Odds: Steelers RB Najee Harris among NFL Rushing Leader Favorites
Second-year Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris is among the betting favorites to be the NFL leader in rushing yards in the 2022 season, according to odds posted by FanDuel Sportsbook. Harris has +1600 odds to lead the league in rushing, which are tied for the sixth-best odds.
In his rookie season, Harris rushed 307 times for 1,200 yards, which was fourth in the NFL and tops among all rookies. He was one of seven players to rush for a thousand yards in 2021.
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Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor and Tennessee Titans rusher Derrick Henry are the co-favorites to lead the league in 2022 at +600. Taylor paced all NFL backs in 2022 with 1,811 yards while Henry missed significant time with injury.
Minnesota Vikings back Dalvin Cook (+900), Cleveland Browns starter Nick Chubb (+900) and second-year San Francisco 49ers rusher Elijah Mitchell (+1400) round out the top five.
Tied with Harris at +1600 are Joe Mixon of the Cincinnati Bengals and Antonio Gibson of the Washington Commanders. Denver’s Javonte Williams and New England’s Damien Harris are also in the top 10.
Harris’ 1,200 yards were the most by a Steelers running back since Le’Veon Bell had 1,291 in 2017. Bell finished third in the league that season. A Steelers player has not led the NFL in rushing since 1946, when Bill Dudley ran for 604 yards. Dudley also led the league in 1942.
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Harris was productive in 2021, but did so with an extremely high usage level. His 980 offensive snaps during the regular season were 170 more than any other running back, and while his yardage total was among the league leaders, he tied for 40th in yards per attempt with an average of 3.9 yards per carry.
The Steelers have not added much behind Harris this offseason. Incumbents Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland return, while Kalen Ballage was not retained. The team did not draft a running back, but signed a pair of undrafted free agents in Mateo Durant and Jaylen Warren.
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