Advertisement

Aidan Hutchinson's gruesome leg injury was a blow to DPOY bettors headed for a photo finish

Oct 13, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) rushes the passer with Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Terence Steele (78) blocking during the third quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images ORG XMIT: IMAGN-880960 ORIG FILE ID: 20241013_cec_da2_064.JPG
Oct 13, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) rushes the passer with Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Terence Steele (78) blocking during the third quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images ORG XMIT: IMAGN-880960 ORIG FILE ID: 20241013_cec_da2_064.JPG

Entering Week 6, Aidan Hutchinson was the betting favorite to win the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award.

After starting the season outside the top five of players with best odds, Hutchinson played himself into a two-way race with T.J. Watt whose +300 odds entering the week suddenly trailed Hutchinson at +275. No other player had odds shorter than 11-1.

But after Hutchinson suffered a gruesome leg injury Sunday, his odds are off the board and Watt is the unopposed favorite. It's a big blow to award bettors who jumped on Hutchinson early and appeared on their way to cashing in on that value.

For those who missed it, Hutchinson suffered a broken leg in Detroit's blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys. The Lions said there's no timetable for his return, but NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the 24-year-old is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Hutchinson had been the second-most ticketed player in the DPOY market at BetMGM, with 16.6% of bets picking him to win the award. He also received the third-most money for the award at 15%. That action made him the sportsbook's biggest liability for DPOY, with his odds opening at +1100 and remaining as high as +1200 going into Week 2.

After Hutchinson recorded 4.5 sacks against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that week, his odds dipped to +350 and continued dropping in the time since. He was well on his way to a career season, as he racked up a league-leading 7.5 sacks through five games, including one against Dallas.

Now, all we can hope for is that he has a speedy recovering.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Aidan Hutchinson's gruesome leg injury was a blow to DPOY bettors headed for a photo finish