Ezekiel Elliott Total Rushing Yards 2020/21 - Predictions and Odds

• Last September, Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys finally agreed to a contract extension, which ended a holdout by the running back that had everybody in Texas sweating.
• In the three full NFL seasons Elliott has played, he has led the league in yards rushing for two of them.
• With a new head coach and running backs coach to work with, Elliott is still convinced the run game will be an essential part of the Cowboy’s offense.
• The number of total yards that the oddsmakers have predicted Elliott to run in 2020 seem entirely doable given a full season by the recently paid running back.

The Dallas Cowboys have one of the best running backs in the league in Ezekiel Elliott, and owner Jerry Jones rewarded him for that last September by extending his contract for 6-years in a deal worth $90 million, with $50 million of that guaranteed.

After failing to make the playoffs last season, the team will now be led by a new head coach (Mike McCarthy) but the same offensive coordinator (Kellen Moore), so expert their offense, ranked first in the league last year, to be just as effective in 2020.

And that’s good news for Elliott because in that scheme he’s been the fourth most productive running back in the NFL for the last two seasons – something his new running backs coach, Skip Peete, can build on.

Check out also: “How the Cowboys kept both Amari Cooper and Dak Prescott“.

Odds on Ezekiel Elliott’s 2020 Production

Ezekiel Elliott’s Total Rushing Yards – Regular Season

Odds taken May 4 from DraftKings Sportsbook.

A healthy and suspension-free Elliott seems likely to win the over on this bet, especially given that in the three seasons he has played in fifteen or more games, he has run for 1,350 or higher.

In 2017, when Elliott only played in ten games due to his 6-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, he still rushed for almost 1,000 yards total (983) and averaged almost 100 yards rushing per game (98.3).

Elliott’s Run Game Is a Huge Part of the Cowboys’ Offense

The Cowboys rushing attack was the fifth-best in the league last season after averaging 134.6 yards on the ground per game.

Elliott has run with the ball over 300 times in all three of his full seasons, averaging almost 4.8 yards per carry in that time.

In an offseason interview on the popular television program Good Morning Football, Elliott told the hosts that he has been in touch with McCarthy as well as his new running backs coach, Skip Peete, and both have emphasized how important the run game will be during the 2020 season.

“They know [the Cowboys’ run game] is very important to our offense,” Elliott told the GMFB crew. “It’s our focal point, it’s how we win football games.”

Three Pro Bowls in Four Years for Elliott

In every one of Elliotts’ three full seasons, he has played in the Pro Bowl, the former OSU star impressing fellow players and fans with his blazing speed and pure strength battling wannabe tacklers.

Elliott was also named first-team All-Pro in 2016 and second-team All-Pro in 2018, averaging 4.6 yards per carry over his four NFL seasons.

If all goes well in 2020, expect Elliott to add yet another visit to the Pro Bowl as the reward for a productive season, though chances are he would prefer a postseason visit, given the choice.

Don’t Forget that Elliott Can Also Catch the Ball

Lost in all the excitement over Elliott’s ability to shake free of tacklers and run faster than pursuing safeties is his ability to catch the football.

In his four pro seasons, Elliott has caught 189 passes for 1,619 total yards and 8 touchdowns, including an uncanny ability to break free and run for yards after the catch.

Elliott’s threat as a receiver helps his run game since it keeps defenses guessing as to how he’s about to be used on the attack.

WSN Pick: Take the over here – given health and a full season, Elliott will easily break the 1,300 rushing yards mark.