Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons leads the NFL in rushing in 2026 with 349 yards, ahead of Kenneth Walker III of the Kansas City Chiefs with 290, on ESPN’s leaderboard read on September 25. Atlanta has played three games to most teams’ two, after its 35-14 win at Green Bay on Thursday night.
No price on the rushing title is posted on ESPN’s 2026 futures board, which lists 19 NFL markets and no rushing leader market, so this page names none. James Cook III of the Buffalo Bills won the 2025 rushing title with 1,621 yards.
2026 NFL rushing leaders
| Rank | Player | Team | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bijan Robinson | Atlanta Falcons | 349 |
| 2 | Kenneth Walker III | Kansas City Chiefs | 290 |
| 3 | Derrick Henry | Baltimore Ravens | 212 |
| 4 | Jahmyr Gibbs | Detroit Lions | 208 |
| 5 | James Cook III | Buffalo Bills | 192 |
| 6 | Jonathan Taylor | Indianapolis Colts | 190 |
| 7 | D’Andre Swift | Chicago Bears | 169 |
| 8 | Ashton Jeanty | Las Vegas Raiders | 150 |
Robinson’s lead is partly the extra game: the Chiefs, Ravens, Lions and the rest of the list had not played their third when the board was read. The gap between first and second is 59 yards.
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
When a market is posted, turn each price into a chance: +300 implies 25.0%, +900 implies 10.0% and +2000 implies 4.8%. A futures bet is worth making only when you rate the player’s chance higher than the price does.
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, and the Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs team pages carry their schedules. To compare books when a market opens, see our sportsbook reviews.