Cameron Boozer is the favorite in the NBA Rookie of the Year odds at +270 on DraftKings on October 17, 2026, ahead of Caleb Wilson at +340 and Darryn Peterson at +360. AJ Dybantsa, the first pick of the draft, is fourth at +475.
Those are DraftKings prices as ESPN lists them for the 2026-27 season, read on October 17, 2026 at 11:03 UTC. Seven of the 31 prices in our read of October 13 have moved since: Boozer came in from +300, Wilson and Peterson swapped second and third places, and Dybantsa drifted from +425. Meleek Thomas of Cleveland is new to the list at +25000. No source we read gives a reason for the moves. The regular season opens on October 20, so no rookie has played a game that counts.
NBA Rookie of the Year odds for all 32 players
| Player | Team | Pick | Odds | Implied chance | Margin removed | Oct. 13 odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Boozer | Memphis Grizzlies | 3 | +270 | 27.0% | 21.7% | +300 |
| Caleb Wilson | Chicago Bulls | 4 | +340 | 22.7% | 18.2% | +360 |
| Darryn Peterson | Utah Jazz | 2 | +360 | 21.7% | 17.4% | +340 |
| AJ Dybantsa | Washington Wizards | 1 | +475 | 17.4% | 13.9% | +425 |
| Darius Acuff Jr. | Sacramento Kings | 7 | +1000 | 9.1% | 7.3% | +1000 |
| Yaxel Lendeborg | Golden State Warriors | 11 | +1400 | 6.7% | 5.3% | +1800 |
| Keaton Wagler | LA Clippers | 5 | +4000 | 2.4% | 2.0% | +3500 |
| Mikel Brown Jr. | Brooklyn Nets | 6 | +4000 | 2.4% | 2.0% | +3500 |
| Aday Mara | Oklahoma City Thunder | 12 | +8000 | 1.2% | 1.0% | +8000 |
| Nate Ament | Milwaukee Bucks | 13 | +10000 | 1.0% | 0.8% | +10000 |
| Kingston Flemings | Atlanta Hawks | 8 | +10000 | 1.0% | 0.8% | +10000 |
| Cameron Carr | Los Angeles Lakers | 24 | +10000 | 1.0% | 0.8% | +10000 |
| Brayden Burries | Milwaukee Bucks | 10 | +10000 | 1.0% | 0.8% | +10000 |
| Morez Johnson Jr. | Dallas Mavericks | 9 | +10000 | 1.0% | 0.8% | +10000 |
| Hannes Steinbach | Charlotte Hornets | 14 | +15000 | 0.7% | 0.5% | +15000 |
| Ebuka Okorie | Detroit Pistons | 17 | +15000 | 0.7% | 0.5% | +15000 |
| Karim Lopez | Memphis Grizzlies | 21 | +15000 | 0.7% | 0.5% | +15000 |
| Allen Graves | Toronto Raptors | 19 | +15000 | 0.7% | 0.5% | +15000 |
| Christian Anderson | Charlotte Hornets | 18 | +15000 | 0.7% | 0.5% | +15000 |
| Labaron Philon Jr. | Philadelphia 76ers | 22 | +15000 | 0.7% | 0.5% | +15000 |
| Dailyn Swain | Chicago Bulls | 15 | +15000 | 0.7% | 0.5% | +15000 |
| Sergio de Larrea | Dallas Mavericks | 25 | +25000 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +25000 |
| Bennett Stirtz | Oklahoma City Thunder | 16 | +25000 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +25000 |
| Chris Cenac Jr. | Boston Celtics | 27 | +25000 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +25000 |
| Zuby Ejiofor | Atlanta Hawks | 23 | +25000 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +25000 |
| Tarris Reed Jr. | San Antonio Spurs | 26 | +25000 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +25000 |
| Jayden Quaintance | San Antonio Spurs | 20 | +25000 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +25000 |
| Thomas Sorber | Oklahoma City Thunder | 15 (2025) | +25000 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +25000 |
| Koa Peat | Phoenix Suns | 30 | +25000 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +25000 |
| Meleek Thomas | Cleveland Cavaliers | 34 | +25000 | 0.4% | 0.3% | |
| Alex Karaban | Sacramento Kings | 29 | +25000 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +25000 |
| Joshua Jefferson | Brooklyn Nets | 28 | +25000 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +25000 |
Implied chance is the price turned into a percentage. At +270 a $100 bet wins $270, so it breaks even when Boozer wins the award 27.0% of the time. The 32 implied chances add up to 124.7%, and the 24.7 points above 100 are the book’s margin.
