Sports Betting

Sports Betting
Wagering Odds to Win the 2006 NFL Rushing TitleThe New Orleans Saints now have running back Reggie Bush under contract for the 2006 season, which puts an end to the rookie's holdout. So how much will the Saints use the former USC Trojan star during his first year in the National Football League? Not enough for oddsmakers to peg Bush as a top contender to lead the NFL in rushing yards in 2006. With Deuce McAllister also in the fold it's likely that the Saints will at a minimum use a tandem in the backfield, and could possibly play Bush only sparingly as a back while he cuts his NFL teeth on special teams. For that reason the reigning Heisman Trophy winner is currently sitting at 28/1 odds to lead the league in rush yards. Which running back sits atop that list at the Vegas books right now? It's hotshot Larry Johnson, who burst into the spotlight in the middle of last season for the Kansas City Chiefs after Priest Holmes suffered a neck injury. Finally given a chance to be a starter, Johnson responded by picking up 1,750 yards on the ground and averaging 109.4 rush yards per game. Johnson also scored 20 touchdowns, and was named to the Pro Bowl. And those numbers and feats are even more eye-popping when you consider the fact that Johnson didn't even become the main man for Kansas City until Week 9 (he amassed only 399 rushing yards through the first eight weeks). Would a full season as the starter have resulted in an NFL record for rush yards for Johnson? We'll get to find out this season, and so will the oddsmakers who have him as the 4/1 favorite right now. Second on the list at the Vegas books right now is the Seahawks' Shaun Alexander, last year's actual rush yards leader, who is pegged at 5/1. Alexander picked up 1,880 yards on the ground in 2005, an average of 117.5 per game. The Giants' Tiki Barber finished only 20 yards behind Alexander for the rushing yards crown last season (averaging 116.3 rush yards per game), but he's only sitting at 12/1 odds to win that title this year. Others with short odds to pick up the most rush yards this season include Clinton Portis (13/2), LaDainian Tomlinson (8/1), Edgerrin James (12/1), and Rudi Johnson (12/1). Portis had 1,516 rush yards last season for the Redskins, while James had 1,506 for the Colts, Tomlinson had 1,462 for the Chargers, and Johnson had 1,458 for the Bengals. James, of course, is now in Arizona, where he should once again find himself in a pass-happy offense. Tomlinson will no longer be lining up behind Drew Brees in San Diego, so he could end up with a few more carries this season. And Johnson might also find himself with a bigger workload in '06 if QB Carson Palmer doesn't bounce back 100%. Meanwhile, Alexander is favored over both Tomlinson and Larry Johnson to score the most rushing touchdowns in the NFL this season. Alexander, who ran into the end zone 27 times in '05, is pegged as the 14/5 favorite by the Vegas books to once again come out on top, while Tomlinson (who scored 18 rushing TDs for the Chargers last year) is sitting at 18/5 and Johnson (who had 20 rushing TDs) is just a shade back at 4/1 odds. James was fourth in the NFL with 13 rushing TDs last season, but with the less-potent Cardinals offense he's only sitting at 15/1 odds to be the league leader this season. Those are longer odds than the ones currently given to both Rudi Johnson (10/1) and Portis (12/1); Portis rumbled into the end zone 11 times for the Redskins in 2005, while Johnson managed to score a dozen rushing TDs last year for the high-flying Bengals. And the newly-signed Bush? He's sitting at 15/1 odds to lead the league in rushing touchdowns this season, while teammate McAllister is way back at 50/1 odds. Watch for those two lines to move around as each player's role becomes clearer during Saints training camp and throughout the preseason schedule, which gets underway next week
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