Week 8 of the NFL season has already arrived with another full slate of action. Kicking off at 4:25 p.m. ET, the Denver Broncos will host the Dallas Cowboys as one of the premier matchups.
Denver is off to a 5-2 start to the season and will be riding their momentum of their thrilling comeback victory over the New York Giants last week. After entering the fourth quarter trailing 19-0, the Broncos came storming back to ultimately secure the 33-32 victory. They will now face another NFC East opponent with the Cowboys off to a 3-3-1 start to the season. Dallas has had one of the top performing offenses in football all season, but an equally concerning defense.
The Broncos enter as 3.5-point favorites and hold -180 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Cowboys hold +150 odds of getting the outright victory, and the game total is set at 50.5.
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 8 Broncos vs. Cowboys matchup.
Broncos vs. Cowboys Best Prop Bets
CeeDee Lamb Over 75.5 Receiving Yards (-114)
CeeDee Lamb is making his second start since returning from his high ankle sprain suffered in Week 3. The Dallas offense has not missed a beat without him, but Lamb remains one of the premier wide receivers in football. He picked up right where he left off, pulling in five receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown last week against the Commanders. Excluding the Week 3 matchup with the Bears in which he left due to injury, Lamb has tallied 110+ yards in all three games he has played.
Denver has a stingy defense that ranks sixth in the league in passing defense at 179.9 yards allowed per game. But they have not faced an offense as high powered as the Cowboys with the wide receiver duo of Lamb and George Pickens in mind. Dak Prescott has played at an MVP level to start the year, leading the NFL in QBR and ranking second in passing yards (1,881) and passing touchdowns (16). They have looked ready for any defensive matchup and expect this to be the case in this game.
While Pickens did a nice job stepping up into the top wide receiver role in Lamb’s absence, expect the four-time Pro Bowler to return to his spot at the top of the pecking order. Lamb pulled in five receptions on eight targets compared to Pickens’ four receptions on six targets last week. Lamb has averaged 102.9 receiving yards per game over a season just two years ago and Prescott looks to have only further leveled up his game to create more chances for the star pass catcher. He has 21 catches for 332 yards and a touchdown on the season thus far. Look for him to add to this and clear the lowest receiving total of the season in this matchup with the Broncos.
Bo Nix to Record 250+ Passing Yards (+121)
It has been an up-and-down start to the second season of Bo Nix’s second NFL season. Through the opening seven games he has completed 62.5% of his pass attempts for 1,556 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Nix is averaging 222.3 passing yards per game overall. However, he has thrown for as many as 326 yards in a game already this season and thrown for 250+ yards twice.
This will be the most favorable matchup that Nix has had, with Dallas struggling to get stops all season. The Cowboys rank 30th in points allowed and 32nd in yards given up on the season. Looking just at their pass defense, the Cowboys rank dead last in passing yards allowed, 31st in net yards per pass attempt, and 29th in passing touchdowns allowed. Justin Fields threw for 283 yards against the Cowboys, Jordan Love had 337 passing yards against them, and Caleb Williams had 298 yards through the air against them already this year.
Nix should have sky-high confidence coming off last week and this is as good of a defensive matchup as he can ask for. While J.K. Dobbins has been solid at the running back spot, Denver is at its best when they are moving the ball through the air. The Broncos’ starter’s standard passing prop line is set at 237.5, but I am pushing it a tad further and backing Nix to record 250+ yards at +121 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Expect both of these offenses to put up some numbers and for Nix to clear this total for the third time this season.
Brandon Aubrey to Record 10+ Kicking Points (+130)
While Dak Prescott and a few others have a case, Brandon Aubrey has to be in the conversation for most valuable player on the Cowboys. The two-time Pro Bowler is tied for the third-most field goals on the season in the NFL and has connected at a perfect 15-for-15 rate this year. He also is 23-for-24 on extra points, which is the second-most made extra points so far this year.
This is not out of the norm for a guy who has established himself as one of the best kickers in football at a rapid rate. Across his three-year career, Aubrey is 91-for-100 on field goal attempts, including 29-for-32 on attempts of 50+ yards. Dallas is second in the NFL in scoring this season, averaging 31.7 points per game. Aubrey has done his part in this and been called on to kick at a high rate, with the most total attempts in the league. He has posted kicking point totals of 14, 9, 7, 8, 6, 16, and 8 so far this season.
Looking at this matchup, Denver has an excellent red-zone defense that is allowing teams to score a touchdown at just a 37.5% rate. While I have confidence in the Cowboys to move the ball, expect things to be a bit more difficult near the end zone. This matchup will also be taking place at Mile High Stadium with expected good weather and temperatures in the upper 60’s. Aubrey is a weapon in the Cowboys’ offense and expect them to be willing to use him at a high rate and from far range. Given the high scoring Cowboys’ offense and favorable conditions, the +130 odds of Aubrey recording 10+ kicking points is a worthy swing.
