offs, so 10/111.00 shot Joe Burrow looks the big threat to Mahomes - in both the MVP and the Super Bowl.

He threw 34 and 35 TD passes in his only two completed seasons, which saw him fire Cincy to the Super Bowl via Arrowhead and almost repeat the trick a year later.

I'd love to see a change though and San Francisco's star man Christian McCaffrey can provide a 55/156.00 MVP upset if he can replicate or even better his 2,000-yard, 21 TD performance of last year that saw him finish third in the MVP voting.

He didn't get a first-place vote last year which I still find hard to fathom as he produced time and time again and won games almost by himself at times for one of the best teams in the league. His play-off displays will also still be in the mind and if he's running in and catching TDs for fun early on he might just get that bandwagon rolling again a bit sooner.

A true difference maker and game changer, he's the true MVP of such a strong team he deserves more respect. He's the only man capable of breaking the quarterback stranglehold on this award so at a huge price he'll give us a good run.

Jayden Daniels offensive rookie of the year 11/26.50

The Washington Commanders are hoping they've found their CJ Stroud when picking Jayden Daniels second overall in the draft - and he's definitely got the talent to outshine his more hype-up fellow rookie Caleb Williams.

True, Williams looks to have a betetr set-up in Chicago but Daniels has been dazzling in the summer, has a flashier skill set than Williams and after all is the Heisman Trophy winner.

The only college player in history to pass for 12,000 yards and rush for 3,000 has that dual-threat we all love, and if you're even higher on him than me you can back Daniels to throw 25 passing TDs and 10+ rushing TDs at 25/126.00.

Jonathan Taylor most reg season rushing yards 15/28.50

The 2021 rushing champion piled up 1,811 yards to take that title but hasn't hit the heights since with injuries and contract issues to deal with - but he is due a bounce back this year.

Anthony Richardson is back and the Colts will need to protect their injury-prone star QB at all costs - and that means a large dose of a rejuvenated Taylor, who with not too many miles on the clock can find his best form once again.

Patriots worst regular season record 13/53.60

Jarod Mayo has the David Moyes role of replacing the irreplaceable in New England and while already on the decline the last couple of years, rebuilding in the post-Bill Belichick era looks set to be a long process.

The Panthers will push them for this one, but Bryce Young has had a year of experience now while the Pats drafted a QB but aren't starting him yet.

And New England are in a tough AFC East as well with the Jets, Bills and Dolphins all well capable of handing out bad defeats on the once mighty Patriots, who might have to suffer a season of eating humble pie this year.

Bengals to win the AFC North 8/52.60

It could be the toughest division in the league this year but as long as they get off to a decent start the Joe Burrow-led Bengals can pinch it ahead of the favoured Baltimore Ravens.

I think all four sides will take wins off each other, as the Browns and Steelers will be tough defensive run-first teams and Lamar will star for Baltimore - but they could suffer from a big offensive line overhaul.

It could give Cincy an opening that Burrow certainly has the ability to walk through, with a swagger of course.

Detroit Lions top points scorers 7/18.00

Fifth top scorers last season but Detroit can do even better this year with their vast array of attacking talent that saw them become just the second team to have four players score 10+ touchdowns in a season.

Amon-Ra St Brown is one of the best receivers in the league, second-year back Jahmyr Gibbs can take a step forward along with talented tight end Sam LaPorta.

Los Angeles Chargers to be AFC wildcard team 16/54.20

It's a tough market this one as the AFC is loaded so the approach here is to pick a team expected to improve but in a division they'll prosper in but have no chance to win - they're not beating the Chiefs but the Broncos and Raiders will struggle.

The other three divisions outside the AFC West all have three teams pretty evenly matched who could all top the division and will all takes wins off each other - and that will leave the back door open for Jim Harbaugh's Bolts to power through.

Washington Commanders to be NFC wildcard team 11/26.50

There's always a surprise play-off side and since I'm so high on Jayden Daniels then why not the Commanders to pinch a wildcard spot? One of Dallas or Philly will win the NFC East but the Giants are poor and Dan Quinn knows the Cowboys inside out so could easily pick them off if they start to struggle.

Even if they finish third there's still hope as the NFC in general isn't as strong as the AFC with plenty of works in progress, you'd expect Detroit and Green Bay to both make the play-offs so you're then talking about Washington battling with the likes of the Bears, Rams, and one of the Bucs/Falcons for that final spot.

Improving from four wins last year to a play-off team will be tough, but the Texans only won three before making the post-season with their talented rookie QB picked second in the draft last year. Just saying...

Now read Paul's Super Bowl preview & best bets