From boring to bold: Betting Mike Evans and Travis Hunter to clear 1,000 yards

Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Mike Evans might be the easiest player to bet on in the entire NFL.

Evans entered the league in 2014 as the No. 7 pick, and he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in his rookie season. Then he did it in 2015, again in 2016 and, you know what, Evans has yet to stop sliding past the 1,000-yard receiving mark in a season. Now entering his 12th NFL season, Evans looks to break a tie with Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who also achieved a streak of 11 consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards.

Evans hasn't failed before, so it might seem odd to bet against him reaching this mark, though oddsmakers at ESPN BET have their reasons for setting the line and creating reasonable action for taking each side. Evans is +125 -- meaning one risks $100 to earn $125 -- to catch 1,000 yards worth of passes this 2025 season. It isn't great return on investment, nor is -135 for over 875.5 yards. Take 'em both. Evans, 32, missed three games last season and still reached the magic figure, albeit needing a fourth-quarter catch in the season's final regular-season game. He should be well motivated to make more history this season.

Evans and the rest of the Buccaneers' offense enters this season poised to make a statistical statement yet again, even though there remain myriad doubters that QB Baker Mayfield can continue to deliver outstanding numbers. Mayfield is hardly a fluke. He averaged 4,272 passing yards and 34.5 passing touchdown the past two seasons with the Buccaneers, resurrecting what seemed to be a lost career. He has become elite, yet he remains underrated. Take the over on 35 passing touchdowns and earn $325 on your $100 bet, or try the over on 3,750.5 passing yards (-115).

Why stop there? Perhaps Mayfield, Evans and RB Bucky Irving lead the Buccaneers, in their 50th NFL season, to their first NFC Championship game since the 2020 season. Tom Brady quarterbacked back then. A $100 parlay on the Buccaneers winning their fifth consecutive NFC South title and another Super Bowl nets $3,500. OK, so it's not quite like betting on Evans to pass Rice for 1,000-yard campaigns, but there are times to take a risk, too.

Here are some other individual player prop bets that this analyst finds agreeable. Perhaps you will as well.

For the most up-to-date player totals odds, visit ESPN BET.

Passing

Brock Purdy to go OVER 3,700.5 passing yards (-145) : Mr. Irrelevant is anything but for the San Francisco 49ers and fantasy managers. He continues to be considerably underrated, even in the betting community. Purdy missed two games and lacked his top options around him for most of last season and still threw for 3,864 yards, topping 275 passing yards on seven occasions. In 2023, Purdy threw for 4,280 yards. Perhaps this relatively low projection implies he will miss games, or that his new wide receiver corps lacks reliability and upside. Expect a bounce-back season and more than 4,000 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes.

Caleb Williams to record 4,000+ passing yards (+225) and OVER 21.5 passing touchdowns (-140) : May we be so bold as to predict Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, becomes the first Chicago Bears QB to surpass 4,000 passing yards in a season? How about 30 touchdown passes to go with it? Kinda sad for a franchise boasting more than a century of football, isn't it? Erik Kramer owns the records at 3,838 passing yards and 29 TDs for the 1995 Bears. Williams is a special talent, and this year he has special coaching and special playmakers surrounding him. Expect special -- for the Bears, at least -- numbers, too.

Others: Perhaps anything is possible with the myriad Cleveland Browns passers (Joe Flacco, really?), but it seems hard to believe rookie Shedeur Sanders doesn't see enough opportunity at some point to surpass 600.5 pass yards (Even) and 3.5 passing TDs (+105). He could make his first start in December and still get there. ... The New York Jets seem committed to new running QB Justin Fields, but don't forget he can throw, too. Take the over on a paltry 12.5 passing TDs (-120). ... Former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young hasn't starred for the Carolina Panthers yet. He doesn't have to do so to reach only 3,200.5 passing yards (-115). ... Why can't this be the best season yet for Jacksonville Jaguars veteran Trevor Lawrence? Take a shot at the overs on an ordinary 3,500.5 passing yards (-125) and 21.5 passing TDs (-125). He's done it before.

