If fretting wagering on NFL spreads — historically the sharpest lines available at any book — props can be an intriguing and outright fun way to have an invested incentive in a player’s performance each and every week. This ongoing series will be a weekly feature outlining my favorite player props for MNF, including the five detailed below. All props and odds have been sourced accordingly and tracked for accountability at the bottom of every write-up.
[[ad:athena]]
Carson Wentz UNDER 246.5 Passing Yards (-115) — Pointsbet Sportsbook
Wentz has a line that looks like it was created not knowing he has already been benched for at least a few drives this game. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, backup quarterback Jalen Hurts is expected to “receive increased playing time at quarterback.” This prop is already above Wentz’s season average of 232.6 passing yards per game. Take away a few drives that he won’t be seeing the field on at all and it’s surprising books still allow bets to be placed on him.
Richard Rodgers UNDER 17.5 Receiving Yards (-112) — DraftKings Sportsbook
Rodgers’ stat line from the past two weeks (6-108-1) makes his current receiving prop look like an easy over but they mask the fact that he is simply a backup player who happened to draw more targets than expected on his limited snaps. Since Dallas Goedert returned to the lineup, Rodgers has run a route on 18.4 percent of the Eagles’ dropbacks. Alshon Jeffery has run just as many routes as Rodgers over the past two weeks but has no receptions to show for it. Rodgers has out-performed his role as strictly a backup player and should come back to Earth versus Seattle.
Greg Ward UNDER 29.5 Receiving Yards (-112) — DraftKings Sportsbook
Unlike Rodgers, Ward is actually a starting player on his team. Like Rodgers, he isn’t guaranteed to see enough targets to even be in contention with this line. Ward is the receiver that Philadelphia takes off the field most often with Jalen Reagor and Travis Fulgham healthy. When he is on the field, Ward doesn’t produce much anyway. He has topped this line in five of ten games this season but many of those came with Reagor and Goedert sidelined. His abysmal 5.3 yards per target means that he needs to be the focal point of a gameplan to have a notable day. As long as that isn’t the case this week, his under is a safe bet.
Chris Carson OVER 50.5 Rushing Yards (-112) — DraftKings Sportsbook
Chris Carson OVER 18.5 Receiving Yards (-112) — DraftKings Sportsbook
When he has been healthy, Carson has been the centerpiece of the Seattle rushing attack and heavily involved in the passing game. Before going down with a foot injury in Week 7, Carson had seen 65 percent of the Seattle running back carries and 14 percent of the team’s targets. He was averaging 12.2 carries for 57.8 yards and 4.6 targets for 4.2 catches and 28 yards through the air. Both marks are cleanly ahead of his prop lines this week and the closer prop to his season average, rushing yards, should be boosted by Seattle being 6.5-point favorites.
Last Week: 3-2, +.4 Units
Season: 27-20, +4.5 Units