2024 NFL Rushing Leader Odds: McCaffrey Favored to go Back-to-Back

2024 NFL Rushing Yards Leader odds have been released with San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey the favorite. He's followed by the top running backs in the game, as Jonathan Taylor, Bijan Robinson and Breece Hall are next on the odds board. McCaffrey led the NFL with just 1,459 rushing yards last season, the second-lowest total of any rushing yardage leader this century.

Clearly, this ain't your daddy's NFL. The prolification of modern passing offenses led NFL teams to average just 112.3 rushing yards per game in 2023, and that number is likely to drop even further this season. With that in mind, let's take a look at the latest NFL Rushing Leader odds and go through my best bets.

2024 NFL Rushing Yards Leader Odds

Odds as of August 26

2024 NFL Rushing Leader Odds Favorite: Christian McCaffrey (+650)

Christian McCaffrey has been absolutely unstoppable since joining the San Francisco 49ers.

Kyle Shanahan's creative running schemes have opened up gigantic holes, and McCaffrey has thrived. In 27 games as a 49er, Ed McCaffrey's son has rushed for 2,205 yards and 31 touchdowns, while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. As Larry David would say, "pretty, pretty good."

A bet on McCaffrey repeating the exploits of his monstrous 2,000 scrimmage yard season last year is by no means a bad wager. But, at +650 odds, there are more valuable plays further down the board.

NFL Rushing Leader Best Bet: Breece Hall (+900)

For this NFL futures play, we want to target ascending rushers, who ply their trade on a team likely to win a ton of games, and will be relied upon as the bell-cow back in their offense.

Sophomore Jets back Breece Hall fits the bill. The Iowa State product ran for 994 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie while often facing stacked boxes as the anemic Jets offense failed to scare anybody.

Thankfully, Aaron Rodgers returns to the backfield to help lead the Jets towards the promise land, and Hall projects to be one of the biggest winners. Defenses can't afford to ignore the talent of Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams, and rookie Malachi Corley, which should leave Hall plenty of holes to exploit.

On top of that, a bruising defense with a ton of depth projects to be one of the NFL's best. Meaning New York will likely be ahead in the majority of games and looking to run out the clock. All of these factors point towards Hall having a huge year, and make him my favorite NFL Rushing Leader bet.

2024 NFL Rushing TD Leader Odds

Odds as of August 26

NFL Rushing TD Leader Best Bet: Derrick Henry (+600)

Veteran running back Raheem Mostert came out to nowhere to lead the league with 18 rushing touchdowns in 2023. However, he now faces a ton of competition in his own backfield, with both De'Von Achane and Jaylen Wright set to battle him for touches.

While Jalen Hurts is always a threat on the "Brotherly Shove" and Jonathan Taylor is just two years removed from an 18 touchdown season, I love the value on Derrick Henry to lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns this season.

Nobody will benefit from a change of scenery more than Derrick Henry. Leaving the friendly confines of Tennessee to link up with Lamar Jackson and company in Baltimore has the potential to make the Ravens extremely dangerous this season.

Baltimore's offensive line is miles better than the banged up unit Tennessee fielded last season. Plus, the Ravens reputation as a smashmouth football team will only grow with their brand new 250-pound running back bursting through a mammoth offensive line. After all, Gus Edwards ran for 13 touchdowns last year for Baltimore, with Jackson adding five of his own and Justice Hill rushing for three more.

If Henry stays healthy he's an excellent bet to lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns. At +600 odds, a $100 bet would net you $600 at the end of the season. Books have taken notice of this play as Derrick Henry's odds have fallen from +800 to +600 to lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns.

Last 10 NFL Rushing Leaders