Derrick Henry ran for 169 yards on 18 carries in a Week 1 loss
Henry had 108 yards after contact, which was more rushing yards than every running back except one, Travis Etienne, had on the day
Three running backs had 100 rushing yards or more in Week 1
Week 1 is in the books, and it’s time to get the latest update on the odds for who will lead the league in rushing yards.
Will Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley repeat, or will someone else rise to the top?
Below, we’ll examine the top odds-on favorites, offer up three best bet predictions, look at my pick, and more.
Odds below are provided by Caesars Sportsbook. Use our promo code WSN20X to sign up for an account and claim: Bet $1, Double Your Winnings Next 20 Bets.
Player | Position | Team | Odds |
---|---|---|---|
Derrick Henry | RB | Baltimore Ravens | +200 BET HERE |
Saquon Barkley | RB | Philadelphia Eagles | +350 BET HERE |
Jonathan Taylor | RB | Indianapolis Colts | +900 BET HERE |
Bijan Robinson | RB | Atlanta Falcons | +1100 BET HERE |
Josh Jacobs | RB | Green Bay Packers | +160 BET HERE |
Jahmyr Gibbs | RB | Detroit Lions | +1600 BET HERE |
Christian McCaffrey | RB | San Francisco 49ers | +1800 BET HERE |
Breece Hall | RB | New York Jets | +2000 BET HERE |
Ashton Jeanty | RB | Las Vegas Raiders | +2000 BET HERE |
Bucky Irving | RB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +2200 BET HERE |
Kyren Williams | RB | Los Angeles Rams | +2500 BET HERE |
Chuba Hubbard | RB | Carolina Panthers | +3500 BET HERE |
Travis Etienne Jr. | RB | Jacksonville Jaguars | +3500 BET HERE |
James Conner | RB | Arizona Cardinals | +3500 BET HERE |
De’Von Achane | RB | Miami Dolphins | +5000 BET HERE |
James Cook | RB | Buffalo Bills | +5000 BET HERE |
Chase Brown | RB | Cincinnati Bengals | +5000 BET HERE |
Alvin Kamara | RB | New Orleans Saints | +5000 BET HERE |
To get the most value out of futures betting market wagers, such as the NFL’s leading rusher, it’s best to get them in as early in the season as possible before the statistics continue piling up.
Below are three options I’d consider:
Derrick Henry (+200): After Week 1, Henry holds a 26-yard lead over the second-place back. His stat line of 18 carries for 169 yards and two touchdowns came in a 41-40 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He’s clearly not slowing down, even at 31 years old. There’s really not much to say. He’s going to continue to get upward of 20 carries per game, and so far, he’s shown he’ll remain efficient. He’s a safe pick, especially after that Week 1 outburst.
Saquon Barkley (+350): In Week 1, Barkley had 18 carries for 60 yards. This was just 3.3 yards per carry, but more importantly, he’s continuing to get plenty of carries, which I think will ultimately lead to more production. Other running backs had more yards and were more efficient, but those players have a track record that is the polar opposite of the production they had in Week 1, so I’m not sure how sustainable it is. After Week 1, I’ll be a bit safer and take trusted players.
R.J. Harvey (+6500): Harvey only got six carries in Week 1, but he was highly efficient with them, generating 70 rushing yards. Of course, he won’t sustain this 11.7 yards per carry pace, and he won’t have a 50-yard run each week, but the goal with sprinkling some units on Harvey is that, over time, and sooner rather than later, the Broncos coaching staff and Sean Payton will give him even more work. Fellow Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins is fine, but he had 16 carries for 63 yards (3.9 yards per carry) and a touchdown. If Harvey could get closer to that mark and maintain a portion of this efficiency, he would continue to climb up the rushing yard leaderboard.
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This was an incredible Week 1, and sure, he may not do this every week, but last season, he had 106 rushing yards or more in nine of 17 games. Henry is another year older, but he’s off to a fantastic start. Outside of wide receiver Zay Flowers, this Ravens offence didn’t really have another player that stood out, other than a one-handed catch by DeAndre Hopkins. Fellow wide receiver Rashod Bateman and tight end Mark Andrews were quiet. Thus, Henry will continue to be a massive focal point of this offense, and that bodes well for his futures odds to lead the NFL in rushing yards.
The only way to bet on the NFL rushing yards leader is through the futures betting market. There are alternate ways you can bet on rushing yards, though.
Many of the best online sportsbooks have over/under futures lines for each player, and you can also bet on each player's rushing yards on a per-game basis.
Looking at the odds above, you'll notice that each player has a "+" next to their name. This is typical during the preseason when there’s still a lot of uncertainty and games haven't started. As the season progresses and player stats start to separate the contenders, you’ll begin to see “-” odds appear for the frontrunners.
Let's examine how to read these odds through the lens of winning $100 or wagering $100.
“+” odds indicate how much you’d win on a $100 bet. For instance, if Barkley is listed at +650, a $100 wager would return $650 in winnings.
“-” odds show how much you must bet to win $100. So, if Barkley were -650, you’d have to wager $650 just to win $100.
The best places to wager on the NFL rushing yards leader right now are FanDuel, Caesars, and BetMGM.
Caesars Sportsbook: The odds above are from Caesars, and it was the first to offer these odds during the preseason. There’s a new player-friendly welcome bonus and frequent odds boosts. Use our promo code WSN20X to sign up for a Caesars account and claim the welcome offer: Bet $1, Double Your Winnings Next 20 Bets.
FanDuel Sportsbook: Offers a sizable welcome bonus, great customer support, and tools for new players to understand the ins and outs of sports betting. Follow our link to claim the welcome bonus offer at FanDuel: Bet $5, Get $300 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins.
BetMGM Sportsbook: The largest welcome bonus on the market today, BetMGM offers some free-to-play games to earn bonus bets. Sign up for a BetMGM account with our promo code WSNSPORTS and get the following offer: Bet $10, Get $150 if You Win*. Interested to learn more?
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The rushing yards leader has been tracked yearly since 1932. In 1967, the Super Bowl era began.
Below is the NFL's leading rusher every year since 2010. Since then, only one player has gone back-to-back as the league’s leading rusher.
Year | Player | Position | Team |
---|---|---|---|
2024 | Saquon Barkley | RB | Philadelphia Eagles |
2023 | Christian McCaffrey | RB | San Francisco 49ers |
2022 | Josh Jacobs | RB | Las Vegas Raiders |
2021 | Jonathan Taylor | RB | Indianapolis Colts |
2020 | Derrick Henry | RB | Tennessee Titans |
2019 | Derrick Henry | RB | Tennessee Titans |
2018 | Ezekiel Elliott | RB | Dallas Cowboys |
2017 | Kareem Hunt | RB | Kansas City Chiefs |
2016 | Ezekiel Elliott | RB | Dallas Cowboys |
2015 | Adrian Peterson | RB | Minnesota Vikings |
2014 | DeMarco Murray | RB | Dallas Cowboys |
2013 | LeSean McCoy | RB | Philadelphia Eagles |
2012 | Adrian Peterson | RB | Minnesota Vikings |
2011 | Maurice Jones-Drew | RB | Jacksonville Jaguars |
2010 | Arian Foster | RB | Houston Texans |
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