2016 NFL Receiving Yards Leader Futures
By Loot, NFL Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
A bet on who will lead the NFL in receiving yards in 2016 is a bet that can be justified on many levels. First of all, it can really pay off and you don't need to go that far off-the-grid to get some tasty odds. After just 6 names on this list, the odds hit 25-to-1 and it goes up from there. This bet allows you to profit off of any insight you have developed, namely in the area of pass-catchers who are ready to really come into their own.
Last season, Julio Jones led the league with 1871 yards, followed closely by Antonio Brown, as the defending champion came up short of the repeat-win by 37 yards. The two receivers had a pretty big cushion on the rest of the pack with DeAndre Hopkins over 300 yards back in third place. At any rate, Jones and Brown look to be big players in this battle again heading into 2016.
At the same time, there have been enough winners from further down the list in recent years to justify a more-exotic pick. Muhsin Muhammad won it in '04. Brandon Lloyd won it in 2010. There needs to be some new blood in this category, with Jones and Brown the only prior winners of this award with a viable chance to win. All other former receiving yards leaders are either retired or on the skids.
The temptation here would be to go "chalk," which means lean on the favorites. With Brown at +500 and Jones at +700, you could have that feared two-pack and if one of them wins, you'd still be able to register a nice win. At the same time, this category is ripe for a first-time winner, with a nice mix of experienced receivers and youngsters lying behind the favorites with booming numbers next to their names.
We'd like to share our picks with you. In this proposition, we prefer to leave ourselves with some options in case a receiver fails to fire for whatever reason or suffers an injury. Even missing a game or two can make it nearly impossible to lead the league in receiving yards. So we want to have our bases covered. Following our picks is a full list of odds for receivers to lead the NFL in receiving yardage in 2016.
Our Picks to Lead the NFL in Receiving Yards in 2016
Antonio Brown (+500): He wasn't that far off last season and won it in 2014. A healthy Ben Roethlisberger for the whole season would add more yards to his total. The loss of various pass-catchers in the Steelers offense might also make Brown a more-utilized target. At 5-to-1, that isn't altogether bad value for one of the very top receivers in the game.
Julio Jones (+700): Another favorite who deserves respect. He's the top target of a quarterback who stays healthy and nothing should change with the Ryan-to-Jones connection this season. Last year showed he is right in the middle of his prime and barring any unforeseen developments, his name will be at or near the top of this category this entire season.
Dez Bryant (+2500): After missing 7 games last season, he should have a good bounce-back season if he can stay healthy. And let's face it, Tony Romo needs to also stay healthy for this pick to materialize. His top total in a 6-season career is only 1382 yards, which isn't going to get it done. But maybe Dallas can get their offense on the right track and Bryant can upgrade his game a touch at 28. After all, he's 25-to-1 and you at least get a really good receiver for those odds.
Allen Robinson (+2800): At 28-to-1, people might be sleeping on Robinson. Playing for what appears to be an upstart Jacksonville bunch, Robinson has become the offense's most valuable weapon, accumulating 1400 yards through the air in his second season in 2015. He is an easy guy to overlook, but could be poised to insert himself into the discussion this season.
Demaryius Thomas (+3300): There seems to be general disrespect at 33-to-1 for a guy with nearly 6000 yards in the past four seasons. He was second in 2014 and is usually in the mix in this category. He's 28 and is still in his prime. The QB situation in Denver leaves some things up in the air, but don't be surprised if Thomas has another big statistical season.
PLACE YOUR BETS ON WHO WILL LEAD THE NFL IN RECEIVING YARDS IN THE 2016 SEASON USING THESE SAME ODDS AT THE WEB'S BEST SPORTSBOOK: 5DIMES
Odds to Lead the NFL in Receiving Yards
Antonio Brown +500
Julio Jones +700
Odell Beckham Jr. +1000
DeAndre Hopkins +1000
Jordy Nelson +1400
A.J. Green +1600
Alshon Jeffery +2500
Dez Bryant +2500
T.Y. Hilton +2600
Allen Robinson +2800
Amari Cooper +2800
Sammy Watkins +3300
Keenan Allen +3300
Demaryius Thomas +3300
Brandon Marshall +3300
Brandin Cooks +3300
Mike Evans +3300
Rob Gronkowski +4000
Doug Baldwin +4000
Golden Tate +4300
Jeremy Maclin +4300
Jarvis Landry +4300
Eric Decker +5000
Emmanuel Sanders +5750
Jordan Matthews +6250
John Brown +6250
Marvin Jones +6250
Kelvin Benjamin +6600
Julian Edelman +7500
Donte Moncrief +8000
DeVante Parker +10000
Randall Cobb +10000
DeSean Jackson +10000
Willie Snead +10000
Kevin White +10000
Larry Fitzgerald +10000
Michael Floyd +10000
Steve Smith +17500
Allen Hurns +17500
Jordan Reed +25000
Greg Olsen +30000
Corey Coleman +30000
Dorial Green-Beckham +30000
Travis Kelce +30000
Delanie Walker +30000
Vincent Jackson +30000
