For the second consecutive week, the NFL Sunday slate will be kicked off by a morning matchup overseas. The Minnesota Vikings have remained across the pond and will face off with the Cleveland Browns. After losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Ireland last week, this matchup will take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, with kickoff set for 9:30 a.m. ET.
There are interesting quarterback storylines on both sides of this tilt. J.J. McCarthy continues to recover from his ankle sprain, leaving Carson Wentz to make his third straight start. On the other side of the matchup, Dillon Gabriel will be making his first NFL start for the Cleveland Browns. The Oregon product has made appearances in two games this season, but the end of the Joe Flacco era may have officially arrived. Plenty of attention will continue to be paid to what Shadeaur Sanders does or doesn’t say within the locker room, but Gabriel receives the opportunity to show what he can do on the field.
The Vikings are favored by 4.5 points and hold -218 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Browns have +180 odds of producing the outright victory, with the game total set at 35.5.
There are plenty of ways to get involved in the action beyond just backing a side. This article will look at my three favorite prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for the Week 5 Vikings vs. Browns matchup.
Vikings vs. Browns Best Prop Bets
Dillon Gabriel Over 18.5 Completions (-102)
The Cleveland Browns have had the most interesting quarterback room in football all season, and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel will lead the team out of the tunnel for the first time this week. To this point, he has completed three of his four pass attempts for 19 yards and a touchdown. This will be Gabriel’s first chance to lead the team from the start of a game. While there is very little sample size of what he will look like at the NFL level, he has six years of college film for three different programs for an idea of what to expect.
Gabriel is a rhythm quarterback who is at his best when he is getting the ball out of his hands at a rapid rate. He led the Big Ten with 326 completions and 447 passing attempts last year, which also ranked fourth and 13th in the country, respectively. However, his 8.6 yards per pass attempt did not crack the top 100 among Division I quarterbacks last year. Gabriel has some similarities to Tua Tagovailoa in their processing of the game and their desire to get the ball out of their hands quickly to allow their playmakers to make things happen and gradually move up the field.
Expect this to be a priority for the Browns with Gabriel in his first-career NFL start. Minnesota has a strong overall defense that ranks ninth in points allowed, sixth in yards given up and third in passing yards conceded. The Vikings have also given up the second-fewest passing touchdowns. Joe Flacco has looked far from sharp this season, but has thrown for over 18.5 completions in three of the Browns’ four games this year, including as many as 31 against the Bengals. It is a risk backing a rookie in his first start, but 18.5 completions is a low enough bar that you shouldn’t blink. Look for Gabriel to find a rhythm in the short passing attack and complete at least 19 passes in his debut, just as he did in 11 of his 14 starts last year in college.
Jordan Mason Under 66.5 Rushing Yards (-111)
Jordan Mason has been thrust into the RB1 role with Aaron Jones being placed on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury. Minnesota brought over Mason in the offseason after he had his breakout with the 49ers last year. Filling in for Christian McCaffrey, Mason rushed for 447 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the first four weeks alone last season. Through the first four weeks of this season, the Georgia Tech product has carried the ball 56 times for 271 yards and two touchdowns, or 67.8 rushing yards per game.
Unfortunately, this is a nightmare matchup from a running back perspective. Cleveland is allowing just 70.3 rushing yards per game, which is the fewest in the league. They are allowing the fewest yards per rushing attempt and Jahmyr Gibbs is the only individual running back to rush for more than 43 yards this season. Derrick Henry was limited to 23 rushing yards, Chase Brown ran for just 43 yards on 21 carries, and Josh Jacobs had just 30 rushing yards as the other primary running backs.
Myles Garrett headlines an intimidating defensive front that will set the tone of this entire game. Count on Mason seeing plenty of chances, but struggling to create separation. He has produced rushing totals of 68, 30, 116, and 57, respectively, to this point. Cleveland will be willing to dare Carson Wentz to make some throws and keep the box packed. Expect this all to result in Mason struggling to break free and clear this rushing total.
David Njoku Over 3.5 Receptions (+128)
Tight ends have headlined the receiving production for Cleveland to this point, and this should only increase with Dillon Gabriel under center. Through the opening four weeks, rookie Harold Fannin leads the team with 17 receptions, while he’s also racked up 24 targets and 160 receiving yards. David Njoku is right behind him with 14 receptions on 21 targets for 128 receiving yards.
It has been an interesting career for Njoku to this point. The 29-year-old has always had the raw tools and talent, but has had some ups and downs in his production. His best season came in 2023, in which Njoku pulled in 81 receptions for 882 yards and six touchdowns. However, he averaged a career-high 5.8 receptions per game last year across 11 matchups. Through the opening four games this year, he is averaging exactly 3.5 receptions per game and has tallied over this total in two of the four games.
Expect Gabriel’s presence in the offense to work in Njoku’s favor — along with the absence of Cedric Tillman — and for the short passing game to be the foundation of the Browns’ offense moving forward. Look for Gabriel to have a clear eye on Njoku in the flat and near the line of scrimmage throughout this matchup as he attempts to find his stride. Count on Njoku being Gabriel’s security blanket, to an extent, and for him to pull in at least four passes. Getting +128 odds is solid value considering he has hit this total in two of the four games already this season, and with the quarterback change in mind.
