2016 NFL Betting: Who Will Lead the League in Rushing and Receiving?

Earlier in the offseason, we posted an article which examined the odds for who would lead the NFL in passing yards. In addition to releasing odds for the passing leader, sportsbook Bet365 also posted odds for who will be the leading rusher and receiver.

The tables below display the current Bet365 odds for each player to lead the league in their respective categories.

Rushing

Player Bet365 (8/29) Bet365 (7/21) Adrian Peterson +350 +333 Todd Gurley +450 +400 Doug Martin +900 +800 Ezekiel Elliott +900 +900 Lamar Miller +1000 +1200 LeVeon Bell +1400 +900 Thomas Rawls +1400 +1200 David Johnson +1600 +2000 LeSean McCoy +1600 +1600 Jamaal Charles +2000 +2000 Eddie Lacy +2000 +2000 CJ Anderson +2500 +2500 Latavius Murray +3000 +4000 Carlos Hyde +3300 +3300 Devonta Freeman +3300 +6600 Jonathan Stewart +4000 +3300 Matt Jones +4000 +4000 Jeremy Hill +4000 +4000 Mark Ingram +5000 +3300 DeMarco Murray +5000 +5000 Frank Gore +6600 +5000 Jay Ajayi +8000 +6600 Matt Forte +8000 +8000 Ryan Matthews +10000 +10000 Rashad Jennings +10000 +10000 Chris Ivory +10000 +10000 Melvin Gordon +10000 +10000 LeGarrette Blount +12500 +12500 TJ Yeldon +12500 +12500 Ameer Abdullah +15000 +15000 Isaiah Crowell +15000 +15000

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson led the NFL in rushing last year and opens as the favorite at +333. Peterson holds a narrow lead over Los Angeles Rams second-year running back Todd Gurley, who is available at +400. In his rookie season, Gurley emerged as one of the league’s best young running backs, even though he was coming off of a torn ACL that ended his junior season at Georgia. Now that Gurley is fully recovered and has a year of pro experience under his belt, he has a chance to lead the NFL in rushing yards.

One surprise is that Dallas Cowboys rookie Ezekiel Elliot is tied with Pittsburgh Steelers LeVeon Bell for the fourth-best odds (+900). Though Elliot has never played a snap at the professional level, oddsmakers believe has a great chance to rush for the most yards in the league.

Receiving

Player Bet365 (8/29) Bet365 (7/21) Antonio Brown +350 +350 Julio Jones +350 +350 Odell Beckham +1000 +1000 DeAndre Hopkins +1000 +1000 Jordy Nelson +1400 +1400 AJ Green +1600 +1600 Dez Bryant +2500 +2500 Alshon Jeffery +2500 +2500 Allen Robinson +2800 +2800 Amari Cooper +2800 +2800 Keenan Allen +3300 +3300 Brandon Marshall +3300 +3300 Mike Evans +3300 +3300 T.Y. Hilton +3300 +3300 Demaryius Thomas +3300 +3300 Brandin Cooks +4000 +4000 Rob Gronkowski +4000 +4000 Sammy Watkins +4000 +4000 Jeremy Maclin +5000 +5000 Jarvis Landry +5000 +5000 Golden Tate +5000 +5000 Doug Baldwin +6600 +6600 Kelvin Benjamin +6600 +6600 Eric Decker +6600 +6600 Julian Edelman +7500 +7500 Larry Fitzgerald +8000 +8000 DeSean Jackson +8000 +8000 Jordan Matthews +8000 +8000 Emmanuel Sanders +8000 +8000 Marvin Jones +8000 +8000 John Brown +8000 +8000 Willie Snead +8000 +8000 Donte Moncrief +8000 +8000 Michael Crabtree +10000 +10000 Michael Floyd +10000 +10000 Kevin White +10000 +10000 Laquan Treadwell +10000 +10000 Randall Cobb +12500 +12500 Allen Hurns +12500 +12500 Stefon Diggs +12500 +12500 Greg Olsen +12500 +12500 Will Fuller +12500 +12500 Markus Wheaton +12500 +12500 Torrey Smith +12500 +12500 Corey Coleman +15000 +15000 Steve Smith +15000 +15000 Jordan Reed +15000 +15000 Vincent Jackson +15000 +15000 DeVante Parker +15000 +15000 Travis Kelce +17500 +17500 Tyler Eifert +20000 +20000 Sterling Shepard +20000 +20000 Gary Barnidge +20000 +20000

Last year’s number one and number two receivers Atlanta Falcons Julio Jones and Pittsburgh Steelers Antonio Brown were separated by a mere 37 yards. This year they opened as co-favorites at +350. Jones and Brown are two of the league’s premiere receivers, so it is no surprise that they have the most favorable odds.

Personally, I believe an intriguing option is Packers receiver Jordy Nelson (+1400), who is has the fifth-best odds. He missed all of 2015 with a torn ACL, but enters the ’16 season healthy. Star quarterback Aaron Rodgers missed one of his favorite targets last season in Nelson and getting him back might revitalize Green Bay’s passing game.

Who do you think will lead the league in rushing? Will Julio Jones repeat as the leading receiver? Please leave your comments in the section below.

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