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posted July 18, 2008 at 12:57 in NFL Free Picks

There is never going to be a shortage of candidates for most passing yards in NFL wagering, not in this era where passing yards are much easier to come by than they were years ago. Of course, BetUS Sportsbook customers have a chance to place a football betting wager on this proposition. Remember that this prop is not about who will lead the league in passing yards, but who among this group emerges with the most yards. So someone can come from outside of this board to lead the league, and you can still win the prop with one of these entries.

Let's say some brief words about each of these contenders one-by-one, angling toward analysis relative to the NFL odds placed on them:

BetUS NFL Futures Betting Odds

To Have Most Passing Yards

Tom Brady (+250 in BetUS odds) -- With 4806 yards and 50 touchdowns last season, Brady is rightfully a favorite in this prop. But having lost wide receiver Donte Stallworth, and with the Patriots most likely concentrating on the run a little more, Brady may be worth a play, but he is going to have more challengers this year. LIGHT BUY

Peyton Manning (+400 in BetUS odds) -- Manning has thrown for 4000 or more yards in eight of the last nine seasons. He's going to be up among the league leaders - you can be sure of it. And personally, I have a feeling he will be swinging for the fences this year, and he has the ability to get it done, regardless of who he is throwing the ball to. HEAVY BUY

Drew Brees (+500 in BetUS odds) -- Brees was second only to Brady in passing yards last year (4423). And he had only one outstanding receiver to throw to (Marques Colston). There's a high ceiling on his performance, and the promise of better offensive cohesion this time around. Remember, he also got off to a pretty rough start in 2007. HEAVY BUY

Carson Palmer (+450 in BetUS odds) -- Palmer had 4131 yards last year. If he can cut down on his 20 interceptions, his performance level is going to go up. But we can't get crazy, because if the Bengals have a healthy Rudi Johnson, they;re going to run a lot more. LIGHT BUY

Tony Romo (+650 in BetUS odds) -- He was second to Brees in conference passing, I doubt there's any reason for him to be off that pace in 2008. LIGHT BUY

Jon Kitna (+1500 in BetUS odds) -- He topped 4000 yards last year, but Detroit wants to get more ground-oriented. And who knows - Kitna may not even be around all year. NO BUY

Eli Manning (+1600 in BetUS odds) -- Don't forget that Manning was only about 56% last year. And he doesn't throw the ball down the field enough to make up for it. NO BUY

Derek Anderson (+2000 in BetUS odds) -- Good value here, because this guy is capable of putting up big numbers. We saw that last year (3787 yards). And those figures could get better this season, since he now has a big-play receiver in the fold (the aforementioned Stallworth). HEAVY BUY

Matt Hasselbeck (+1200 in BetUS odds) -- He threw the ball more than anybody in the NFC aside from Brees. But no matter how much he dinks and dunks, I don't think he's going to get to the top of the list. NO BUY

Jay Cutler (+1500 in BetUS odds) -- Cutler's a nice quarterback, but he isn't ready to ascend to the top of the heap. And he does not have a dangerous set of receivers. NO BUY

Philip Rivers (+2500 in BetUS odds) -- He's good, but doesn't really have a strong enough arm to throw it down the field for consistent longer gains. Plus, L.T.'s going to account for a lot of yardage in this offense. NO BUY

Matt Schaub (+3000 in BetUS odds) -- I think it's clear that Houston coach Gary Kubiak wants to do much of his business on the ground. NO BUY

Ben Roethlisberger (+2500 in BetUS odds) -- Roethlisberger threw for 3154 yards last season, and the year before he had over 3500, but overall, he was not as effective. If he is throwing the ball a lot, that means the Steelers probably aren't doing things right. NO BUY

Matt Leinart (+3000 in BetUS odds) -- In abbreviated action (before he got injured), Leinart completed 53.6% of his passes for 5.8 yards an attempt. There is a big upside, if the former Heisman Trophy winner matures as a quarterback, because of the wide receivers he has at his disposal (Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin). LIGHT BUY

Donovan McNabb (+2000 in BetUS odds) -- McNabb just might bust out and have a big year. We know he's capable of it. But a lot of his passing game consists of dumping it off to Bryan Westbrook. His wideouts are not scary in the least. NO BUY

Marc Bulger (+2500 in BetUS odds) -- Bulger is an interesting darkhorse choice here. Two seasons ago he threw for 4301 yards, but was undone by bad protection and injuries last year. This season, with a healthier offensive line behind him, this very efficient passer will have a chance to approach those numbers again. LIGHT BUY

Aaron Rodgers (+4000 in BetUS odds) -- Rodgers is in a little bit of limbo until the Packers figure out a way to sort out the Brett Favre situation. He wouldn't win this anyway. NO BUY

Jason Campbell (+5000 in BetUS odds) -- Campbell is still a little too mistake-prone (12 TD's, 11 INT's) to get on the kind of roll that would allow him to run up sensational stats. The Redskins will commit themselves to his development, though. NO BUY

Jake Delhomme (+5000 in BetUS odds) -- I truly believe Delhomme is going to bounce back from injury and have a good season, as will the Panthers, But if that happens, it;s going to be because John Fox was able to get his team to run the ball effectively. Delhomme is a guy who will mix the pass in, but his only game-breaker is Steve Smith. NO BUY

David Garrard (+6000 in BetUS odds) -- Garrard takes good care of the ball, but otherwise, no way. His offense is ground-based and much too conservative for him to be a factor in this prop. NO BUY

The 2008 NFL betting season is coming, and if you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The BetUS sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of games, totals and propositions, and you will also find NFL future lines up for the Super Bowl as well. Join BetUS today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLII and beyond!

(Charles Jay of www.ebookies.com is a member of the NFL too - that is, "not for long" if you don't get results. He is now a regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room)