Josh Jacobs 2023 NFL season props, odds: 2022 NFL rushing king signs franchise tag, reports to camp with Las Vegas Raiders

After winning the 2022 NFL rushing title, Josh Jacobs was not pleased that the Las Vegas Raiders used the franchise tag on him this offseason. Jacobs had threatened to hold out into the regular season, but he and the club came to an agreement on a deal over the weekend and the former Alabama star should be good to go for Week 1 at Denver. Jacobs is +1500 to repeat as the NFL rushing champion at DraftKings.

The Raiders had a chance to really build something in the 2019 NFL Draft with three first-round picks, but they badly botched the picks. Clemson defense end Clelin Ferrell was the No. 4 overall pick but is long gone. So is safety Jonathan Abram, the No. 28 overall pick out of Mississippi State. Jacobs was No. 24 out of Alabama.

The Raiders didn't exercise Jacobs' fifth-year rookie option after the 2021 season as he only averaged 4.0 yards per carry, but he forced the team's hand by rushing for 1,653 yards and 12 scores last year, averaging a career-high 4.9 yards per carry. Jacobs not only led the NFL in yards but also tackles avoided, had the highest Pro Football Focus rushing grade of any running back (91.9) and the second-highest percentage of his team's offense (33%) behind Tennessee's Derrick Henry.

Jacobs joined Marcus Allen in 1985 as the only Raiders to win the rushing title. Jacobs and Davante Adams became the first duo to each have at least 1,500 rushing and receiving yards in a single season since Hall of Famers Edgerrin James & Marvin Harrison did it in 1999 for the Colts.

Instead of playing for the $10.1 million tag this year, Jacobs will now have a base of $11.8 million, with another $200,000 in incentives. Giants star RB Saquon Barkley also was unhappy with the tag but will still play for $10.1 million while adding up to $900,000 in incentives. The Raiders still have the ability to tag Jacobs again in 2024, but it would cost about $14.2 million with his new raise.

Here are Josh Jacobs props active at DraftKings:

Jacobs had six 100-yard games last year, including a career-best 229 in an overtime win at Seattle, and totaled 2,053 yard from scrimmage, most in the league. Coach Josh McDaniels still hasn't committed to him being ready for Week 1, but it would be a shock if he's not uniform. Second-year back Zamir White has been the primary option in the preseason with 86 yards and a TD.

"It's going to be hard for me to say that until I have an opportunity to see him," McDaniels said after the preseason finale at the Cowboys on Saturday about Jacobs. "Obviously, his conditioning and just the way his body feels will play a role in that, too. The goal will be to get him in and get going and we'll do the right thing -- whatever the right thing is. If there needs to be a [set] number of plays early in the season, then that's it."

The SportsLine Projection Model forecasts Jacobs for 14.6 carries, 61 yards and 0.47 TDs against the Broncos in Week 1.

SportsLine's 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Bible has the best sleepers, breakouts, busts, rookie breakdowns, target analysis, rankings and so much more -- all in one place!

Share This Story