When I go into the Action Labs Player Props tool on Saturdays, I don't go in looking for any player or one game in particular.
The three player edges that jumped out to me this week are in Bucs vs. Panthers and Packers vs. Commanders. We're looking at P.J. Walker, Rachaad White and Terry McLaurin.
Regardless of your excitement level for those players, these are three of the many props that Sean Koerner's projections show value on this week.
P.J. Walker
Over 28.5 Pass Attempts
Last week, Walker only threw the ball 16 times as the Rams struggled to pull away in a win over the Panthers. It was Walker’s first start of the season, which saw Carolina feed a running back who is no longer there.
What are the Panthers going to do on offense now, feed D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard? Probably not.
What they are likely to do is struggle. The Buccaneers defense is one of the best in the NFL, and it will be a big reason why this game won’t be close.
In Walker’s first two NFL starts, he went over this total with 29 and 34 pass attempts. Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold are still hurt, so it’s his show. If the Panthers are trailing as expected, Walker will have to throw the ball a lot.
Action Labs projects Walker for 32.5 pass attempts against Tampa Bay in Week 7.
Rachaad White
Under 16.5 Receiving Yards
White is getting more and more involved in the Buccaneers offense as the season progresses, especially in the passing game. He has 11 catches on 13 targets over Tampa Bay’s last three games.
There’s reason to believe this matchup against the Panthers might not be one White thrives in the air.
Tampa Bay is a double-digit favorite, and the expectation is it will control the game. Carolina just traded its best player and has been … awful this season. Oh, and it’s starting a third-string QB who you just read about above.
The Buccaneers’ last two games, which saw White get 28 and 11 receiving yards, were one-score affairs. He had 50 yards in Week 5, but that was a loss to the Chiefs in which 72 points were scored. This one will likely not see that many tallied.
With his team in control and potentially more of an emphasis on the running game while playing with the lead, expect White to fall short of his receiving yards tally in Week 7.
Action Labs projects White for 11.7 receiving yards against the lowly Panthers.
Terry McLaurin
Under 55.5 Receiving Yards
In a shocking turn of events, Carson Wentz has not unlocked the key to Terry McLaurin breaking through as a truly elite receiver.
McLaurin has 367 receiving yards through six games this season, which is an average of 61.2 per game. In his last three, McLaurin has 132 yards and has gone over this total once.
The Commanders’ WR1 is without Wentz this week, as his old friend Taylor Heinicke returns to action under center. McLaurin has had some big games with Heinicke, but to say going from Wentz to him is an upgrade is a bit of a reach.
Passing the ball isn’t likely how the Commanders will go about primarily attacking the Packers either.
This is going to be Heinicke’s first action of the season, so putting all the pressure on his shoulders right away might not be wise. Also, more importantly, the Packers have one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL.
With Brian Robinson Jr. taking over the backfield and the more-than-capable Antonio Gibson alongside him, Washington is well-equipped to try to run the ball down Green Bay’s throats.
Action Labs projects McLaurin for 46.7 receiving yards against the Packers.
