Regular Season Tackles and Assists Leader: Massive Long-Shot Play Available at DraftKings Sportsbook

New York Jets quarterback Mike White dodges Atlanta Falcons linebacker Rashaan Evans #54 in the 1st quarter of the preseason game. Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images via AFP.

Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith is the favorite to lead the NFL in tackles and assists in the 2022 season. In this article, we’ve put together a little cheat sheet detailing the chances of several defensive players leading the NFL in tackles and assists this season.

Several of our top rated sportsbooks offer futures markets where you can bet on who will lead the NFL in a specific statistical category. To see if there are any significant gaps between the predictions and the betting markets, I decided to compare these odds to Fantasy Pros and Pro Football Focus predictions.

Check out our tips for leading the NFL in sacks, passing yards, receiving yards, and rushing yards.

After comparing their predictions to their chances of leading the NFL in tackles and assists, the following players stand out to me.

2022 regular season tackles and assists leader odds

player	Projections about Fantasy Pros and PFF	Most regular season tackles and assists over FanDuel	Most regular season tackles and assists over DraftKings	Most regular season tackles and assists on PointsBet
Jordan Brooks	134.1	+700	+750	+700
Foyesade Oluokun	131.2* (PFF only)	+1200	+1000	+1100
CJ Mosley	129.3	+1000	+1200	+1200
Denzel Perryman	127.2	+2500	+3500	+3000
Cole Holcomb	120.8	+2500	+3500	+3000
Blake Martinez	118.6	+1600	+3500	+2000
Eric Kendricks	118	+2000	+2000	+2000
Bobby Wagner	114.2	+700	+800	+800
Devin White	114.1	+2500	+2000	+2000
Tremaine Edmunds	111.1	+3500	+3500	+3000
Fred Warner	111	+1600	+900	+1300
De’Vondre Campbell	110.3	+2000	+1600	+1600
Roquan Smith	109	+500	+600	+550
Logan Wilson	107.2	+3000	+4000	+3300
Durwin James	106.6	+4000	+4000	+5000
Yes Whaun Bentley	102.5	N / A	+10000	+8000
TJ Edwards	101.8	N / A	N / A	N / A
Cody Barton	100.9	N / A	N / A	N / A
Bobby Church	100.1	+5000	+3500	+4000
Zach Cunningham	99.7	+2500	+3000	+2500
Anthony Walker	98.9	+15000	+10000	+10000
Christian Kirsey	97.8	+5000	+6000	+10000
Demario Davis	97.6	+4000	+4000	+4000
Kyzir white	96.6	+3000	+4000	+4000
Shaquille Leonard	96.1	+2000	+1300	+2000
Shaq Thompson	95.6	+5000	+4000	+4000
Rashaan Evans	95.3	N / A	+25000	+10000
Myles Jack	94.6	+5000	+6000	+5000
dr Greenlaw	93.2	+10000	+10000	+10000
patrick queen	92.9	+10000	+4000	+7500
Devin Lloyd	88.9	+15000	+5000	+8000
ZavenCollins	87.5	N / A	+15000	+20000
Nicholas morning	85.6	N / A	+15000	+10000
Micah Parsons	85.5	+10000	+3000	+2500

Regular Season Tackles and Assists Leader Best Bets

Perryman, ILB, Raiders (+3500 via DraftKings)

When Pro Football Focus predicts Denzel Perryman to lead the NFL by 151.9, a +3500 price tag at DraftKings immediately catches the eye. Perryman would be at the top of the prediction list at +3500 odds if his Fantasy Pros prediction wasn’t much lower than PFF’s.

During his freshman season with the Las Vegas Raiders, Perryman made his Pro Bowl debut and recorded 154 combined tackles. Perryman’s 154 tackles in previous years would have been enough to win the market, and he did so in just 15 games in 2021.

There are several reasons I prefer the Perryman in this market, in addition to the +3500 price point, which is by far the most compelling factor. First off, this is Perryman’s contract year, and for someone who’s never signed a significant contract in the NFL, you better believe he’s ready to excel.

Perryman also approaches me about the addition of new defense coordinator Patrick Graham to the Raiders. For the past two seasons, Graham has been the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants. During each of those seasons, Graham had a linebacker-record 130+ tackles.

The Raiders’ defense is suspect at best, and I don’t expect them to force too many three-and-outs over the course of the season. Perryman will see a lot of action on the field and he will have a lot of opportunities. With a price of +3500, I’m betting Perryman to lead the NFL in tackles.

Evans, LB, Falcons (+25000 via DraftKings)

Are you ready for a massive long shot in this market? Although Rashaan Evans is expected to record more tackles, better known defensive players like Myles Jack, Micah Parsons and Patrick Queen are trading at much lower prices than Evans.

The prognosis already falls short of the +25000 price tag, and I believe Evans has a much higher cap defending the Atlanta Falcons than his current prognosis indicates. Former Falcons linebacker Foyesade Oluokun led the NFL with 192 tackles last season.

Oluokun has traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars and his spot has been filled by former Tennessee Titans linebacker and first-round pick Evans. Evans compiled 111 tackles in 2019 with the Titans and 96 tackles in 2020 and now joins a defense that has 192 tackles to gain following the departure of Oluokun.

Evans will rejoin his former Titans defense coordinator Dean Pees in Atlanta. I’m intrigued by the +25,000 price tag that comes with it at DraftKings. Evans’ 2021 stats collected battling injuries are understated and bookmakers might regret that +25000 opening price.

Fade Roquan Smith (+600 via DraftKings)

In sports betting, Roquan Smith is the consensus favorite to win in this market, with odds as low as +500 on FanDuel, yet he ranks 13th on our projection board. It’s not what you would expect from someone trading at such a low price to start the season. A +500 price point should easily put Smith at the top of the projections, similar to what Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher TJ Watt saw in the sack market.

If the favorite is mispriced at this point, you should pay close attention to that particular futures market. That means there are a lot of players who might be over-priced and we’ve found a couple of players in Perryman and Evans that I’m really excited about.

Smith’s price is likely to increase significantly over the course of the season as his price point does not reflect his projected performance. Due to Smith’s popularity and well-known name among fans, sportsbooks protect themselves from any serious liability in relation to him.

Additionally, Smith and the Chicago Bears have a contract dispute that Smith claims has been settled, but who knows when the losses will start piling up? Bottom line, Smith is priced way too short at +500 and should have completely faded at this price point.

Where to bet on the NFL tackles and assists leader

SEE ALSO: All tips, odds and sports betting news. Be sure to check out the SportsbookReview.com community forums and betting tools.

Written by:
Jon Metler

Twitter link

Jon Metler is a sports betting analyst at SportsbookReview.com. He has been in sports betting for over 12 years and specializes in futures markets. He keeps a close eye on futures market movements across a variety of sports in search of value. He is a firm believer in analytics and always being one step ahead of the curve; let the numbers do the talking. Jon covers futures markets in the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAAF, NCAAB, PGA Tour and LPGA. A lifelong Detroit Tigers fan, he still has nightmares of Torii Hunter knocking over the Boston Red Sox’s bullpen. After redeeming consecutive LPGA Money List futures tickets priced up to +8000 in 2020, Jon serves as the President of the Jin Young Ko Fan Club. Jon has a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from the University of Windsor. You can find him watching games, listening to sports, or looking for his golf ball in the woods.