CFL Futures: AK's favourite bets to win MOP

The CFL season may be more three months away, but our friends at FanDuel have blessed us with some early markets that could yield some very juicy returns come November. 

Generally speaking, I'm not an advocate for locking up swaths of your bankroll for months on end, but when it comes to a market as volatile as the CFL's Most Outstanding Player (MOP), you need to take the edges as they come. 

Let's begin with last year, which was, without doubt, the most unprecedented and unpredictable MOP race we've seen in a long time. So much so, the eventual winner, Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira, could be found with odds as long as 60-1 with just five weeks remaining in the regular season. 

You’d have a better shot at predicting the end of the third season of the White Lotus (stream it on Crave!), than thinking that someone who scored his first touchdown in Week 16 would win the league’s most prestigious regular season award.

However, the preponderance of the evidence suggests that Oliveira's 2024 win was on outlier.  This is not a shot at one of the CFL’s best, but mores a reflection on a season that saw the league's top quarterbacks either mediocre, suspended, vying for a role in the NFL, or recovering from injury.

Here are my favourite bets for the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player ahead of the 2025 CFL season.

Bo Levi Mitchell (16-1)

We begin with a man who’s won this award twice, and a man who would’ve won the award last year in a runaway had his Hamilton Ti-Cats made the playoffs.

It’s impossible to overlook just how nasty the Ti-Cats offence looks on paper. Kenny Lawler comes over from Winnipeg, to augment a passing game that was the biggest strength of Hamilton in 2024. Tim White, Kiondre Smith and CFL Rookie of the Year runner-up Shemar Bridges return as well. 

Mitchell proved in the second half of 2024 that he still has some juice left in that right arm - and with the plethora of talent at his disposal, he’s got a decent shot to add a third CFL MOP to his already cluttered trophy mantle.

Trevor Harris (12-1)

At 38 years of age, Trevor Harris’ best days may be behind him, but the Saskatchewan Roughriders could be poised to take over from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as the dominant force in the West, and as such, Harris deserves consideration for an award that has eluded him throughout his Hall-of-Fame career.

I’m very high on Saskatchewan heading into 2025. I love the moves they made in free agency, strengthening the offensive line while making a very formidable defence even more stout.

Harris has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to his receiver group. Shawn Bane, KeeSean Johnson, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Samuel Emilus comprise a top 4 that few in the CFL can rival.

The path to contention for Harris is there in his second season in Saskatchewan - win the West, and produce offence like he did last year when healthy. At 16-1, you won’t find better value.

Vernon Adams Jr. (20-1)

Big Play VA was the unquestioned favourite for this award prior to getting hurt in Week 9. With Nathan Rourke taking the reins in BC, Adams Jr. has made his way to Calgary, where his Stampeders have the lowest over/under for wins in the entire league at 6.5.

As we saw with Bo Levi Mitchell last year, it’s almost impossible for a player to win the MOP award if their team is outside the playoffs. That is the biggest issue facing Adams Jr. here, but the MOP can be a narrative driven award. 

If Adams Jr. can find a way to get the Stampeders into the playoffs, and sling it around the field with a group of competent receiving options, don’t be shocked if he’s in the mix down the stretch of the CFL season.