49ers' Super Bowl Odds Shorten After Christian McCaffrey Trade

He may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but Christian McCaffrey’s trade to the San Francisco 49ers enabled the squad to hurdle a few other teams when it comes to Super Bowl odds at America’s legal sportsbooks.

The biggest move came courtesy of DraftKings. According to a spokesman, the 49ers had been at +2500 to take home the Lombardi Trophy before the trade with the Carolina Panthers, and afterward those odds tightened to the tune of +1600. That number, also available from PointsBet, offers Niners bettors the best bang for the buck.

On FanDuel Casino & Sportsbook, the 49ers had been +1900, and post trade that number dropped to +1400, allowing the team to pass by the Baltimore Ravens at +1800 and the Minnesota Vikings at +1700.

“CMC will do a lot in a Shanahan offensive scheme, providing the 49ers with a multi-dimensional talent that will be a spark plug for their offense,” said Kevin Hennessey, FanDuel’s director of publicity.

Friday morning, the only teams with better odds than the Niners on FanDuel were the Buffalo Bills (+300), Philadelphia Eagles (+550), Kansas City Chiefs (+800), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+1100).

FanDuel also moved McCaffrey’s MVP odds from 200/1 to 90/1 after the trade, though he can still be had for 175/1 at PointsBet.

At Caesars, the 49ers’ Super Bowl odds also dropped to +1400, but “only” from a +1800 perch.

It’s not just Super Bowl odds that moved. The 49ers went from +700 to +600 to win the NFC Championship at Caesars, and the sportsbook also moved them from +105 to -110 to win their division. But again, DraftKings and PointsBet are offering the best odds, with the Niners being +700 to win the conference.

Not enough respect?

Of course, it’s entirely possible the oddsmakers might not be bullish enough on the blockbuster deal.

Dan Pizzuta of Sharp Football Analysis notes that “the biggest boost comes from what McCaffrey can do for the passing game. This season, McCaffrey is averaging 1.79 yards per route run. The average for running backs with at least 100 routes this season is 1.08. The average for a wide receiver with at least 100 routes run is 1.59. McCaffrey is a legitimate threat with the ball in his hands and this year that has come with 48.8% of his targets at or behind the line of scrimmage.”

Along with Deebo Samuel, the 49ers now have two unicorn playmakers on the field at any one time, undoubtedly presenting headaches for defensive coordinators.