The Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers enter Week 4 each at a record of 0-3 on the season. Something’s gotta give this week. The Vikings have had a handful of tough breaks despite the passing offense ranking among the top units in the NFL so far. The Panthers have put up a fight the past two weeks and get rookie QB Bryce Young back under center, which may not be all that great.
Vikings vs. Panthers player prop bets
Alexander Mattison 100+ rushing yards (+700)
If you don’t want to go with this insanity, you can opt for 75+ at +225, which is definitely safer. But this feels like the Mattison week. He’s struggled taking over for Dalvin Cook as the lead back but had 25 touches last week and went for 93 yards. The Panthers have one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL. I don’t care much that Cam Akers will be active, he shouldn’t eat into Mattison’s carries too much. If Mattison gets to around 20 touches, going for over 100 rushing yards feels reasonable. Plus, the Vikings are favored and NEED this game. If Minnesota goes up by a few TDs, expect plenty of Mattison. Again, this is the least safe line; you can also get Mattison O55.5 rushing yards at -115.
Justin Jefferson 125+ receiving yards (+195)
We’re apparently fading safe props in this game. Jefferson leads the NFL in receiving with 458 yards in three games. He’s gone over 149 receiving yards in each game this season. Most of those games, the Vikings have been trailing, so this script may be flipped. Still, if Kirk Cousins is upright for four quarters, Jefferson should get his usual volume of targets and can easily break a few big plays against Carolina. Jefferson’s O/U is already at 100.5, we’re just hoping for the extra 25 yards at a juiced up price.
Adam Thielen O4.5 receptions (-115)
If the Panthers are trailing again in this game, you’d expect plenty of passing. Thielen has taken the spot of WR1 for Carolina, though last week may have been a product of QB Andy Dalton. Even with Young back, in Week 2 Thielen had nine targets and he has a total 25 on the season. There’s the revenge narrative going up against his former team, so we should see a motivated player. This feels pretty safe if the game script pans out.