When it comes to NFL rushing title odds, Tennessee Titans workhorse Derrick Henry has been the money man of late. After narrowly winning the 2019-20 crown, Henry literally ran away from the competition last season, finishing with 2,027 rushing yards—a whopping 470 yards ahead of second-place Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings.
So it should come as little surprise that Henry is the prohibitive favorite on the 2021-22 NFL rushing leader odds board. But several other players are getting attention, as well.
With the regular season approaching, Props.com dives into season-long player props in the form of odds to win the NFL rushing title.
Latest NFL Rushing Yards Action
At PointsBet USA, Henry leads the way at +400 odds to threepeat as the NFL rushing yards leader (odds unchanged from the opening number). Slotting right behind the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner on the rushing yards odds board is Cook at +600, followed by Cleveland Browns running back and 2019 rushing yards runner-up Nick Chubb (+750) and second-year Indianapolis Colts tailback Jonathan Taylor (+900).
Despite his short odds — and despite the fact nobody has won three straight rushing crowns since Hall of Famer and all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith did so from 1991-93 — Henry remains a popular choice among PointsBet customers. However, the eighth player in NFL history to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards isn’t alone, as PointsBet sports analyst Mike Korn said Dallas Cowboys tailback Ezekiel Elliot is tied with Henry in terms of ticket count.
Bettors clearly are counting on Elliott, who won the 2016 and 2018 rushing titles, to rebound from a subpar 2020 season in which he rushed for 979 yards in 15 games. Elliott opened and remains +2,000 at PointsBet, tied with the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Jones for eighth on the NFL rushing yards odds board.
Running Down The NFL Rushing Yards Long Shots
Further down the board, Korn said PointsBet took a little action from bettors looking to hit the jackpot on two lesser-known running backs at sizable long-shot prices: rookie Javonte Williams, the Denver Broncos’ second-round pick from North Carolina; and New England Patriots speedster Damien Harris, who rushed for 691 yards (5.0 yards per carry) last season.
PointsBet has both at +6,600.
“We have started to amass decent liability on Harris and Williams,” Korn said. “But from the guys around the top of the board, we definitely will be rooting against Derrick Henry and Zeke Elliott.”
On the flip side, Korn said he and his crew will be big fans of Cook and New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, neither of whom are generating much interest in the betting market. Barkley, who finished second to Elliott in the 2018 rushing race, is coming back from a torn ACL suffered in Week 2 last season. He’s currently the +1,400 sixth choice at PointsBet, right behind Carolina Panthers do-everything back Christian McCaffrey (+1,000).
“Cook or Saquon leading the league in rushing would be a very good result for us,” Korn said.
