Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Let’s start with the obvious: Tom Brady is the favorite for the NFL MVP. He’ll get a good start as his NFL week 1 matchup is the Buffalo Bills and their shoestring defense. Expect him to get both a nice three-touchdown effort and a good lead in this race. Given his role on the best team in the league, Brady should be the easy pick.

LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers

NFL betting fans might not want to admit it, but Tomlinson could still be an MVP candidate. Keep this in mind: he’s still the centerpiece of one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. Also, the Chargers will be a playoff team and possibly a 12- or 13-win team. Add in the fact that Tomlinson will get six games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos, and he might just be able to rack up MVP numbers in those six games alone. He’s still money.

Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are led by Tony Romo, who has continually made a mess in his bed in December. But the Cowboys are a different team this year. There is no pressure heading into the season and the expectations are low right now. The NFC East is overrated, which means the Cowboys could quietly sneak up and take the division. The New York Giants are weaker without any receiving threats on offense, and without their genius defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, the Philadelphia Eagles are trying to find their offensive identity with Michael Vick in the mix – not to mention the Washington Redskins are a mixed bag. The Cowboys are flying under the radar and that’s just what they need. Keep an eye on their Super Bowl odds as Romo leads them to the playoffs.

Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

If the Minnesota Vikings are going to be a power player this year, it’s going to be because of Adrian Peterson more than Brett Favre. Favre will give Peterson more running room because now opposing defense have to respect Favre’s arm, which means that Peterson will not be facing eight- or nine-man fronts any more. If he does in fact hit that 2000-yard rushing season, as many NFL predictions have listed, he’ll be in line for an NFL MVP.