The 5 Frontrunners to Win Offensive Rookie of the Year | Week 5

Two undefeated teams strut into the NFL’s Week 5, the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs.

The 5 Frontrunners to Win Offensive Rookie of the Year | Week 5

Overall in 2024, the Chiefs are favored to win the Super Bowl (+500), which would make that franchise the first in NFL history to win a Super Bowl thrice in a row. The undefeated Vikings are in eighth place per Super Bowl odds at +1600.

And then there are the rookies. Several other awards, of course, are up for grabs, and heading into Week 5, these are the league’s frontrunners to win Offensive Rookie of the Year (OROY), according to sportsbooks, ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = leader to win OROY)

5. Xavier Worthy (WR)

Team: Kansas City Chiefs
Odds to Win OROY: +2500
2024 PFF Score to Date: 67.6 

For now — until the Chiefs trade for a player like Amari Cooper or Rashee Rice miraculously returns this season from a nasty leg injury — Worthy is “the guy” at wide receiver for Kansas City. Of course, Patrick Mahomes and friends will lean heavily into Travis Kelce after largely ignoring him until Week 4.

Worthy has a knack for finding the endzone, scoring thrice in four games. At least for a while, he’s Mahomes’ WR1, which should bolster his case for OROY.

4. Caleb Williams (QB)

Team: Chicago Bears
Odds to Win OROY: +700
2024 PFF Score to Date: 51.5

Williams is the NFL’s sixth-worst quarterback through four games per EPA+CPOE; it’s just that no one is too upset because he has such big name recognition. His team is 2-2, so the record keeps Wliiams’ OROY odds afloat.

The USC alumnus has a 3-touchdown to 4-interception split and fumbled three times. His numbers will improve over time, but his Top 5 OROY odds are all about notoriety.

3. Marvin Harrison (WR)

Team: Arizona Cardinals
Odds to Win OROY: +550
2024 PFF Score to Date: 78.1

On the other hand, Harrison Jr. is a baller. He caught fire after Week 1 and has tallied 243 and 4 paydirts. The 4 touchdowns are, in fact, tied for the league lead with Justin Jefferson up in Minnesota.

Harrison is on pace for slightly over 1,000 yards and 17 receiving touchdowns, more than enough to earn inclusion in the OROY Top 5. Everyone knew Harrison Jr. was a sure thing to succeed immediately in the NFL — and that hypothesis was accurate.

2. Malik Nabers (WR)

Team: New York Giants
Odds to Win OROY: +375
2024 PFF Score to Date: 80.4

Nabers is on a speedier pace than Harrison Jr., if that can be believed. Plus, Nabers is inflicting this damage with Daniel Jones at quarterback, who very visibly cannot throw a deep ball. Imagine what Nabers could do with a Pro Bowl quarterback?

Nevertheless, Nabers’ pace of over 1,600 yards and 13 touchdowns is incredible. He and Harrison Jr. are sudden studs.

1. Jayden Daniels (QB)

Team: Washington Commanders
Odds to Win OROY: -150
2024 PFF Score to Date: 80.8

Take Offensive Rookie of the Year and throw it in a receptacle. Daniels doesn’t have time for that chum change. Daniels belongs in the NFL’s MVP race, and he should lead the damm thing. His team is unexpectedly 3-1 and leading the NFC East. He ranks No. 1 in football per EPA+CPOE. And he’s slicing and dicing the league with his arm and feet.

It’s just that, from a team standpoint, the defense stinks.

Still, Daniels will win OROY, barring injury. Take it to the bank.

---

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His NFL obsession dates back to 1989. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.