2017 NFL League Leader Odds: Yards From Scrimmage
In 2016, David Johnson of the Cardinals made fantasy owners happy by leading the league in yards from scrimmage. His 2,118 combined rushing and receiving yards topped Ezekiel Elliott, who missed out on 2,000 by a mere six yards.
Not to be overlooked, however, is Le’Veon Bell. Despite playing in just 12 games, he still finished third in the league with 1,884 yards. That would have put him on pace for 2,512 yards for a full season — three more than Chris Johnson’s single season record set in 2009.
| Player | 8/6 (Ladbrokes) |
|---|---|
| David Johnson | +275 |
| LeVeon Bell | +333 |
| Ezekiel Elliott | +450 |
| Jay Ajayi | +1200 |
| LeSean McCoy | +1200 |
| Antonio Brown | +1600 |
| Julio Jones | +1600 |
| Tyreek Hill | +1600 |
| Devonta Freeman | +1800 |
| Todd Gurley | +1800 |
| Bilal Powell | +2000 |
| Christian McCaffrey | +2000 |
| DeMarco Murray | +2000 |
| Jordan Howard | +2000 |
| Isaiah Crowell | +2500 |
| Jamaal Charles | +2500 |
| Melvin Gordon | +2500 |
| Odell Beckham | +2500 |
| Lamar Miller | +3300 |
| Mike Evans | +3300 |
| Spencer Ware | +3300 |
| TY Hilton | +3300 |
| Ty Montgomery | +3300 |
| Matt Forte | +4000 |
| Adrian Peterson | +5000 |
| Carlos Hyde | +5000 |
| Doug Martin | +5000 |
| Mark Ingram | +6600 |
| Tevin Coleman | +6600 |
The oddsmakers at Ladbrokes give Johnson the edge for the top spot despite Bell’s substantially higher yards per game. The “big three” are all relatively close on the odds list, with nobody else listed with shorter than 12/1 odds.
The first pure pass catchers on this list are Antonio Brown and Julio Jones at 16/1. In 2015, Jones edged Brown out as the league leader by just nine yards. Jones was the first wide receiver to lead the league in this category since Warren Wells in 1969…when we supposedly landed on the damn moon. With that being said, you should probably stay away from anyone who isn’t tacking on significant yardage on the ground.
One name that is rather high is Tyreek Hill. This speed demon wasn’t used too often early on in the season, but showed flashes of brilliance as both a rusher and receiver later in the year. He only finished the year with 860 yards from scrimmage so it’s clear that oddsmakers expect him to break out in his age 23 season.
Melvin Gordon is someone I believe has value at 25/1. Gordon put up just over 1,400 total yards last year, but also missed three games. Like Johnson and Bell, Gordon can rack up yards on the ground and in the air. The 2015 Chargers first rounder put up 59.5 total yards per game as a rookie and 108.9 last year. If he continues to improve and can play all 16 games, he should be up around 2,000 total yards.
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