2014 NFL Prop Bets

With the 2014 NFL season only a couple of weeks away, now is an opportune time to explore the always fun prop bets Vegas has to offer. Let’s face it, the preseason is interminable, so one way to make it go by quicker is to boldly predict which players will excel once the “real” games kick off. There are of course hundreds of prop bets to wager, but for purposes of this exercise, here are a few of the bigger ones.

Who will lead the league in rushing yards?

Adrian Peterson 4/1

LeSean McCoy 9/2

Jamaal Charles 7/1

Marshawn Lynch 12/1

Arian Foster 16/1

Eddie Lacy 18/1

Matt Forte 18/1

Barring injury, the top three are all safe bets. No way Lynch or Foster come close. Lacy and Forte are both solid choices with good odds.

Who will lead the league in receiving yards?

Calvin Johnson 13/5

Dez Bryant 15/2

Demaryius Thomas 8/1

Julio Jones 8/1

AJ Green/Antonio Brown/Brandon Marshall 16/1

Jordy Nelson 28/1

Jimmy Graham 40/1

Keenan Allen/Randall Cobb 50/1

Meagatron isn’t worth it, despite being awesome. Thomas will be fed a lot of passes from Peyton, especially with Eric Decker gone. Brown finished second in yards in 2013. Nelson is an excellent choice considering he totaled 1314 yards in 2013 without Aaron Rodgers for seven games.

Who will win Comeback Player of the Year?

RG III 5/1

Aaron Rodgers 11/2

Julio Jones/Rob Gronkowski 7/1

Eli Manning 10/1

Percy Harvin 15/1

Doug Martin 25/1

Trent Richardson 25/1

Griffin and Rodgers will take this one down to the wire. Gronk can’t stay healthy. Eli? That’s just funny. Trent Richardson? Even funnier. Doug Martin is a solid choice at 25/1.

Who will win Defensive Rookie of the Year?

Jadeveon Clowney 3/1

Khalil Mack 13/2

CJ Mosley 9/1

Ryan Shazier 9/1

Aaron Donald 15/1

Anthony Barr 15/1

Darqueze Dennard 18/1

Clowney is an absolute beast and looks dominant in the preseason. Reports out of the Black Hole are that Mack is struggling. Shazier looks like a keeper in Pittsburgh. Dennard is a shrewd choice if he cracks the Bengals starting lineup.

Will a player rush for 2000 yards?

YES   +600

NO   -1000

LeSean McCoy mentioned 2K as a goal, but there are a lot of mouths to feed in Philly.

Will a team go 0-16 in 2014?

YES   +3300

Parity had made this feat very difficult to achieve. The Raiders are probably the only team with a realistic shot.

How many QBs will start all 16 games?

OVER/UNDER    17.5

This is an interesting number. A lot of quarterbacks survived 2013 unscathed. History would suggest that won’t be the case again.

Will Johnny Manziel win Rookie of the Year and the Browns make the playoffs?

YES   +2000

A list of prop bets wouldn’t be complete without Johnny Football. If Manziel isn’t at least average, no way Cleveland advances to the playoffs.

Will both the Seahawks and Broncos miss the playoffs?

YES   +1400

Anything is possible, although this would be very surprising.