Week 8 of the NFL season starts off with a Thursday Night matchup between the Vikings and Rams. I’ll give you some of my favorite bets you can tail for this Thursday Night game on Amazon Prime.
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Kyren Williams over 73.5 rushing yards -110
When you think about who’s been great against the run, the Vikings were a team people talked about. Is is possible that we saw them exposed last week against the Lions? They gained a total of 144 rushing yards last week, which is the most on the season. Quite frankly, one could say this run defense, before last week, hadn’t really been tested. Even after the game against the Lions, they’ve faced the second fewest rush attempts in the league. As you’d imagine, they have seen a lot of targets to opposing running backs with 43. That’s turned into 30 catches for 227 yards and a touchdown.
I like this number to go over for Williams. It’s one he’s gone over in four of his six games, all of which came in the last four games. He’s been a lock for at least 19 carries over that span. Williams is also ranked 10th in the league in yards after contact with 314 amongst qualified running backs. Even with Cooper Kupp back, I expect the Rams to continue to give the ball to Williams. If you look at who they’ve faced this season, it hasn’t been a strong group of teams with the run or were dealing with injuries. What we saw from the Lions last week could be more of what we see this week with the Rams and Williams.
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Colby Parkinson under 3.5 receptions -120
Gone are the days when Parkinson is making seven catches on 13 targets for 52 yards. I think a more realistic expectation is what we saw last week, when he was targeted twice while played in 63% of the snaps. With the return of Kupp, this Rams offense is going to look a lot more condensed. Parkinson is now fighting for targets from Kupp, DeMarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell and Jordan Whittington, if he’s active. There is also a slim chance that Puka Nacua could see the field in this game, although it’s looking more likely for Week 9. Should he be active, however, I wouldn’t be surprised if this number dropped a reception down to 2.5. I would take this sooner than later, just in case Nacua surprisingly ends up being active. But, the return of Kupp should be enough to drive away Stafford’s attention from Parkinson. On the year, the Vikings have allowed 29 catches on 43 targets to opposing tight ends.
Cooper Kupp to have 25+ receiving yards in each half +110
This prop bet is listed under the “Game Specials.” Kupp will have a solid matchup in coverage against Vikings CB Josh Metellus. In coverage, Metellus has been targeted against 29 times and has allowed 23 catches for 210 yards. The Vikings have been getting burned by opposing slot receivers, as Byron Murphy Jr has also been handling a lot of the slot coverage. He’s allowed 17 catches on 23 targets for 201 yards himself when covering the slot. Regardless who of the two it’ll be, this is a very good matchup for Kupp in his return. We haven’t heard of any restrictions for Kupp and he’s been a full participant in practice. So I think this is a Game Special I’m looking to take for this game.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests. The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups.
