Odds of Christian McCaffrey Breaking Single Season Record for All-Purpose Yards Set at +1000
- Christian McCaffrey is a 10/1 longshot to break the record for all-purpose yards in a season
- Darren Sproles set the NFL record of 2,696 all-purpose yards with the 2011 New Orleans Saints
- The Panthers running back collected 1,965 yards from scrimmage on 326 touches last season
Christian McCaffrey approached the 2018 NFL season with a purpose. That purpose was to deliver as an all-purpose performer.
In his second NFL season, the Carolina Panthers running back rambled for 1,098 yards on 219 carries. He also caught 107 passes for an additional 867 yards.
Combined, McCaffrey went for a total of 1,965 all-purpose yards. Can he go even higher and challenge the NFL single-season record set by New Orleans Saints running back Darren Sproles in 2011?
Sportsbooks don’t seem to think so. Sportsbooks have posted a prop wager on whether McCaffrey can shatter Sproles’ record. Sportsbooks are offering -3000 odds against McCaffrey setting a new NFL all-purpose yards standard during the 2019 season.
Will Christian McCaffrey Break The NFL All-Purpose Yards Record in 2019
| Outcome | Odds |
|---|---|
| No | -3000 |
| Yes | +1000 |
*Odds taken 8/29/19.
McCaffrey was third in the NFL in all-purpose yards in 2018, trailing two other running backs. Saquon Barkley (2,028) of the New York Giants led the way, followed by Ezekiel Elliott (2,001) of the Dallas Cowboys.
Panthers May Dial Back McCaffrey
McCaffrey’s 2018 production included 13 touchdowns. His performance also played a significant role in the Panthers finishing 10th overall in the NFL in total offense.
Christian McCaffrey is ready to carry the Panthers. pic.twitter.com/hPrzuivh3j
— Carter Donnick (@CDonnick3) August 23, 2019
However, Carolina head coach Ron Rivera is suggesting that he plans to be more judicious in his usage of the 5-foot-10, 205-pound McCaffrey. Recognizing McCaffrey’s value to his team’s chances of success, Rivera intends to more closely monitor the situations in which his star back is placed.
Last season, McCaffrey took part in 966 of Carolina’s 1,068 offense snaps. That works out to 91.3%.
NFL leaders in yards after the catch in 2018:
1. George Kittle: 855
2. Christian McCaffrey: 850
3. Saquon Barkley: 779
4. James White: 677
5. Alvin Kamara: 637— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 22, 2019
Rivera was adamant that they’ll still find a way to get McCaffrey 300 touches this season. At the same time, he’s talking about removing McCaffrey from the field of play in scenarios where he’d be placed in a blocking role by the play call.
Regardless, less time on the field equates to less opportunity at a potential record run.
McCaffrey vs Sproles
When sizing up McCaffrey’s chances of bettering the mark set by Sproles, take these factors into consideration.
PFF projects Panthers' Christian McCaffrey to dominate as a receiver again in 2019!https://t.co/qYj3Q2bcr6
The #Panthers should be expecting another big year from their star RB in the passing game. pic.twitter.com/rh8hawpnth
— PFF (@PFF) August 3, 2019
Last season’s performance still only ranked McCaffrey 152nd on the NFL’s all-time single-season list for all-purpose yards. There have been 136 players over the NFL’s 99 years of existence who’ve gone over 2000 all-purpose yards in a season, a list that doesn’t include McCaffrey.
Record-holder Sproles bettered 2,200 yards four times during his career, something no other player has accomplished in league history.
| 16 | Games | 16 |
| 326 | Touches | 242 |
| 1098 | Rushing Yards | 603 |
| 867 | Receiving Yards | 710 |
| 0 | Kick Return Yards | 1089 |
| 0 | Punt Return Yards | 294 |
| 1965 | All-Purpose Yards | 2696 |
Another factor that will work against McCaffrey is that he doesn’t return kicks or punts. He did some of that as a rookie in 2017. That season, he ran 22 punts back for 162 yards and returned three kickoffs for 58 yards.
1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards is within reach for Christian McCaffrey. pic.twitter.com/4dQRHqdLox
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 13, 2019
Since Rivera has designs on protecting his star from potentially hazardous assignments, there’s no way he’s sending McCaffrey out for any special teams duty.
That’s vital. During his record season, Sproles accumulated 1,383 yards on returns. That included 1,089 just in kickoff return yardage, alone.
Return Yardage in the Top-Three All-Purpose-Yard Seasons
| Player (Season/Team) | All-Purpose Yards | Return Yards | Percentage of All-Purpose Yardage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darren Sproles (2011 Saints) | 2,696 | 1,383 | 51.29 |
| Derrick Mason (2000 Titans) | 2,690 | 728 | 27.06 |
| Michael Lewis (2002 Saints) | 2,647 | 1,632 | 61.65 |
Without return yardage to accentuate his numbers, McCaffrey could go over 1,000 yards in both rushing and receiving and still be nowhere near the all-purpose yards record.
For that reason alone, there’s no purpose to betting “yes” on this prop.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
