I made it back from Las Vegas this weekend without the San Francisco 49ers entire world falling apart, and I have to say, that counts as a positive in my book! My trips to Las Vegas have coincided with Colin Kaepernick’s first public Anthem protest, Justin Smith and Patrick Willis retiring, and Scot McCloughan getting fired six weeks before the NFL Draft.
While I was in Las Vegas, I stopped by a couple sports books to check out some of the various odds they had available. I could have bet on things like win totals and Super Bowl odds, but those are not the most exciting of wagers.
While at Caesars, I came across an interesting wager. They were offering season-long odds on most passing yards, most rushing yards, and most receiving yards. I was looking over the list of rushing yards odds, and it is no surprise Le’veon Bell was the favorite at 7/2. Ezekiel Elliott had been a co-favorite, but that is coming off the board following his suspension.
49ers running back Carlos Hyde was installed at 75/1 odds. Given his history, I don’t expect Hyde to remain healthy all 16 games this season. If he does remain healthy, he is a decent candidate to lead the NFL in rushing, but his lack of consistent health is why he gets such long odds.
I decided to throw down $10 on him anyway. There are questions about if Joe Williams and/or Matt Breida might eat too much into his carries. And that is a very real possibility. Both rookies looked solid on Friday, and I would not be surprised to see them get decent work this season. But consider this a wager on a healthy Hyde going out with a bang in his contract year. And for $10 at 75/1 odds, I don’t think it is the worst bet I could have made this weekend.
Carlos Hyde listed at 75/1 to lead the NFL in rushing. Health remains the concern, but 16 games and he's got a fighting chance. pic.twitter.com/LdN4gxbVfJ
— Niners Nation (@NinersNation) August 12, 2017