NFL Most Sacks and Tackles Predictions, Picks, Best Bets 2024: Finally, Week 1 is Here

• T.J. Watt Won Back-to-Back Sack Titles in 2020 and 2021 and won again in 2023. 

• T.J. Watt beat out Trey Hendrickson and Josh Allen, who had 17.5 sacks in 2023. 

• Bobby Wagner led the league in tackles last season with 183 total. He beat Zaire Franklin, who had 179. 

Whenever players lead the NFL in sacks or tackles, they set themselves up for success through their team’s record, individual awards, and monetarily. While this may not always make them an MVP candidate, it sets them up mightily to be the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. 

Since 2012, five players who led the league in sacks have gone on to become the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. 

As for tackles, these are mostly done by off-ball linebackers, who are players who don’t often rush the passer. An off-ball linebacker hasn’t won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award since Luke Kuechly in 2013. 

In 2023, T.J. Watt led the league in sacks with 19, 1.5 more than Josh Hines-Allen and Trey Hendrickson. Still, it was a close race all year long. 

As for tackles, Bobby Wagner led the NFL with 183 combined tackles, while Foyesade Oluokun led in solo tackles with 111. Both players led the second-place player by just four in each category. 

Below, you’ll find the latest odds for the 2024 single-season sack and tackle leaders.

2024 NFL Most Sacks Odds

Odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Click on the odds in the table below to place your bets at Caesars: $1,000 First Bet on Caesars OR $250 in Bonus Bets.

2024 NFL Most Tackles Odds

Odds for Most Regular Season Tackles are not available at the time of writing. Check back here regularly as we will post them as soon as they become available at online sportsbooks.

Favorites to Lead the 2024 NFL Season in Sacks

Before you wager who will lead the NFL in sacks in 2024, let’s explore the top seven players before looking at the two biggest underdogs. 

T.J. Watt - EDGE, Pittsburgh Steelers (+350 at Caesars)

Watt has led the league in sacks in three of the last four years, and there’s no reason he’ll slow down in 2024. 

The Steelers will have far more competent quarterback play with Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. This is important because we could see the Steelers leading games more often, leading to opponents dropping back to pass more, which provides more sack opportunities for Watt. 

He played over 930 snaps last year. In 2022, he only played 502 snaps but still managed seven sacks. Since 2020, he’s racked up 63.5 sacks. 

Pending health, there’s no reason to think Watt won’t do it again.

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Micah Parsons - LB/EDGE, Dallas Cowboys (+375 at Caesars)

Parsons posted 14 sacks in 2023, had at least one in ten games, and had six games without one. There were no cold streaks, really, but he’ll need to average more than one per game to catch Watt.

Parsons has been incredibly consistent sacks-wise since coming into the league. He has 40.5 sacks in three seasons. 

It’s possible he could have more, but he played more than 100 snaps in the box. For context, Watt played just 13 snaps in the box in 2023. Should he play more along the defensive line, he has a great chance to succeed, as he led the league in pressures with 103. 

The way Parsons is used might limit him from leading the league in sacks, but he has the talent to do it.

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Myles Garrett - EDGE, Cleveland Browns (+500 at Caesars)

In 16 games, Garrett had 14 sacks and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He’s posted double-digit sacks every year of his career except for his rookie season, where he had seven. Since 2021, he’s had 16 sacks or more twice and again, 14 last year. 

Garrett is an anchor for the Browns' defense, but 16 sacks have only been enough to lead the league in sacks three times since 2007. 

With his 14 sacks, he did have a five-game stretch with no sacks, which certainly set him back. Still, it would’ve required a sack in each game to match Watt’s output. 

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Maxx Crosby - EDGE, Las Vegas Raiders (+650 at Caesars)

Posting 14.5 sacks in 2023, Crosby posted the most sacks he’s ever had in a single season. Unfortunately for him, he’s on the Raiders, a team that’s likely going to be a team under .500, meaning opponents will run the ball more, thus leading to fewer opportunities for sacks. 

He had six games without a sack, and 9.5 of his 14.5 came from Weeks 1 to 9. 

Given the team he plays on, that’s quite impressive, as he also posted 94 pressures, the fourth-most in the league.

I’m not sure he’ll lead the league in sacks while the Raiders are rebuilding their quarterback room, but he’ll come close. 

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Trey Hendrickson - EDGE, Cincinnati Bengals (+900 at Caesars)

Hendrickson racked up 79 pressures and converted 17.5 sacks. He was 11th in pressures while being tied for second in sacks. 

While some may look at that as he had good luck, I’ll agree with that, but if he could’ve added even ten more pressures, he may have pulled off another couple of sacks to take the crown last year. 

