Over the last year, millions of picks from people across America told the story of the most popular athletes in every state.
Across the country, users backed MVPs, breakout stars, and hometown heroes in massive numbers on PrizePicks — America’s No. 1 sports picks app.
The result is a state-by-state look at the most popular athletes in America across the NBA, NFL, and MLB.
In the NBA, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t just take over the MVP title — he took over the country as the most popular NBA player. In the NFL, Christian McCaffrey emerged as America’s favorite football pick in over half of the country, while regional loyalty ran strong elsewhere.
And in MLB? The dual-position three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani stood in a league of his own, topping the charts in every state where PrizePicks Player Picks is available.
Here are the most popular athletes in every state between February 2025 and 2026, according to PrizePicks data.
{{nba_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Most Popular NBA Basketball Players in Every State
Thunder PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning MVP of the NBA, and he’s the MVP for PrizePicks users, too.
Over the last year, SGA was the most popular pick in 31 of 36 states, plus Washington, D.C.
The only other players who were the most popular NBA picks in one state each were Luka Doncic (California, New York), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota, North Dakota), and Nikola Jokic (Colorado) — all of whom were the most popular in their home states.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that SGA played a full season, including seven games in the NBA Finals to take the title.
Here’s the full list of the most popular NBA players in every state where daily fantasy sports (DFS) is available, according to PrizePicks data.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Luka Doncic – California, New York
Nikola Jokic – Colorado
Anthony Edwards – Minnesota, North Dakota
These five players dominated across every state, though three other players cracked the top three most popular NBA players, usually in states where they play.
Chet Holmgren was No. 2 in the Thunder home state of Oklahoma, Giannis Antetokounmpo was No. 3 in Wisconsin, and Jaylen Brown ranked No. 3 in Maine and New Hampshire.
The Most Popular NFL Football Players in Every State
There was a clear leader for the most popular NFL player across the country, according to overall NFL picks: San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey. CMC was the most popular NFL pick on PrizePicks in 19 of 35 states (New York excluded).
However, the results were more spread out across states than in the NBA, with some regional biases. Drake Maye led in five New England states, while Josh Allen was the top pick in several southern states, plus his alma mater state of Wyoming.
Here’s the full list of the most popular NFL players in every state where daily fantasy sports (DFS) is available, according to PrizePicks data.
Christian McCaffrey – Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia
Drake Maye – Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
Josh Allen – Alabama, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Kentucky, West Virginia, Wyoming
Patrick Mahomes – Kansas, Missouri
Bo Nix – Colorado
Jalen Hurts – Delaware
Caleb Williams – Illinois
Jordan Love – Wisconsin
In addition to popular players by region, PrizePicks data also shows that states lean on their hometown athletes more than in the NBA.
Patrick Mahomes was the most popular NFL pick in Kansas and Missouri, with Kansas City straddling the border. Just as it did with Jokic in the NBA, Colorado also showed affinity for its hometown team by selecting Bo Nix more than any other NFL player.
{{nfl_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
What really stands out about McCaffrey as America’s most popular NFL pick is that CMC is the only running back on this list; all other players are quarterbacks.
That’s likely a product of the vast selections McCaffrey has on the board for every game as a threat in the rushing and receiving games. McCaffrey’s 102 receptions were sixth-most in the NFL this year, and most among RBs — next was Bijan Robinson (79), who was the third most popular pick in Georgia, the only state where he ranked in the top three picks.
The same could be said for Allen and Maye; Allen led all QBs in rushing in the 2025 regular season with 579 yards, while Maye was fourth with 450.
During his breakout season on his way to winning the AFC, Maye dominated the Northeast. The MVP candidate accounted for 3.5% of all NFL handle in Massachusetts. That was the most of any player in any state, and almost double the second-ranked player, McCaffrey.
Shohei Ohtani: The Most Popular MLB Player Across the U.S.
Of all three sports, no one was more popular in their league than Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was across MLB picks on PrizePicks. Ohtani was the most picked player in every state by total picks and entry fees.
Ohtani had many factors working in his favor to earn the title of most popular MLB player.
First, he made 18 starts as a pitcher, giving users more ways to select Ohtani in their Lineups. Second, the Dodgers made a run to the World Series, giving users more games to pick Ohtani in.
Lastly, Ohtani ranked second in the MLB in total wins above replacement (WAR) at 9.4, per FanGraphs, on his way to his third-straight MVP award.
Ohtani was also the only non-NBA player to crack the top three in total pick volume in any state, ranking third in his home state of California.
For the most part, Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the third most popular MLB player in every state. However, other third-place players were mostly picked by their home or neighboring state, including Freddie Freeman (California), Bobby Witt Jr. (Kansas), Elly De La Cruz (Kentucky), Cal Raleigh (Oregon), and Christian Yelich (Wisconsin).
How Did PrizePicks Determine The Most Popular Athletes?
PrizePicks — a popular U.S.-based daily fantasy sports app — pulled data from user picks across the three most popular sports (NBA, NFL, MLB) in every eligible state over the last year (Feb. 24, 2025 to Feb. 24, 2026).
This data measured total picks on each player in the app, as well as total entry fees backing those players. Data is based on the state where entries were placed.
PrizePicks Player Picks is available in 36 states and Washington, D.C. — most recently going live in New York. Some states are excluded in this data due to eligibility restrictions.
The most popular NBA players are also the most popular athletes overall, both in total picks and entry fees. This is because the NBA has consistently been the most popular sport in overall picks for PrizePicks users, partly due to its 82-game regular season and extended postseason.
Data excludes Max Discount and discounted projections, which are a common type of promotion for PrizePicks users. Additionally, New York has a small data set, as it just became eligible for Player Picks in February 2026.
{{core_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Make Sports Picks on PrizePicks
Whether you have a take on who will win tonight or a read on which player is set to pop off in the game, you can earn money with your sports picks on PrizePicks.
From NBA to NFL to college sports and more, the possibilities are endless. With Player Picks, simply pick More or Less on two or more players' projected stats across sports on the board, and earn money if you're right.
Click here to claim $50 instantly in Lineups when you sign up with promo code PLAYBOOK and play $5.
Need some guidance for your first picks? We've got you. Stay locked in with Playbook for daily PrizePicks picks, game predictions, and the latest promos for your Lineups.
