Monday Night Football will mark Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s second-ever game at Lambeau Field in an opposing uniform, and, while he was quiet in his first return, he’s enjoying somewhat of a career renaissance with the New Orleans Saints.
The former Green Bay Packers wideout was one of Aaron Rodgers’ more reliable targets early in his career, but after an injury-riddled and inconsistent 2021 season, Valdes-Scantling joined the Kansas City Chiefs, where he didn’t quite live up to the promise he displayed with the Packers. Then, in 2024, he signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo Bills, where he caught just two of nine passes for 26 yards and was cut in October. Since joining the Saints, however, MVS has been on fire, catching 14 passes for 352 yards and four scores.
The veteran presence of Valdes-Scantling should make life easier for rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler, who will be making his fourth career start on Monday in relief of Derek Carr, who went down with a broken hand in a Week 14 win over the New York Giants.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, New Orleans is a 14-point underdog and the point total is set at 43. Below, I’ve identified my favorite prop bets centered around MVS.
Best Marquez Valdes-Scantling Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Marquez Valdes-Scantling 50+ Receiving Yards (+205)
With basically all of the Saints’ major receiving threats — Rashid Shaheed, Chris Olave, Taysom Hill, and Bub Means — on injured reserve, Valdez-Scantling has stepped into a starring role in New Orleans, and he should receive plenty of targets tonight, especially in the absence of running back Alvin Kamara, the team’s most reliable offensive player. Kamara ranks second on the team behind Shaheed in target share across the season, and his 6.4 targets per game have to go somewhere.
I expect Valdez-Scantling to be the primary beneficiary, as he has been over his last five games. After a slow Saints debut on November 3, he has recorded at least 50 receiving yards in four of his last five games and earned seven targets in each of his last two. Rattler is a pass-happy quarterback, having dropped back on 62.6% of his snaps this season so far, so he should have no problem developing a connection with Valdez-Scantling.
Green Bay has a pretty good secondary, allowing 3,281 yards on 462 attempts so far, a 7.1 yards per attempt average that is the 13th-lowest in football. The Packers have been especially adept at takeaways, tying for sixth in the NFL with 14 interceptions. Still, I’m not concerned about Valdez-Scantling’s potential to rack up yards, given that Green Bay will likely jump out to an early lead and Rattler will be forced to throw to keep up.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling Anytime TD Scorer (+450)
New Orleans’ quarterback change makes this a tricky proposition, because Carr’s 5.4% touchdown percentage is more than three times that of Rattler (1.7%), who has thrown just two touchdown passes all season.
Still, given the favorable odds and the Saints’ lack of healthy offensive playmakers, I like MVS’ chances of finding the end zone on Monday night. He reached paydirt in three of his first four games with New Orleans, and with Olave, Shaheed, and Kamara — the Saints’ top three receivers by red zone target share — all sidelined, Rattler will surely lean on his veteran receiver inside the Packers’ 20.
Green Bay has been adept at avoiding touchdowns this season, allowing only 19 passing scores so far this season, tied for the eighth-fewest in the league. However, if the Packers come out of the locker room firing and put New Orleans in an early hole, it will put pressure on Rattler to throw, increasing Valdes-Scantling’s scoring potential.
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