The NFL playoffs have begun and on Sunday we’ve got three more exciting Wild Card Round games with the Dolphins vs. Bills, Giants vs. Vikings and Ravens vs. Bengals.
I don't have any betting picks for Miami and Buffalo, but I have three player props for the middle game between New York and Minnesota, and one for the Baltimore and Cincinnati nightcap.
Saquon Barkley
Over 22.5 Receiving Yards (-110; FanDuel)
The first game we’re looking at gives us three prop bets, and with the teams having faced each other on Christmas Eve, we have some recent data to look back on.
The Giants are narrow underdogs. If they are to win, then it’s probably going to be done so off the back of their best player, Saquon Barkley.
After two injury-riddled seasons, we finally saw vintage Barkley. He rushed for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns, adding 338 receiving yards as well.
His receiving yards line stands at 22.5, and we’ll be taking the over because when the going gets tough, the Giants will look to Barkley. In the first Giants-Vikings game, he was targeted 10 times and had 49 receiving yards, both season highs.
He might not hit those numbers again, but he should go over 22.5, something he has accomplished in two of his last three games.
Pick: Saquon Barkley Over 22.5 Receiving Yards |
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Kirk Cousins
Over 36.5 Pass Attempts (-115; PointsBet)
With the bookies thinking this is a three-point game, we can expect it to be tight, which could lead to seeing Kirk Cousins needing to throw a lot like he did in Week 16.
Cousins attempts more passes than nearly every other quarterback in the league, with his 4,547 yards coming at an average of 37.8 attempts per game.
His line is 36.5 passing attempts, a number he’s exceeded in three of his past five games, including that recent game against the Giants.
With the season on the line, there’s a real chance we see the Vikings rely on Cousins to take them to the Divisional Round, so back over 36.5 passing attempts.
T.J. Hockenson
Anytime Touchdown (+230; FanDuel)
If you’re looking for an anytime touchdown scorer with big odds, there’s one name that leaps out — T.J. Hockenson.
He only scored three times all season, but two of those came back in … you guessed it … Week 16 against New York.
We just discussed above the very real possibility that the Vikings are forced to rely on Cousins. In both Weeks 16 and 17, when they did that, we saw Hockenson targeted 28 times. He’s a big-bodied, pass-catching option who clearly has Cousins’ trust, and he will get looks when the Vikings are in the red zone, especially if they’re chasing.
Pick: T.J. Hockenson Anytime TD |
Ja'Marr Chase
Anytime Touchdown (+100; FanDuel)
Sadly we won’t get to see Lamar Jackson for this game, denying us a chance for a classic matchup. Instead, this should be a procession for the Bengals, and we should see Joe Burrow connect once again with his favorite target.
Ja’Marr Chase is a superstar. He led the Bengals receivers in touchdowns in the regular season despite missing four games. He scored in over half of his games this year, including three of the past five (excluding the postponed Bills game) since returning from injury.
In that timeframe, he’s been targeted 60 times. In Week 18, we saw him haul in 8-of-13 targets targets and his ninth score of the season.
Back him to do the same again.
Pick: Ja'Marr Chase Anytime TD |
