CFL's MOP award developing into two-horse race as season winds down
Published
Four weeks remain in the Canadian Football League season, and while the playoff pictures in each division are still muddy, the Most Outstanding Player picture is starting to crystallize across the league.
Montreal Alouettes quarterback Cody Fajardo and Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira have turned the MOP award into a two-horse race.
Per FanDuel betting odds, Fajardo is the favourite to take home the award for the first time in his career at -135, while Oliveira trails closely behind at +130. Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, who won the award in 2016, is the only other player in the conversation at +900.
CFL MOP award odds, per FanDuel
| Player | Team | Position | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cody Fajardo | Montreal Alouettes | QB | -135 |
| Brady Oliveira | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | RB | +130 |
| Bo Levi Mitchell | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | QB | +900 |
| Nathan Rourke | BC Lions | QB | +5500 |
| Zach Collaros | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | QB | +6000 |
| Justin McInnis | BC Lions | WR | +6000 |
| Roland Milligan | Saskatchewan Roughriders | DB | +6000 |
Fajardo missed six weeks earlier in the year with a hamstring injury, but has led the defending Grey Cup champion Alouettes to a 7-2-1 record in full games under centre this year.
The eighth-year signal caller has amassed 2,867 yards passing with 15 touchdowns to go with 255 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground.
His 286.7 passing yards per game in games played from start to finish (Fajardo only played the first quarter of their Week 6 loss to the Toronto Argonauts due to the hamstring issue) ranks behind only Mitchell and Chad Kelly of the Toronto Argonauts.
Oliveira's 1,107 rushing yards lead the league for the second consecutive season. Earlier this season, Oliveira became the fourth Canadian running back to rush for more than 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons in league history.
With three touchdowns over his past two games and at least 100 yards from scrimmage in nine of his past 10 games, Oliveira has been a major force in the Bombers' current seven-game winning streak that has left the team sitting atop the West Division standings.
On the year, Oliveira has 1,516 yards from scrimmage with three touchdowns.
Mitchell, 34, has been strong in his return to the starting role with the Tiger-Cats after he only played in six games a year ago.
The 12th-year veteran leads the league in passing yards (4,359) and passing touchdowns (26), but with the Tiger-Cats sitting at the bottom of the East Division and in danger of missing the playoffs, the odds are against Mitchell to take home the award for the second time.
Montreal has a bye week in Week 18, but you can watch Oliveira continue to build his case LIVE on TSN1/4, TSN.ca and the TSN App on Friday, when the Blue Bombers battle the Tiger-Cats at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.