Marshawn Lynch vs Father Time: Oddsmakers predicting Raiders running back’s decline

They say Father Time is undefeated but Father Time never had to tackle Marshawn Lynch at the goal line. Last year in his 10th NFL season, Lynch ran for 891 yards on 207 carries for his hometown Oakland Raiders. An average of 4.3 yards per carry, the fourth best season average of his career. He also racked up 151 receiving yards and 7 total touchdowns. All this after sitting out the entire 2016 season.

Despite putting up some relatively impressive numbers, Vegas oddsmakers are predicting a steep decline for Beast Mode. According to betting website Betonline.ag, the prop bets on Lynch’s predicted stats for the 2018 season set the over/under on his rushing yards at just 650. The over/under for touchdowns is set at a mere 5.5.

The predicted drop in production is likely a correlation to the veteran running back’s age. Lynch turned 32 in April, an age that has marked the deterioration of skills for many backs in recent memory.

Lynch is rare in a sense that he’s maintained high productivity without ever compromising his punishing running style. His aggressive mentality and extremely low center of gravity actually help him avoid a lot of big hits. I’m not a betting man but I would definitely bet the over on Beast Mode.

The same site had odds for Derek Carr and Amari Cooper as well:

Derek Carr

Passing Yards: Over/Under 3,800

Touchdown Passes: Over/Under 22.5

Interceptions: Over/Under 13.5

Amari Cooper

Receiving Yards: Over/Under 975

Total Touchdowns: Over/Under 6.5