The 2023 NFL season will officially get underway next month, and as a result Pickswise has ramped up its football coverage with all kinds of analysis on the futures market.
This latest installment focuses on the NFL receiving leader. Who will finish the regular season with the most yards catching balls through the air? Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings finished at the top of the chart last year and he is the favorite to do so once again, but Ja’Marr Chase, Cooper Kupp and Tyreek Hill are among the challengers.
Let’s take a look at the odds and best bets to lead the NFL in receiving yards.
NFL rushing leader odds
Justin Jefferson +550
Ja’Marr Chase +600
Cooper Kupp +800
Tyreek Hill +900
Davante Adams +1200
Garrett Wilson +2000
Stefon Diggs +2000
Travis Kelce +2200
CeeDee Lamb +2200
A.J. Brown +2500
Jaylen Waddle +3000
DK Metcalf +3500
Amon-Ra St. Brown +3500
Chris Olave +3500
Best bet: Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings (+550)
Even as the favorite at +550, I still think Jefferson has great value. The former LSU standout led the NFL with 1,809 yards last season and it certainly wasn’t a fluke. He also led the league in receptions (128) and targets (184). Tyreek Hill was just barely within 100 yards of Jefferson and Hill was the only receiver within 17 catches of him (Hill had 119).
All signs point toward Jefferson having an even bigger 2023 campaign. He is entering his prime at 24 years old and will be even more of a focal point in Minnesota’s offense now that fellow WR Adam Thielen has taken his talents to Carolina and running back Dalvin Cook is no longer in the plans. First-round draft pick Jordan Addison figures to catch a decent number of passes along with K.J. Osborn, but those guys will simply take some pressure off Jefferson as opposed to negatively impacting the WR1’s statistics. Count on an absolutely huge year for J.J.
Longshot worth a look: Amon-Ra St. Brown (+3500)
St. Brown ranked 11th in the NFL in receiving yards last season with 1,161. He was seventh in catches (106) and ninth in targets (146). St. Brown is just 23 years old, so he is either in his prime or at least 1 season closer to his prime than he was in 2022.
The Lions are a team on the rise, so I expect ARSB to improve along with pretty much the entire roster. Jameson Williams is suspended for the first 6 games of the upcoming season for betting infractions, which means even more of the burden will be on St. Brown to lead Detroit’s aerial attack. Look for him to get off to a hot start this year and then never look back.