The NFL Draft is over, and the 2025-26 season schedule has been set. It is now time to turn towards the futures market for next season, including the NFL stat leaders market. This is a look into the market for the 2025-26 NFL rushing yards leader.
2025-26 NFL Rushing Yards Leader
Last season was a historic one for running backs. Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley, arguably the two best running backs in the NFL, both found new homes and thrived. Derrick Henry had the second-best rushing season of his career in his first season with Baltimore. Meanwhile, Saquon Barkley had a historic season, rushing for over 2,000 yards and winning Offensive Player of the Year in his first season in Philadelphia. It will be hard for anyone to have a better season than either of those players if they keep up the same pace as last year. That is why they are the two overwhelming favorites to lead the league in rushing. However, it is difficult for running backs to produce consecutive seasons like that, especially just staying healthy for two straight seasons. That is why I am targeting two longer shots to lead the league in rushing next season.
Christian McCaffrey (+850)
Saquon Barkley took the NFL by storm last season, and Derrick Henry had one of the best seasons of his career. That makes it easy to forget that Christian McCaffrey entered the 2024-25 season on that same tier of running backs. In the 2023-24 regular season, it was Christian McCaffrey who led the NFL in rushing yards with nearly 300 yards more than Derrick Henry. Christian McCaffrey getting injured and missing most of the 2024-25 season is evidence of how a running back can go from the top of the game to out of the picture. That is something that could potentially happen to Henry or Barkley next season. If Christian McCaffrey plays at the top of his game, he is capable of putting up monster numbers, just like those two did last year. The 49ers should have a bounceback season as a team, and that makes McCaffrey a great value bet at these odds to lead the league in rushing next season.
Bijan Robinson (+1200)
Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley both had incredible seasons in 2024-25, which stole the headlines when it came to running backs. However, the back who finished third in the league in rushing yards last season was Bijan Robinson. Robinson rushed for 1,456 yards last season, and while that was a decent amount behind Barkley and Henry, any other season that would have been excellent. In fact, that is only three yards less than Christian McCaffrey had in 2023-24 when he led the NFL in rushing yards. Robinson had that tremendous season despite the Falcons being in disarray, making quarterback changes, and having a first-year head coach. This season, the Falcons should be much more solid heading into the season, and that should help Robinson be even better than he was last year. As long as he can stay healthy, it should be another tremendous year for Bijan Robinson. At odds of 12/1, he is certainly worth a bet to lead the NFL in rushing yards next year.