Looking ahead to 2024, the Bengals defense is mostly the same and they’ll have Burrow back under center which should force opponents to drop back to pass even more than last season. 

Hendrickson’s 17.5 sacks last year were the most he’s had in a single season, and he has had 13.5 or more since 2020. 

I’d like to see him have more pressures in 2024. If he can do that, there’s a chance here.

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Josh Hines-Allen - EDGE, Jacksonville Jaguars (+1000 at Caesars)

Hines-Allen finished 2023 with 17.5 sacks. From 2019 to 2022, he had 27.5 sacks across 57 games. 

So, it goes without saying, but his 17.5 sacks were certainly an outlier compared to his results to this point in his career. 

Sure, he could be getting better, but in 2022, he also played all 17 games and had 10.5 fewer sacks. 

His sacks came in bunches, as he had two or more in five games and three in three games. With that, he had eight games without a sack. 

I’m not a fan of wagering on Allen because there’s too much volatility here. He’s an excellent candidate for multiple sacks in specific games, but the consistency worries me. 

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Nick Bosa - EDGE, San Francisco 49ers (+1000 at Caesars)

When discussing Hendrickson, we talked about good luck and bad luck based on pressures, and Bosa was on the side of bad luck. He was third in the league in pressures with 95 but had just 10.5 sacks. 

In 2022, he finished with 90 pressures and had 18.5 sacks. 

As you can see, luck and finishing pressures are massive for sacks. 

Looking back to 2021, he had 15.5 sacks on 75 pressures, which was the fifth-highest in the league. 

Bosa will always be among the league leaders in pressures, which puts him in an excellent position to generate sacks. 

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Underdogs to Lead the 2024 NFL Season in Sacks

Demario Davis - Linebacker, New Orleans Saints (+15000 at Caesars)

Davis has never finished with more than 6.5 sacks in a single season over his 12-year career. Hard pass here. 

Maliek Collins - Defensive Tackle, San Francisco 49ers (+15000 at Caesars)

Collins will be a main cog in the 49ers defensive line which will help Bosa generate sacks, but he’s never had more than five sacks in a single season. This is also a hard pass. 

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Who Will Lead the 2024 NFL Season in Sacks

My Pick - T.J. Watt (+350 at Caesars)

I know this is an extremely chalky pick, but the only reason I can think of not wagering on Watt is that his chances of repeating as sack leader are difficult. If he only led the league in sacks in 2023, I’d be more inclined to believe that, but he’s led in three of the last four seasons. 

Also, as mentioned above, the team should be better, which will put opponents in a position to pass more, giving Watt more opportunities. 

If you’re looking for a player not named Watt, Bosa is my next pick due to his number of pressures.

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Who Led the League in Sacks in 2023?

Watt led the league in sacks in 2023 with 19. He’s also led the league in sacks in three of the last four years: 15 in 2021 and 22.5 in 2022. He’s had double-digit sacks in all but two seasons: his rookie year and 2022, when he played just ten games. 

Highest NFL Single-Season Sack History

Sacks have been tracked since 1960, which was seven years before the modern Super Bowl era. In 1960, Gino Marchetti of the Baltimore Colts led the league with 11. The last non-edge rusher to lead the league in sacks was defensive tackle Aaron Donald in 2018. 

Below, I’ll list the sack leaders from each year dating back to 1967, when the modern Super Bowl era began. 

Who Led the League in Tackles in 2023?

Bobby Wagner led the league in combined tackles in 2023 with 183. This was four more than Zaire Franklin’s 179. As for solo tackles, Foyesade Oluokun led the league with 111, which was also four more than Franklin’s 107 solo tackles. 

Highest NFL Single-Season Tackle History

The combined tackle data is recorded as far back as 1978, per Pro Football Reference, more than a decade after the modern Super Bowl era. 

Below, I’ll list the combined tackles leader each since that time. 

How to Choose the Best Sportsbook for Betting on NFL Sacks and Tackles Odds

Before you start betting on who you think will lead the league in sacks and tackles, I highly recommend you find the best sportsbook. If you’re in a state with numerous sportsbooks, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not comparing the odds to other sites. 

Below are examples of some of the best sports betting sites today. 

*Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l terms.

How to Read NFL Sacks and Tackles Odds

Before you wager on NFL sacks and tackles leaders, it’s important to understand how to read the odds attached to them. At this point in the NFL preseason, each team has “+” odds. With that, you’ll make the amount of money attached to those odds on a successful $100 wager. For example, if a player is +350, you’ll win $350 if you wager $100 and win.

When players go into the “-” range after they break away from the group, the odds attached to that represent the amount you must wager to win $100. For example, if a player is -350, you must wager $350 to win $100.