Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was the NFL’s receiving yards leader (1,799) last season. The race was fierce with CeeDee Lamb finishing second with 1,749 yards. Lamb is now expected to sign a record-breaking contract extension later this offseason.
With NFL training camps approximately five weeks away, it’s time to look ahead to some never-too-early receiving yard leader candidates. The pass-happy nature of today’s game has made reaching 1,800-plus receiving yards an annual possibility. Calvin Johnson’s single-season record (1,974) is within reach.
BetOnline’s NFL futures prop betting landscape for the 2024 receiving yards leader has taken shape. Several elite receivers qualify as legitimate contenders. The top 10 options shake out as follows:
Tyreek Hill (6/1)
Ja’Marr Chase (17/2)
CeeDee Lamb (9/1)
A.J. Brown (10/1)
Amon-Ra St. Brown (12/1)
Justin Jefferson (12/1)
Puka Nacua (14/1)
Drake London (18/1)
Garrett Wilson (18/1)
Chris Olave/D.J. Moore/Davante Adams/DeVonta Smith (20/1)
THE FAVORITE: TYREEK HILL
The oddsmakers are backing Hill to repeat as champion and it's easy to understand why. He was prolific for a high-scoring Dolphins offense last season, leading the NFL in receiving yards despite missing one game. Hill averaged an explosive 15.1 yards per reception and tied for the league lead in touchdowns with 13.
The conditions are equally as favorable as they were throughout 2023. Tua Tagovailoa returns as quarterback after leading the league in passing yards and is expected to sign an extension that pays him more than $50 million per year. Jaylen Waddle is locked in as the WR2 opposite Hill after signing a lucrative three-year extension in May. The only question surrounding Hill's productivity is when age (30) will begin slowing him down.
MY PICK: JA’MARR CHASE
Ja'Marr Chase converted a career-high 145 targets into 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns last season. The Bengals have made some changes in the offseason that insinuate the ceiling is even higher for Chase in 2024. Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon are no longer present as the Bengals attempt to get younger and cheaper around Joe Burrow.
Boyd and Mixon's departures free up 162 targets in the passing game from last season. They were Cincinnati's second-and-fourth-most targeted players respectively in 2023. The Bengals didn't acquire any big-time receivers this offseason outside of drafting Jermaine Burton. Chase should be on the receiving end of the majority of those newly-available targets.
AN UNDERRATED CANDIDATE: PUKA NACUA
Puka Nacua lit the league on absolute fire as a rookie in 2023. The fifth-round pick out of BYU shattered Bill Groman's 1960 single-season rookie receiving yards record by producing 1,486 yards. Nacua also broke the rookie receptions record (105). It's scary to think that sophomore growth is now a possibility.
Nacua finished fourth across the entire league in receiving yards. The brilliant-minded Sean McVay is still the Rams' head coach and Matthew Stafford is still the quarterback. If the aging Cooper Kupp is sidelined with injuries for a third consecutive season, Nacua will be an underrated candidate to lead the league in targets.
