Sunday Night Football Week 8 brings us a matchup between two teams with three wins apiece, and they both desperately need to come away with a victory in this game, as the Dallas Cowboys (3-3) travel out west to take on the San Francisco 49ers (3-4). Kickoff from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara is set for 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.
Let's get to my Cowboys vs. 49ers props and NFL picks for Sunday Night Football.
Sam Farley's Cowboys vs 49ers Player Props
- Jalen Tolbert Over 36.5 Receiving Yards (-110, bet365)
- Deebo Samuel Anytime Touchdown (+130, DraftKings)
- Ezekiel Elliott Under 18.5 Rushing Yards (-110, bet365)
Jalen Tolbert
Over 36.5 Receiving Yards (-110)
It’s clear that CeeDee Lamb is the number one wideout in Dallas, but with Brandin Cooks on IR it appears that Jalen Tolbert has locked in his spot as the team’s number two option. He’s tied for the second-most targets on the team, along with tight end Jake Ferguson, and he is tied for the second-most receiving touchdowns and second in red zone targets with five.
Crucially, he’s second in receiving yards with 290 and has averaged 48.3 per game so far this season. His line for Sunday night's game in San Francisco is set at 36.5, and that’s a number that he’s covered all but twice this season, and one of those was the opening game in which he had just two targets.
Deebo Samuel
Anytime Touchdown Scorer (+130)
Last season, Deebo Samuel scored 12 of his 36 career touchdowns, as he’s become one of the 49ers’ key offensive stars. He’s only scored twice this season though, against the Seahawks and Jets, but we’re due a big game from him. He picked up a questionable tag earlier in the week, but he's expected to be good to go on Sunday.
If he does play, then back him to score. He'll be lining up alongside Jauan Jennings and Chris Conley, but with Brandon Aiyuk now on IR, there is real opportunity for him. Over the past three seasons he’s had 38% of targets when Brandon Aiyuk was out and 41% of Air Yards.
Purdy will look for him if he’s on the field, and with Jordan Mason struggling in the red zone, we might see him get some usage there too.
Ezekiel Elliott
Under 18.5 Rushing Yards (-110)
They say that seeing a boxer fight past their prime is depressing, but that’s nothing compared to watching one of the best running backs of a generation labor on well after they were at their best. The 2024 itineration of Ezekiel Elliott is a hard watch and he’s racked up just 115 yards on 38 carries through the Cowboys’ first six games of the season.
His line this week stands at 18.5 rushing yards and he should go under. He’s gone Under in four of the last five games, the only outlier being when he hit 19 rushing yards.
We should see more of Rico Dowdle this week, who wasn't featured much in the heavy loss to the Lions because of game script. There’s also the looming figure of Dalvin Cook. He may be another washed running back, but it’s been reported that he’ll be elevated in time for this game, in which case he might take some carries from Zeke.
