Yahoo Sports NFL analyst Nate Tice, fantasy analyst Matt Harmon, and NFL writer Charles McDonald give their 2024 MVP predictions along with dark horse candidates that could win the award. Hear the full conversation on “Football 301” – and subscribe on , , or
Matt start us off.
Who is your pick?
Who’s your dark horse pick for MVP in 2024?
I’m going to CJ Stroud as my pick for MVP.
I just think this offense is set up to light the league on fire this year.
Uh The personnel is so good from a pass, catching standpoint, you know, not only are they really good at the top at wide receiver.
I actually think they’re pretty deep in the receiver room as well.
Everything just comes together for me to make the argument for CJ Stroud for MVP.
I think that they can compete to be the best team in the conference.
If you’re looking for a boring dark horse, like you kind of have to say Brock Purdy, like everything else goes wrong.
All these other candidates.
I was curious.
Well, I said it was boring.
I said it was boring the voters like, well, he’s done it two years in a row.
The efficiency maybe that comes back in and they give it to Purdy for the pure statistical case after you didn’t get it last year.
I like the Stroud one, especially after, uh, watching him in the preseason and it’s like, oh, you got even better.
You’re even better now.
Oh, God.
Oh, God.
That’s why it’s fun to watch starters play in the preseason because then you actually get to see some stuff and go.
Oh, wow.
I mean, for the first one, Mahomes, I’m not gonna take any time to the dark horse though.
I’m gonna go with Matt Stafford only because the defense man, you, you remove Aaron Donald from this group and it starts to look really, really bleak, like really, really fast.
So I think that this is going to be a team that’s probably giving up a lot of points, uh which is gonna put staffer in shootout situations.
I am not original.
I’m just gonna carry over my one from last year, which is Josh Allen at plus 850.
Just a because again, narrative in the head, even if I think he’s the second best player.
This is more though like, wow, he is throwing safer and making better decisions.
He lost Stefan Dixon still producing, they lost all the defensive talent even if they have still have some decent guys.
But dark horse which I’ve heard about 40 times can’t change.
Now, Anthon Richardson A plus 2800.
That’s a classic second year quarterback, new name, new face of the NFL narrative.
Colts are a surprise team.
The offense does go top five like I think they do, the defense is a little better, so they’re a better team overall.
He has fancy numbers to back it up.
He has the real football stuff that we geek out over.
It might be a year early, maybe two years early, might be forever early on this rod.
But I I may be a little narrative for Richardson this year.
