Washington Football Team: Ranking the 4 best bets for Washington in 2021

3. Terry McLaurin to lead the NFL in receiving yards (+3000)

When Terry McLaurin was drafted by the Washington Football Team in 2019, the team was coming off a recent stretch that saw little to no depth in their receiving core.

Washington was past the days of Desean Jackson and Pierre Garcon, and they had just whiffed on Josh Doctson a few years prior. The only formidable threat for Washington at wide receiver was Jamison Crowder, but a month prior to the 2019 NFL Draft, Crowder signed with the New York Jets.

The wide receiver room was thin heading into the 2019-2020 season, but the biggest surprise was the phenomenal rookie season that McLaurin had. McLaurin racked in 919 receiving yards and seven touchdown receptions in just 14 games for Washington. In a season where Washington finished with a 3-13 record, McLaurin was perhaps the biggest bright spot for the future.

McLaurin is coming off of another impressive year in which he improved greatly. Though his touchdown numbers went down, he tallied 87 receptions for 1,118 receiving yards. In 2020, McLaurin played 15 games, one more than his total in 2019, but was targeted 41 more times in 2020 than in 2019.

Fast forward to this season, the Football Team is prepared to be a much more serious contender than they were last season. This is due in fact to the acquisitions of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Curtis Samuel on the offensive side of the ball.

Fitzpatrick is known as a gunslinger who is not afraid to take chances in the pocket, so with playmakers like Antonio Gibson, Samuel and McLaurin, the offense will be much better in 2021.

In McLaurin’s first two seasons, he was catching passes from Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins and Alex Smith. Keenum regressed mightily after arriving in Washington, Haskins was inconsistent and never tapped into his potential and Smith was coming off of a nearly career-ending leg injury that kept him out for almost two years.

With a much better quarterback situation this season, McLaurin is in prime position to take another step in year three, and it’s entirely possible that with a career year in 2021, McLaurin can solidify his spot as a top receiver in the NFL.

The acquisition of Samuel will certainly open things up in the passing game, and with high hopes for Gibson in his second season, Washington’s offense could be one of the more explosive groups in the NFL.

With all of the improvements on offense, and the likelihood that McLaurin takes yet another leap in his third season, this could be a breakout, career year for No. 17.

Our friends at WynnBet have the odds set at +3000 (bet $100 to win $3,000) for McLaurin to lead the league in receiving yards, and with more firepower and consistency on offense for Washington, the value is simply too good to pass up.