Can Le'Veon Bell Get Over 850.5 Rushing Yards This 2020 Season?
The sportsbooks posted New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell rushing yards at 850.5 for 2020.
In 2019, Jets running back Le’Veon Bell rushed for 789 yards, the lowest total of his six-year career. His abysmal 3.2 yards per carry average a year ago was also the lowest of his career.
But bettors want to know if Bell can get to over 850 yards because that’s what the sportsbooks have his projected rushing total listed as.JetsCountry’s Kristian Dyer and SI’s gambling analyst Frank Taddeo joined Bill Enright and made their predictions for Bell’s 2020 season.
Read the full transcript from this discussion below:
Bill Enright: New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell has an over-under rushing total of 850.5 yards. In 2018, he only rushed for 789 yards. We expect them to go up by about one hundred. Let's find out what Kristian Dyer, who covers the Jets and Frank Taddeo, our gambling insider here at Sports Illustrated, have to say about Bell's projections for 2020. Kristian, I'll start with you. Under Adam Gase, in this offense, do we really expect Bell to get over 850 rushing yards?
Kristian Dyer: No, I think it might be a little bit of a push to even see Bell at 800 yards, as you said, that he was at 789 last year, three touchdowns, the lowest per game rushing total of his NFL career. Now, in five seasons before with Pittsburgh, he topped 1,000 yards three times. So there's the potential there. There is a revamped offensive line for the Jets. I think this may end up being a scenario where Le'Veon Bell has fewer yards and perhaps even this year than 789 yards. I still think he'll probably end up around 800 rushing yards, but have a better overall season. We'll be able to split the carries, he'll probably be more effective. He may even see the ball more in terms of the passing game, which was something the Jets struggled to include him in a year ago. But it may end up being a year where he falls short of that projection of a 850.5. He could be close. I think it's going to be a better year for Bell, but I don't think it's going to be a year where we see him top 1,000 yards or anything close to it.
Bill Enright: Kristian brought up the fact that he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, had a couple of thousand-yard seasons. During that time,4.7, 4.9, 4.0 yards per carry. In 2019: 3.2! Way down compared to his career average. Frank, which way you going here? You're taking the over-under on Le'Veon Bell's rushing total?
Frank Taddeo: Bill, for me, I respect Kristian immensely. All the work that he does covering the Jets but for me, I'm actually on the opposite side of the fence here. I actually believe he goes over. All he needs to do to win this bet is to attain 62 more rushing yards than last season to win this wager. For me, I actually believe that's going to happen behind a revamped offensive line. I know that there's now the arrival of Frank Gore and there's also the arrival of Michael Piran from the NFL Draft, from the University of Florida. I still believe that for me, all of this really comes down to Bill. If we break it down is he needs 53 rushing yards per game. I think he gets that in this offense because this offensive line is that improved. For me, I will go over 850.5 And I would go over it strongly. I don't believe that he's going to have a monster year and go 1,200 - 1,300 yards and compete for the rushing title but I think he clearly goes over this number. 53 yards a game over a 16 game season? Sign me up.
Bill Enright: Great stuff. I love it when you guys disagree because it's more entertaining. We could pick which one we want to make money on by going over or under. You can find plenty more NFL player prop analysis by heading on over it to SI.com/gambling.
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