Week 4’s edition of Thursday Night Football sees an NFC West clash between the Seattle Seahawks (2-1) and Arizona Cardinals (2-1) out in the desert. A season-ending injury to James Conner last week has the Cards’ outlook teetering having lost a driving force in the offense, but the next-man-up mentality always remains at the back of every player’s mind. Tonight, Trey Benson takes over as the team’s primary halfback in a massive spot. Will the former third-round pick finally break out on the national stage?
Here are the best Trey Benson prop bets to consider for Cardinals vs. Seahawks on Thursday Night Football in Week 4.
Best Trey Benson prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Trey Benson may not yet be a household name for NFL fans, but the Cardinals’ backup running back sees the chance to make his presence known on Thursday Night Football this week. A third-round pick out of Florida State in the 2024 NFL Draft, the 23-year-old brings plenty of talent to the table as mentioned in this article on his fantasy football upside. For an idea of who Benson is, here’s an excerpt from earlier this week:
During his two seasons as a main contributor with the Seminoles, the halfback tallied 1,1134 and 1,1133 scrimmage yards with nine and 15 total touchdowns, showing promise as a three-down player. At 6-foot, 220 pounds, Benson is well-built but still brings elite breakaway speed with a 4.39 40-yard dash, so he blends both size and athleticism.
While he tallied just 291 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground as a rookie last year, Benson averaged an efficient 4.6 yards per attempt. In three games this season, he’s totaled 125 rushing yards with an impressive 6.0 yards per attempt, and a 52-yard explosive run in Week 1 helped his name pop up as a favorite on the fantasy football waiver wire. Benson’s also caught 8-of-11 targets for 45 yards, so the upside appears clear with a little bit of pass-catching upside.
In short, the second-year talent is basically built in a lab for a workhorse role thanks to his combination of size and speed. We’ve seen over the last couple of years that the Cardinals run the offense primarily through the backfield, whether that comes on the ground or through the air. This team loves to establish the run, and last season, they ranked top-12 in running back targets and once again sit in the league’s top half through three weeks. If the ball doesn’t go to Trey McBride, there’s a decent chance it’s headed to a running back.
While Arizona’s staff made a point to get Benson some work to begin this season in a split backfield, we’ve seen this team utilize a bell-cow option before with Conner. With the latter now out of the picture and Emari Demercado the next player in line for snaps after Benson, it seems the FSU product will likely enjoy the lion’s share of touches on Thursday Night Football in a featured role. His betting lines on DraftKings Sportsbook sit at O/U 57.5 rushing yards, 3.5 receptions, 21.5 receiving yards, and 82.5 combined rush/receiving yards with +110 odds to score a touchdown.
Now, this matchup doesn’t seem easy since the Seahawks boast one of the NFL’s best (and most underrated) defenses. The unit ranks second in defensive EPA/rush, seventh in total rushing yards allowed and hasn’t conceded a touchdown on the ground yet. However, Benson is a volume-based play for now in fantasy football and the same applies to his betting lines. He should comfortably out-touch Demercado, and even in a tough matchup there should be ample touches to go over the 57.5-yard mark on the ground. He racked up 69 ground yards in Week 1 with just eight carries, as well as 42 last week with 10 rush attempts. The extra opportunities this time around certainly help his chances.
Seattle won’t light up the scoreboard this week as they did in Week 3 against the Saints, and this game projects as a close contest with the Seahawks favored at -1.5 and a low total of 43.5 points. If it’s a hard-fought divisional battle as expected, watch for Benson to grind things out on the ground.
