Caesars Palace taking bets again on NFL players

Brees passed for 26 touchdowns and an NFL-high 4,418 yards, and in doing so he beat long odds. He was coming off a serious shoulder injury and leading a Saints team expected to be among the league’s worst.

But for those who view fantasy football as a pathetic source of entertainment, there is another way to buy stock in Brees and players like him without sitting in on a four-hour fantasy draft with a group of geeks.

Caesars Palace sports book director Chuck Esposito is offering an alternative form of wagering, again posting odds on who will win the NFL rushing, passing and receiving yards titles.

“People have asked a lot of questions about it, and it gets more popular every year,” Esposito said. “It just shows you how people crave anything to do with pro football.”

Serious bettors might not pay much attention to player propositions, but they can provide season-long action for anyone wanting to support their favorite stars.

With luck, there could be a fat payoff in the end, too. That was the case with Brees, who was posted at 30-1 odds to lead the league in passing yards last season.

“We didn’t take a tremendous amount of action on him,” Esposito said. “There were some questions: Would Brees even be ready for the start of the season?”

Brees pulled off a major surprise, and he’s no longer a long shot. He’s the fourth choice on the betting board this season at 6-1.

Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning, second to Brees last season with 4,397 yards passing, is the 5-2 favorite.

New England’s Tom Brady is the second choice at 3-1. Brady led the league with 4,110 yards passing in 2005.

Esposito said the most tickets have been written on Detroit’s Jon Kitna, who opened at 10-1 and is currently 7-1. Kitna finished fourth in the league last year with 4,208 yards.

“I think the reason you’re seeing so much action on Kitna is he’s got talented wide receivers, and they figure to be a team that trails a lot and will be passing a lot in those situations,” Esposito said.

Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer (6-1) is second in the number of betting tickets, and Arizona’s Matt Leinart (12-1) is third.

San Diego’s Philip Rivers, who should thrive in new coach Norv Turner’s offense, is worth a shot at 20-1. The Chargers have talented wideouts, and running back LaDainian Tomlinson had 56 receptions last season.

Tomlinson is the 5-2 favorite to win the rushing yards title, ahead of former Eldorado High School star Steven Jackson (4-1) of St. Louis. Tomlinson took the title last year with a career-high 1,815 yards rushing.

Vegas Sports Authority handicapper Jim Kruger recommends taking a chance on Denver’s Travis Henry (10-1) or Minnesota rookie Adrian Peterson (28-1).

“In Denver’s system, Henry could really do well,” Kruger said. “If you want a real long shot, look at Peterson. I would have to look at players getting odds of at least 20-1 or 30-1.”

Saints running back Reggie Bush is a fan favorite, being bet from 75-1 to 45-1. But Bush is not even his team’s primary ball carrier, likely making any bet on him a donation to the sports book.

With expectations rising for Kitna, Kruger said he would gamble on Detroit rookie Calvin Johnson (50-1) to win the receiving yards title.

The Bengals’ Chad Johnson is the 7-2 favorite to repeat as the league leader in receiving yards. Betting the favorite is not the most popular move, however.

“People are looking for value up and down the board,” Esposito said.