Rushing

Derrick Henry to record 1,500+ rushing yards (+155) : Everyone loves Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley after he sped past 2,000 rushing yards. Henry reached the mark five years prior, and he just missed a 2024 repeat with 1,921 rushing yards. While I doubt Barkley, with only one career season of hitting 1,400 rushing yards, is a bet to repeat, Henry is a solid bet to surpass 1,500 yards for the fifth time. Other than one injury in 2021, Henry doesn't miss games. He's aging nicely. Bet on him to shine again. While this is a positive betting column, we can't ignore the likelihood of Barkley (lower volume, risk of missing games) falling short of 1,400.5 rushing yards (-105).

Ashton Jeanty to go OVER 1,050.5 rushing yards (-105) : Perhaps Jeanty, who rushed for more than 2,600 yards and 29 touchdowns at Boise State last season, isn't a lock for superstardom. Then again, 1,050 rushing yards is a mere 61.7 rushing yards per game. I think Jeanty can do that, balancing out the inevitable (for a rookie) rough games, with several 150-yard outbursts. Beware of most of the other rookies, but this one just feels different.

Chase Brown to record OVER 1,000 rushing yards (+175) : The Cincinnati Bengals initially didn't want Brown to handle big volume, perhaps concerned he would break down. Instead, his teammate, Zack Moss broke down, and Brown, once he started playing most of the snaps, became a star. Brown averaged 79 rushing yards over an eight-game span from Week 9 to 17. Prorated, that would be 1,340 rushing yards. The over/under on Brown's rushing yards is 825.5 yards. Unless there's an injury -- we can say that for everyone in this column -- this feels obvious. There is little competition here, with veteran Samaje Perine perhaps taking some receptions. Brown should sail past 1,000 rushing yards.

Others: Back to new Jets QB Fields, since this is his first real chance to run an offense like he did for the 2022 Bears when he approached the position record with 1,143 rushing yards. The over/under on his rushing yards is +600.5 (-130). You know what to do. ... I will grant that the Minnesota Vikings traded for former 49er Jordan Mason for a reason, but it doesn't mean Aaron Jones Sr. will disappear. He rushed for 1,138 yards in 2024. Take the over on a meager 725.5 rushing yards (-110). ... Buffalo Bills starter James Cook -- now with a new contract! -- doesn't see the volume of other top options, but he averaged 1,065.5 rushing yards the past two seasons. While expecting another 16 touchdowns on the ground is wild, he should easily slide past 900.5 rushing yards (-125).

Receiving

Travis Kelce to record OVER 650.5 receiving yards (-115) and OVER 4.5 TDs (-135) : Can't believe what I am seeing here. OK, so Kelce is not young. He is 35, in his 13th and perhaps final NFL season. While 2024 was far from his best campaign, it sure didn't look like the end with 97 receptions, 823 receiving yards and a whopping 26 red-zone targets. He was unlucky on scoring touchdowns, and the only game he missed was the meaningless Week 18 affair. Don't assume the young Kansas City Chiefs WRs take over the offense. Kelce remains a critical player capable of one more Pro Bowl-caliber performance, especially as his teammates look to aid his production.

Jakobi Meyers to record OVER 775.5 receiving yards (-115) : We don't need awesome odds on every bet. Meyers has topped 775.5 receiving yards in four consecutive seasons, including 2024 when he finished at 1,027 yards -- did your fantasy receivers do this? -- despite Gardner Minshew II, Aidan O'Connell and Desmond Ridder slinging the passes for 17 games. Perhaps we see what famed bust JaMarcus Russell is up to these days? Ug-ly. OK, so Geno Smith is not Joe Montana, but he is a serious upgrade on recent Raiders options. Expect Meyers to fall under that proverbial radar again and make bettors and fantasy managers money.