Daniel Jones is laughably gaining traction as a Comeback Player of the Year candidate

USA Today

3 hours ago

Daniel Jones is laughably gaining traction as a Comeback Player of the Year candidate
Welcome to Prince's Picks, a collection of betting news, analysis and opinions from BetFTW senior writer Prince J. Grimes.
ESPN's Get Up was playing in the background this morning as I was going through my usual routine of checking emails and catching up on news when I heard something that stopped me in my tracks.
I can't recall verbatim what was said, but it was the voice of respected NFL analyst Peter Schrager and he said something to the effect of "Daniel Jones can win NFL Comeback Player of the Year." In fact, he was quite convinced that it could happen.
I was so shocked by what I was hearing, I had to check social media to confirm I wasn't imagining it. Sure enough, others heard the same thing.
As a New York Giants fan who has seen every game Jones has ever played, I couldn't help but laugh. Glad it's someone else falling for the Danny Dimes trap this time.
Of course, there's logic behind Schrager's take. Indy's incumbent starter, Anthony Richardson, is dealing with shoulder inflammation that could potentially impact his availability for the start of training camp. Bleeding reps to a veteran like Jones is the last thing that can be afforded by an inexperienced quarterback like Richardson, who has struggled to start his career.
Given the opportunity, Jones might just prove to be the better of the two -- the quarterback who gives the Colts the best chance to win. The man who will undoubtedly take every Colts fan's hopes for the 2025 season, crumble them into a ball and throw them right into the waste bin -- if he doesn't fumble 'em first.
DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE.
TANK SEASON: Jones leading tank for Arch Manning would be poetry
I guess now is when I should mention there is some hype -- even outside of Schrager's proclamation. At FanDuel, Jones' odds to win Comeback Player of the Year moved from +3800 to +3000 after Thursday's news that Richardson would miss Colts minicamp. Jones still trails 11 other players but those odds are a huge leap for someone who wasn't even on the board at places like BetMGM and Caesars. Now, Jones isn't just on the board, next to names like Stefon Diggs and Chris Godwin, his odds are actually better than Richardson (+3000).
Again, I say, LOL.
This is absurd for more reasons than one. Aside from the obvious "Daniel Jones?!?" factor, this is also a loaded field with actual pro bowl-level talent, led by Aidan Hutchinson and Dak Prescott at +300 apiece. Christian McCaffrey at +370 is there too. Even if Jones has a good season by his standards, he isn't likely to outplay that caliber of player. That's before we get to the part where he still has to beat out Richardson.
So, no. Daniel Jones is not winning Comeback Player of the Year. But I get the temptation to believe in the potential of his skillset. It's all there. Unfortunately, the production never is.
Where is Tyrese Haliburton?
By the looks of the above photo, he's in jail. Lu Dort prison. Completely locked up.
The stats tell a similar story. Tyrese Haliburton has just 31 points through two games of the NBA Finals. If not for his latest heroics in Game 1, he'd be catching a lot more smoke for completely disappearing this series. Particularly in the first half of these games where he almost seems reluctant to shoot. That can't continue.
What's become obvious after the Oklahoma City Thunder won Monday's Game 2 is if Haliburton doesn't break out, this is going to be an incredibly short series.
If you subtract the fourth quarter of Game 1, where the Indiana Pacers outscored OKC by 10 points, the Thunder are outscoring Indy by 25 points over two games. They should be up 2-0. If we accept the fluky nature of Game 1 for what it is, this series is going exactly how most of us expected it would. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is getting anything he wants and Indiana has finally found its match in a defense up to the challenge of stifling its normally free-flowing offense.
The only player potentially capable of manipulating this trend is Haliburton, but even he seems flummoxed. That's why I'm here to say the Pacers won't win another game -- even with the series shifting to Indiana. The Thunder are still getting +190 odds to win in five and that's exactly what I expect to happen.
This, of course, hinges on the Thunder remaining locked in the way they were for Game 2, where they kept a foot on the pedal to ensure another miracle Pacers comeback didn't happen. But if they are, the Pacers don't have anything for an OKC team clicking on all cylinders. Minus a SuperHali appearance, the Pacers' best hope is for a raucous home crowd to rattle the visiting Thunder. At this stage of the postseason, though, that's probably unlikely. OKC is a 5.5-point road favorite. Thanks to Game 1, this series won't end in a sweep, but the next-closest thing is now the most likely result.
Oilers-Panthers Game 3
The Stanley Cup Final shifts to Sunrise, Florida, Monday for Game 3 between the Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, and if the first two OT thrillers were any indication, we're in for another incredible game.
In case you're wondering, they have +333 odds at BetMGM to go to overtime yet again.
The interesting thing here, though, is how the series odds have shifted in favor of Florida after the cats were able to steal a game on the road, taking Game 2 Friday behind two Brad Marchand goals, including the winner. Now, the Panthers are small -115 favorites to win the Cup going into a Game 3 where they're -135 favorites to win. And betting money isn't just on a win, but the first big win of the series.
At BetMGM, the Panthers are getting 68 percent of money on the moneyline and 57 percent of money on the -1.5 puck line. If they follow through on those bets, series odds will shift dramatically in their favor going into what will become a must-win Game 4 for the Oilers on the road. So, tonight's game might be the most important of the series.