The “margin removed” column divides each implied chance by that 124.7. Counted that way the top four hold 71.3% of the award, and 23 of the 32 players are priced at +10000 or longer.
Pick is the overall selection in the 2026 draft. The board is that draft’s whole first round, all 30 picks, plus Thomas Sorber, the 15th pick in 2025, whom ESPN lists as a first-year player, and Thomas, the 34th pick in 2026 and the only second-round pick with a price. Team is the one whose roster ESPN has the player on today, which for 11 of the 32 is not the team that made the pick, and each team name links to its team page.
The four players at the top of the board
Boozer went third in the draft, to Memphis, which finished 25-57 last season. At Duke he averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 34 games. His +270 implies 27.0%.
Wilson, the fourth pick, is +340 with Chicago (31-51) after 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds in 24 games at North Carolina. Peterson, the second pick, is +360 with Utah, a 22-60 team. He played 22 games at Kansas and averaged 19.8 points.
Dybantsa was picked first and is priced fourth. He averaged 25.3 points in 34 games at BYU, the highest scoring average of the ten players in the next table, and joins a Washington team that went 17-65. His +475 implies 17.4%, 9.6 points less than Boozer’s price. ESPN’s injury list has him day-to-day with an ankle injury after he did not return to Friday’s preseason game against New Orleans.
After those four the prices jump. Darius Acuff Jr. of Sacramento is +1000, which implies 9.1%, and Yaxel Lendeborg of Golden State has come in from +1800 to +1400. Lendeborg is 24, the oldest player on the board.
College seasons of the ten shortest prices
| Player | Pick | College | Games | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Boozer | 3 | Duke | 34 | 22.5 | 10.2 | 4.2 |
| Caleb Wilson | 4 | North Carolina | 24 | 19.8 | 9.4 | 2.7 |
| Darryn Peterson | 2 | Kansas | 22 | 19.8 | 4.4 | 1.7 |
| AJ Dybantsa | 1 | BYU | 34 | 25.3 | 6.7 | 3.8 |
| Darius Acuff Jr. | 7 | Arkansas | 33 | 22.9 | 3.2 | 6.5 |
| Yaxel Lendeborg | 11 | Michigan | 34 | 14.6 | 7.0 | 3.2 |
| Keaton Wagler | 5 | Illinois | 32 | 17.9 | 4.8 | 4.4 |
| Mikel Brown Jr. | 6 | Louisville | 21 | 18.2 | 3.3 | 4.7 |
| Aday Mara | 12 | Michigan | 34 | 11.6 | 6.9 | 2.3 |
| Nate Ament | 13 | Tennessee | 31 | 17.5 | 6.6 | 2.5 |
Each line is the player’s last college season from ESPN, in games played and averages a game. Three of the ten played fewer than 30 games: Mikel Brown Jr. 21, Peterson 22 and Wilson 24.
Michigan has three players on the board. Lendeborg and Aday Mara are in this table, and Morez Johnson Jr. of Dallas is +10000.
Preseason numbers so far
| Player | Odds | Preseason games | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Boozer | +270 | 4 | 20.2 | 14.0 | 5.5 | 3.0 |
| Caleb Wilson | +340 | 5 | 26.6 | 15.8 | 4.4 | 2.8 |
| Darryn Peterson | +360 | 4 | 25.5 | 13.2 | 4.2 | 4.0 |
| AJ Dybantsa | +475 | 4 | 21.5 | 12.8 | 3.8 | 1.8 |
| Darius Acuff Jr. | +1000 | 4 | 24.0 | 17.2 | 1.8 | 3.8 |
| Yaxel Lendeborg | +1400 | 5 | 23.2 | 15.6 | 7.4 | 4.0 |
| Keaton Wagler | +4000 | 3 | 27.0 | 12.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Mikel Brown Jr. | +4000 | 1 | 18.0 | 15.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Aday Mara | +8000 | 5 | 23.2 | 13.4 | 7.6 | 2.8 |
| Nate Ament | +10000 | 2 | 12.0 | 5.5 | 3.0 | 0.5 |
The table counts preseason games through October 16, from ESPN’s game logs. Nobody in it has played more than five, so the figures show who has been on the floor and prove nothing about a season. The preseason runs through October 19.
Acuff has the highest scoring average of the ten, 17.2 points in four games. Wagler has played the most minutes a game, 27.0 in three games, and Boozer’s 20.2 minutes are the fewest among the seven who have played four games or more. Brown has played one game.
