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
Rushing Yards – Zamir White (RB – LV) (+2500)
Fantasy players love White this year despite limited career production. He was outstanding over the final four weeks of the 2023 season with Josh Jacobs injured, averaging 99.3 rushing yards per game. The former Georgia star would have ranked first in the NFL with 1,687 rushing yards on a 17-game pace with that 99.3 average, beating league leader Christian McCaffrey by 228 yards. White could lead the NFL in rushing yards with limited competition for rushing attempts. He is one of my favorite running backs to draft this year.
Receiving Touchdowns – Drake London (WR – ATL) (+2800)
While London ranked 113th in the NFL with two receiving touchdowns last year, fantasy players have high hopes for the former USC star and the Atlanta Falcons offense in 2024. Kirk Cousins finally solves the team’s problems at quarterback. The veteran averaged 33 passing touchdowns per season over a 17-game pace during his time with the Minnesota Vikings. Furthermore, the Vikings had four wide receivers score double-digit touchdowns over the past four years. After totaling six receiving touchdowns on 141 career receptions, expect London to have double-digit scores this season.
Receiving Yards – George Pickens (WR – PIT) (+4000)
Pickens had 1,140 receiving yards in 2023, the 16th-most in the NFL, finishing with more than Chris Olave, DK Metcalf and Garrett Wilson. Yet, the former Georgia star could be significantly better this upcoming season after the Pittsburgh Steelers traded away Diontae Johnson this offseason and added Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Pickens had seven games with fewer than 40 receiving yards last year, including two contests with zero or less. Don’t be surprised if he becomes one of the top wide receivers in the NFL in 2024.
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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.