One of the best ways to get some skin in the game is by betting on player props. By doing so, you can take advantage of a particular player who is in a good matchup or maybe even a bad one. In this piece, we’ll get into the rushing yard props for the Divisional Round by looking at who to consider and why. Let’s dive in!
Odds on favorite: Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans +300
With the way Henry has been rushing the ball, it’s not hard to see why he’s the odds on favorite to have the most rushing yards during the Divisional Round. I mean, do you really want to bet against the guy who is averaging 154 yards since Week 10, a span of seven games? Do you really want to bet against the guy who only rushed for under 100 yards once during that seven-game span? The answer of course here is no but I don’t think it’s as crazy as you may think.
The Titans are big underdogs in this spot against the favorites at +9.5. It’s not out of the question to think that the Titans may have to throw the ball more than they have. Ryan Tannehill is coming off a win against the Patriots where he only had to do so 15 times. I don’t expect his pass attempts to be nearly that low here against the Ravens. Regardless of the score, I expect Henry to get his work in against a Ravens run defense that may be a bit overrated at this juncture, having allowed an average of 80 rushing yards over the last three games of the season. However, when you consider some of the favorites over the weekend who could simply be running out the clock against softer run defenses, Henry doesn’t feel like the initial slam dunk like he has been as of late.
Sleeper Pick: Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers, +700
Jones is a perfect sleeper to consider in his matchup against the Seahawks. The Packers are favored in this game by four and face a soft run defense. Even with Jamaal Williams expected to be active in this game, it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibilities for Jones to come away with the most rushing yards of the weekend. Over the last four games of the season, Jones averaged 109 rushing yards per game and at least 100 yards in three of those games. To win this bet, we’re likely going to need someone to go over that 100-yard mark, something he accomplished five times. As for the Seahawks, aside from giving up a boatload of rushing touchdowns to end the season, opposing backs averaged 108 rushing yards over the last four games of the year. These odds seem overly inflated on Jones and I think this is something to take advantage of.
Long Shot: Damien Williams, Kansas City Chiefs, +1200
Injuries derailed Williams’ regular-season quite a bit as he played in 11 games on the year, averaging just 45 yards per game. Despite that, we did see him cross over 100 yards twice, one of which came in Week 17 against the Chargers where he went for 124 yards on 12 attempts. Granted, 67% of those yards came on one play where he went for 84 yards but does anyone care HOW the yards come? We just want them, period. The Chiefs are big favorites in this game against the Texans at -9. The Texans, like every other position, struggle against the run. On the year, they’ve allowed an average of 97 rushing yards per game and were particularly gashed near the end of the season. A huge performance from Derrick Henry inflates this number quite a bit but they allowed an average of 121 yards over the final four games. Taking that Henry game out, it was an average of 88 yards over the last three games. With LeSean McCoy essentially ghosted from this offense and Darwin Thompson lucky to see more than a handful of carries per game, Williams will handle the bulk of the work as a big favorite.
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