The NFL playoffs kick off this weekend and the sportsbooks have delivered some interesting prop bets for the Wild Card Weekend games.
Let’s start the wild-card props rundown by looking at the passing yards prop. Every quarterback who will start this weekend is listed, with the favorite being New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees at +250. Brees passed for 4,334 yards this season (270.9 per game), the most of any QB who will see action this weekend. He’ll also be facing a familiar foe in the Carolina Panthers. Against Carolina this season, Brees passed for 269 yards in Week 5, but only 220 yards (his second-lowest total of the season) in Week 15.
After Brees on the passing prop odds is Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan at +350, Kansas City Chiefs’ Alex Smith at +375 and Los Angeles Rams’ Jared Goff at +450. Among those three, Smith averaged the most passing yards per game this season with 269.5 and he’ll be facing a Tennessee defense that ranked 25th against the pass this season.
Moving on to the rushing yards prop odds, Rams running back Todd Gurley is favored at +275. Gurley finished second to Kansas City’s Kareem Hunt in total rushing yards this season, but led the league in rushing yards per game with 87. That was just ahead of Hunt, who averaged 82.9 yards per game and comes in right behind Gurley on the prop odds at +300.
The only other back in action this weekend who averaged at least 80 yards per game this season is Jacksonville Jaguars’ Leonard Fournette. He averaged exactly 80 rushing yards per game and could be a smart bet at +550 against a Buffalo Bills defense that ranked 29th against the run this season.
If you’re looking for a sneaky pick on the rushing yards prop odds, take a close look at Tennessee’s Derrick Henry. He’s a +8000 underdog on the odds after averaging only 46.5 rushing yards per game this season while sharing the load with DeMarco Murray. However, there’s a good chance Murray won’t be playing this weekend, leading to more carries for Henry and the chance for him to do some real damage.
Our last prop is for receiving yards. The favorite is Atlanta’s Julio Jones at +400, while New Orleans’ Michael Thomas is also getting good odds at +500. Jones was by far the most productive receiver among this weekend’s class, averaging 90.3 yards per game this season. His closest competitor is Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill with 78.9 yards per game.
A Hail Mary choice for bettors looking for value could be Saints running back Alvin Kamara at +800. Kamara was a popular check-down option for Drew Brees late in the season, with 23 targets in the last three games. If those target numbers continue this weekend, Kamara could put up some big yards and net bettors some nice profits.