Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons leads the NFL in rushing in 2026 with 580 yards, but the favorite to win the rushing title is Kenneth Walker III of the Kansas City Chiefs, at +190 on DraftKings, a 34.5% implied chance. Walker is second in yards with 537 in four games, and Robinson is +300.
The prices are DraftKings’ as ESPN listed them at 11:18 UTC on Saturday, October 17, 2026, and the yards are ESPN’s leaders read at 11:22 UTC the same day. Week 6 is under way: Seattle and Denver played on Thursday, and none of the ten backs below has played this week yet. When this page was last updated, on September 25, Robinson led with 349 yards and no rushing market was posted. James Cook III of the Buffalo Bills won the 2025 rushing title with 1,621 yards.
2026 NFL rushing leaders
| Rank | Player | Team | Yards | Games | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bijan Robinson | Atlanta Falcons | 580 | 5 | +300 |
| 2 | Kenneth Walker III | Kansas City Chiefs | 537 | 4 | +190 |
| 3 | James Cook III | Buffalo Bills | 532 | 5 | +600 |
| 4 | Jahmyr Gibbs | Detroit Lions | 504 | 5 | +500 |
| 5 | Derrick Henry | Baltimore Ravens | 476 | 5 | +700 |
| 6 | Aaron Jones Sr. | Minnesota Vikings | 410 | 5 | +3000 |
| 6 | Jaylen Warren | Pittsburgh Steelers | 410 | 5 | +4000 |
| 8 | Bucky Irving | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 406 | 5 | +3000 |
| 9 | Jonathan Taylor | Indianapolis Colts | 398 | 5 | +1500 |
| 10 | D’Andre Swift | Chicago Bears | 354 | 5 | +5000 |
Games are each player’s games played in ESPN’s season statistics. Walker has played one game fewer than the others, and the Chiefs are 4-0. Per game he is at 134.2 yards to Robinson’s 116.0, which is how a back 43 yards behind can be the favorite.
The rushing yards odds
| Player | Team | Price | Implied chance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenneth Walker III | Kansas City Chiefs | +190 | 34.5% |
| Bijan Robinson | Atlanta Falcons | +300 | 25.0% |
| Jahmyr Gibbs | Detroit Lions | +500 | 16.7% |
| James Cook III | Buffalo Bills | +600 | 14.3% |
| Derrick Henry | Baltimore Ravens | +700 | 12.5% |
| Jonathan Taylor | Indianapolis Colts | +1500 | 6.2% |
DraftKings prices 21 backs, and the rest are at +3000 or longer. The 21 implied chances add up to 129.9%, so the book’s margin is 29.9 points.
Who led the NFL in rushing the last two seasons
| Season | Leader | Yards | Second |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | James Cook III, Bills | 1,621 | Derrick Henry, Ravens (1,595) |
| 2024 | Saquon Barkley, Eagles | 2,005 | Derrick Henry, Ravens (1,921) |
The 2025 race was the closest of the two: Cook finished 26 yards ahead of Henry and 36 ahead of Jonathan Taylor, who had 1,585. Henry was second both years, and Robinson finished fourth in 2025 and third in 2024.
What this page called for 2024
The 2024-25 version of this page backed Saquon Barkley at +900 to lead the league in rushing. Barkley ran for 2,005 yards and led the NFL, so the bet won. A +900 price implied 10.0%.
How to bet the rushing title
Turn each price into a chance: +190 implies 34.5%, +300 implies 25.0% and +1500 implies 6.2%. A futures bet is worth making only when you rate the player’s chance higher than the price does. We do not tip a side on this market.
The two things that decide a rushing title are games played and carries. A back who misses three games gives up about a sixth of the 17-game season. Our NFL predictions cover each game’s backfield, the NFL Week 6 page has this week’s slate, and the Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs team pages carry their schedules. Every NFL board is on our NFL futures odds page, and to compare books, see our sportsbook reviews.