5 best bets for Sunday's NFL wild-card games
The NFL's wild-card round carries on Sunday with another two-game slate: the Los Angeles Chargers vs. the Baltimore Ravens, and the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Chicago Bears. Here are our five favorite bets of the day, which include individual player props for both games.
Dallas Goedert under 19.5 receiving yards (-120)The Eagles face a Bears defense ranked No. 6 in the NFL in yards allowed to tight ends and No. 1 in yards allowed per completion (9.2) to that position in the regular season. Although one would assume tight end Zach Ertz will be in tough against Chicago, he makes his living in the slot. Look for position-mate Dallas Goedert, as the more traditional tight end, to be bottled up by the Bears' elite defense.
Allen Robinson over 53.5 receiving yards (-120)We'll continue playing the matchups, and Bears outside receiver Allen Robinson has a favorable one Sunday against an Eagles secondary that allowed the most yards to outside receivers in 2018. Though Chicago has plenty of mouths to feed on offense with a well-rounded skill corps, Robinson should still see plenty of targets from quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
Mark Andrews under 22.5 receiving yards (-120)Ravens rookie tight end Mark Andrews is developing a nice rapport with quarterback Lamar Jackson, catching multiple passes in four of the team's previous five games despite playing in a run-centric offense that employs multiple tight ends. Although Andrews had his coming-out party against the Chargers in Week 16 with a third-quarter, 68-yard touchdown catch, don't expect a repeat performance against a defense ranked No. 1 in DVOA against tight ends during the regular season.
Melvin Gordon under 27.5 receiving yards (-120)As tough as the Chargers were against tight ends in 2018, the Ravens were just as stingy against running backs, ranking No. 1 in DVOA against halfbacks. That's not good news for Los Angeles ball carrier Melvin Gordon, who hasn't hit 25 yards through the air in his previous three healthy starts.
Antonio Gates over 17.5 receiving yards (-120)Tasked with finding a way to get past a Ravens defense that finished the year No. 1 in points allowed and tied for first in yards per play allowed, quarterback Philip Rivers would be smart to repeatedly look for longtime favorite target Antonio Gates. Baltimore can be exploited through the tight end, where they were No. 22 in DVOA, allowing 61.4 yards per game against the position. Also, Gates is still seeing a decent amount of targets despite his declining production and has hit the listed number for Sunday's prop in more than half the Chargers' regular-season games.
(All props were taken from Bet365. Always shop around for the best numbers on your wagers.)
Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.
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