Fantasy football and sports betting worlds have collided in the past few years. Fantasy football players can use the betting market to help them with their drafts. The over/under total for games helps fantasy players make weekly lineup decisions. Similarly, season-long league leaders can give fantasy players some insight into how Vegas views players for the upcoming season.
Let’s look at some dark horse candidates to lead the league in passing, rushing, and receiving touchdowns and yards and how it impacts fantasy football outlooks for the 2024 season.
- 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2024 Best Ball Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Free Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Fantasy Football Dark Horse League Leader Candidates
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Passing Touchdowns – Brock Purdy (QB – SF) (+1100)
While Dak Prescott led the NFL in passing touchdowns (36) last season, Purdy finished third (31). However, the former Iowa State star likely would have been second in the league had he played in a meaningless Week 18 contest. The young quarterback had the highest touchdown rate (7%) in the NFL last year after posting a 7.6% mark as a rookie. With Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Ricky Pearsall at his disposal, Purdy could easily lead the league in passing touchdowns in 2024.
Passing Yards – Jared Goff (QB – DET) (+800)
The Detroit Lions have one of the top offenses in the NFL. Goff isn’t an elite quarterback but can throw with the best in the league. Last year, Goff had the second-most passing yards in the NFL (4,575) after ranking sixth in 2022 (4,438). More importantly, he averaged 276.2 passing yards per game in a dome compared to 252.2 outdoors last season. Goff plays only three games outdoors this year, making him a value with the fourth-best odds to lead the NFL in passing yards.
Rushing Touchdowns – Gus Edwards (RB – LAC) (+7000)
Edwards had a breakout season in 2023. He had 13 rushing touchdowns, ranking fifth in the NFL and third among running backs. The veteran running back had the fifth-most rushing touchdowns despite ranking 24th in the league with 198 rushing attempts. More importantly, Edwards joined the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason. He will be the lead back for Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman’s run-heavy offense. While the veteran has the 27th-best odds to lead the league in rushing touchdowns, Edwards could be this year’s Raheem Mostert.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.
