The age of specialization has all but ended any hope of a player breaking the single-season record for all-purpose yards. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, though. Rarely do we see players excel in the categories that contribute to all-purpose yards. Running backs don’t return kicks and most teams have a passing down back to jump into the huddle. When Darren Sproles set the record in 2011, he was used in every facet and exceeded the previous mark that was established 11 years prior.
The 2017 NFL regular season kicks off on Thursday, September 7 with the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots taking on the Kansas City Chiefs. Super Bowl LII will be played on Sunday, February 4, 2018 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
NFL Prop Odds at BookMaker.eu
Will any player break the single-season all-purpose yards record of 2,696 during the 2017-18 NFL regular season?
Yes +1200
No -6000
Odds Analysis
Sproles was an oddity when he set the record a few seasons back. He ran the ball, was an excellent receiver and handled both kickoff and punt return duties with the New Orleans Saints. But teams invest a lot of money in workhorse backs and receivers, limiting their opportunities to amass yards on kick returns.
David Johnson led the league last season and compiled zero yards on kick returns. His all-purpose yardage total of 2,118 was well off the record pace despite accumulating the most all-purpose yards in two NFL seasons.
Only three players in history have amassed more than 2,600 all-purpose yards, but they’ve all come since the 2000 season, so there is hope that a player will have a breakthrough season, stay healthy and get the requisite amount of touches. It’s a longshot however, and that’s why betting on someone breaking the record will pay handsomely at +1200.
Why a Player Will Break the Single-Season All-Purpose Yard Record
The odds are against someone breaking this record, but there are players who have the skill set to give it a go. A lot has to fall into place and the Carolina Panthers took a stab at the best collegiate all-purpose player by taking Christian McCaffrey with the eighth overall pick in the 2017 draft.
McCaffrey set an NCAA record with 3,864 all-purpose yards and displayed the versatility it will take for someone to break Sproles’ record. We won’t see McCaffrey handle the ball as much on offense, but he will get a shot at the kick return job. It’s likely he will handle both kickoffs and punt returns which will increase the likelihood of bigger numbers.
If you think it’s a stretch for a player to amass the required yardage on kick returns alone, consider that when Michael Lewis racked up 2,647 all-purpose yards in 2002, all but 215 of those yards came on kickoff and punt returns.
Another player to keep an eye on when discussing the record is Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill, who displayed flashes of brilliance on the offensive side last season. Andy Reid said he wants Hill more involved in the offense this season, which will give him more touches to improve on his 267 rushing yards and 593 receiving yards.
Why a Player Won't Break the Single-Season All-Purpose Yard Record
The biggest detractor for anyone to break the record is the number of times they touch the football. We don’t see players in today’s game get 25 touches on offense and return kicks. And most teams have a kickoff return man and another for punt returns, further reducing the chance to rack up the yards.
Also, there are very few backs who play every down and have the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Le’Veon Bell in Pittsburgh comes to mind, but without compiling yards on kick return, he’d have to rush for over 2,000 yards just to come close, and that’s another prop bet at BookMaker.eu.
There are players in the league with the athleticism and versatility to put up numbers, but teams rarely use them the way the Saints utilized Sproles in his record-setting campaign. It’s a tall task to expect one man to amass 169 all-purpose yards per game. And that’s if he plays in all 16 games of the season.
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