NFL Rushing Yards Leader Odds, Predictions, Rankings

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San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs during the NFC Championship NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)
(Scot Tucker/AP Photo)
Nick Hennion @nickhennion May 24, 2024, 5:28 PM
  • Christian McCaffrey (+300) is the favorite to lead the NFL in rushing yards.
  • McCaffrey led the league in rushing yards last season by nearly 300 yards.
  • Three of the last four leaders cleared 1,600 total rushing yards.

For the upcoming NFL season, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (+300) is the favorite to lead the league in rushing yards.ย 

McCaffrey led the league in rushing yards for the 2023-24 NFL season, his first rushing title during the regular season.ย 

It also marked the first time since 2018 that a running back led the league in rushing with under 1,500 yards.ย 

The challengers to dethrone McCaffrey this season include Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (+400), Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (+500) and Jets running back Breece Hall (+600).ย 

Below is a full list of NFL betting lines for the title, as well as the current rankings.ย 

NFL Rushing Yards Leader Odds

Running BackRushing Yards Leader Odds
Christian McCaffrey+300
Jonathan Taylor+400
Saquon Barkley+500
Breece Hall+600
Bijan Robinson+900
Derrick Henry+1000
Kyren Williams+1200
Josh Jacobs+1400
Isiah Pacheco+2000
Travis Etienne+2000
De'Von Achane+2000
Nick Chubb+2200
Kenneth Walker III+2500
Jahmyr Gibbs+2500
Alvin Kamara+3000
Joe Mixon+3000
David Montgomery+3000
James Cook+3500
Rachaad White+3500
Zamir White+3500
Raheem Mostert+4000
James Conner+4000
Aaron Jones+4000
Zack Moss+5000
Jonathan Brooks+5000

NFL Rushing Yards Leader Predictions

Saquon Barkley to Lead the League in Rushing Yards (+500)

If Barkley can clear 1,000 rushing yards in three of five near-full seasons with a bad Giants offensive line, imagine what he can do with the Eagles.ย 

Jason Kelceโ€™s retirement does leave a question mark at center โ€” Kelce led the Eagles in PFFโ€™s run-blocking grade โ€” but the Eagles as a unit have excelled in the last two years.ย 

Last season, Philadelphia ranked third as a team in PFFโ€™s run-blocking grades. The previous season, they also sat third in the rankings.ย 

For context, the Giants ranked 30th in PFFโ€™s run-blocking grades a year after sitting 14th in those rankings.ย 

Across the five seasons Barkley played at least 13 games, he ran behind a New York O-Line that ranked in the top-half of those grades only twice with zero top-10 grades.ย 

In each of the last two seasons, Philadelphia saw their lead running back finish fifth or better in the final rushing yards leader rankings.ย 

Given I power rate Barkley ahead of both Miles Sanders and Dโ€™Andre Swift, Iโ€™ll back him to lead the league in rushing yards.ย 

Kyren Williams to Lead the League in Rushing Yards (+1200, 0.5 unit)

This is largely a price play on Williams, whose biggest โ€œifโ€ is whether he can stay healthy.ย 

On the occasions last season when Williams featured, the Rams dominated the ground game.ย 

In Weeks 1-6, Los Angeles ranked sixth in rush EPA per play. In Weeks 12-17, they were third.ย 

In that middle chunk of games, they dropped to 22nd in rush EPA per play, according to rbsdm.com.ย 

Across the latter sample of Williamsโ€™s performances, he actually outgained 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey with four 100+ yard games and zero under 80 yards.ย 

He also cleared 100 yards in half of his 12 appearances last season. Thatโ€™s only one 100-yard performance shy of McCaffreyโ€™s total across 17 contests.ย 

Los Angeles bolstered their offensive line by signing Jonah Jackson for a unit that ranked fifth in PFFโ€™s run-blocking grades last season.ย 

Additionally, it cannot be understated the importance of the Rams re-signing Kevin Dotson, who ranked second amongst all guards in run blocking last season.ย 

For those reasons, Williams is worth a flier at +1200 to lead the league in yards this season.

NFL Rushing Yards Current Rankings

Check back during the NFL regular season for a set of NFL rushing yards leader rankings.

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About the Author

Nick Hennion

Read More @nickhennion

Nick Hennion is a senior content writer for BetMGM. His previous stops include VSiN, NBC Sports, The Action Network and Forbes Betting. He owns a bachelor's degree from Syracuse University and a master's degree from Northwestern University.

Nick Hennion is a senior content writer for BetMGM. His previous stops include VSiN, NBC Sports, The Action Network and Forbes Betting. He owns a bachelor's degree from Syracuse University and a master's degree from Northwestern University.