One name further down the board has been on the floor longer than all of them. Bennett Stirtz of Oklahoma City, priced at +25000, has averaged 27.4 minutes and 14.6 points in five games, the most minutes of the 29 listed players with a preseason game.
Past Rookie of the Year winners
Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks won the 2025-26 award. The first pick of the 2025 draft averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 70 games for a team that went 26-56.
| Season | Winner | Team | Draft pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Cooper Flagg | Dallas Mavericks | 1 |
| 2024-25 | Stephon Castle | San Antonio Spurs | 4 |
| 2023-24 | Victor Wembanyama | San Antonio Spurs | 1 |
| 2022-23 | Paolo Banchero | Orlando Magic | 1 |
| 2021-22 | Scottie Barnes | Toronto Raptors | 4 |
| 2020-21 | LaMelo Ball | Charlotte Hornets | 3 |
| 2019-20 | Ja Morant | Memphis Grizzlies | 2 |
| 2018-19 | Luka Doncic | Dallas Mavericks | 3 |
| 2017-18 | Ben Simmons | Philadelphia 76ers | 1 |
| 2016-17 | Malcolm Brogdon | Milwaukee Bucks | 36 |
| 2015-16 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Minnesota Timberwolves | 1 |
Ten of the last 11 winners were taken with one of the first four picks of a draft, and five of them went first. The exception is Malcolm Brogdon, the 36th pick, who won for 2016-17. This season’s four shortest prices belong to the first four picks of the 2026 draft.
Sorber’s case has one match in the table. Ben Simmons was drafted in 2016 and won the award for 2017-18.
First games for the ten shortest prices
| Listed players | First game | Tip-off | Favorite | Total | Our page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aday Mara | Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs | Tue, Oct 20, 9:30 pm ET | San Antonio Spurs -2.5 (-105) | 231.5 | Thunder vs Spurs prediction |
| Nate Ament, AJ Dybantsa | Milwaukee Bucks at Washington Wizards | Wed, Oct 21, 7:00 pm ET | Washington Wizards -6.5 (-105) | 238.5 | Bucks vs Wizards prediction |
| Caleb Wilson | Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors | Wed, Oct 21, 7:30 pm ET | Toronto Raptors -8.5 (-115) | 235.5 | Bulls vs Raptors prediction |
| Mikel Brown Jr. | Charlotte Hornets at Brooklyn Nets | Wed, Oct 21, 7:30 pm ET | Charlotte Hornets -2.5 (-110) | 223.5 | Hornets vs Nets prediction |
| Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer | Utah Jazz at Memphis Grizzlies | Wed, Oct 21, 8:00 pm ET | Utah Jazz -2.5 (-110) | 242.5 | Jazz vs Grizzlies prediction |
| Yaxel Lendeborg | Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers | Wed, Oct 21, 10:00 pm ET | Los Angeles Lakers -5.5 (-110) | 235.5 | Warriors vs Lakers prediction |
| Darius Acuff Jr., Keaton Wagler | Sacramento Kings at LA Clippers | Wed, Oct 21, 10:30 pm ET | LA Clippers -4.5 (-105) | 230.5 | Kings vs Clippers prediction |
Only one of the ten has a team in action on opening night: Mara’s Thunder visit San Antonio on October 20 at 9:30 pm ET on NBC. The other nine teams start on October 21.
Two of the top three in the NBA ROY odds share a game that night. Peterson’s Jazz play at Boozer’s Grizzlies at 8:00 pm ET, and DraftKings has Utah favored by 2.5 with a total of 242.5, the highest total of the seven games in the table. Lines are DraftKings prices as ESPN lists them, read on October 17 at 11:07 UTC, and the last column links to our page for each game.
What the odds mean for a bet
A futures bet pays over time only when a player’s real chance is higher than the one his price implies. Boozer at +270 has to win the award more than 27.0% of the time, Wilson at +340 more than 22.7%, Peterson at +360 more than 21.7% and Dybantsa at +475 more than 17.4%. Those four add up to 88.9% before any of the other 28 players is counted, and that is the 24.7-point margin at work. The MVP board’s margin is 19.8 points.
We make no Rookie of the Year pick. No rookie plays a game that counts before October 20, and five preseason games are not a sample.
Our other NBA awards odds pages cover MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player and Coach of the Year. The title market is on our NBA championship odds page, game predictions are on our NBA predictions page, and our guide to what a futures bet is explains how these prices work. For paid picks, see the PicksToday pricing page.