2017 NFL Betting: Who Will Lead the League in Rushing and Receiving?

2017 NFL Betting: Who Will Lead the League in Rushing and Receiving?

The tables below list the current BetOnline odds for each player to lead the league in their respective categories. Last year, there was value to be had as the rushing leader, Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, was available at +900 before the start of the season. T.Y. Hilton of the Indianapolis Colts, who finished as the NFL’s top receiver, was available at +3300.

Who’s most likely to finish this season as the leading rusher and receiver? Let’s take a look.

Rushing

Elliott opens as the +175 favorite after taking the league by storm in his rookie campaign. Last season, Elliott blew away the competition and finished with 1,631 rushing yards, which was more than 300 yards clear of the next best rusher, fellow standout rookie Jordan Howard. The Chicago Bears lead back slots in at +800 along with Jay Ayayi, who amassed 200-plus yard rushing efforts in back-to-back games in his breakout season with the Miami Dolphins.

It is no surprise to see Pittsburgh Steelers workhorse Le’Veon Bell and Arizona Cardinals dual-threat David Johnson near the top of the list, with +350 and +900 odds, respectively. Some names further down the list include DeMarco Murray and LeSean McCoy, who are both available at +1400. Murray finished last season in third place with 1,287 rushing yards in his first year with the Tennessee Titans. McCoy finished with an near-identical 1,286 rushing yards in his second season with the Buffalo Bills.

A potential dark horse could be Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, who has the second-worst odds of the bunch at +4000. Freeman finished each of the least two seasons as a top-10 rusher and figures to continue to have a featured role in Atlanta’s high-octane offense.

Receiving 

Once again, Julio Jones and Antonio Brown top the list for potential receiving leaders going into the 2017 season. Jones, who is available at +275, finished with an impressive 1,409 receiving yards last season for the Falcons and looks primed for another monster campaign. The electrifying Brown, who is available at +325, is coming off a down year (by his standards) in which he totaled 1,284 receiving yards compared to 1,834 the year earlier, but oddsmakers like his chances of returning to his dominating ways.

Hilton, the NFL’s leading receiver last season, slots in with the fourth best odds at +500, only behind Jones, Brown and Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants. Further down the list there is a lot of value with guys like Michael Thomas (+2000) and Dez Bryant (+3300).

In Thomas’ rookie season with the New Orleans Saints he emerged as a force to be reckoned with. He established great chemistry with quarterback Drew Brees en-route to a top-10 finish in receiving yardage. This year he’ll potentially see an uptick in targets with former Saints wide out Brandin Cooks now a member of the New England Patriots. Bryant perhaps offers the most value of the bunch as the No. 1 receiving option in Dallas. Bryant is an elite producer when he’s healthy, but he has battled foot, ankle, back, and knee injuries the past two seasons.

Check back later in the offseason for updated lines. Have any questions for the staff at Sports Insights? Utilize our live chat or e-mail us at help@sportsinsights.com.