In one of the late games on Sunday afternoon, the Cleveland Browns roll into Sin City to take on the Las Vegas Raiders. While a matchup between a pair of 2-8 teams normally might not be too compelling, there are actually lots of storylines to check out in this matchup since both squads have plenty of drama going on. Let’s take a look at both sides of this contest and find some player prop bets that make sense to make this Sunday afternoon matchup even more interesting.
Both teams lost last week, with the Raiders dropping their fourth straight on Monday Night Football after the Browns lost their third straight by losing to the Ravens.
Las Vegas is a 3.5-point favorite with -198 Moneyline odds, while Cleveland is listed as a +164 underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at just 36.5 points — one of the lowest on the board on Sunday.
Here are my favorite player props for this Week 12 matchup between the Browns and Raiders.
Browns vs. Raiders Best Prop Bets
Shedeur Sanders 25+ Rushing Yards (+122)
Let’s start with the obvious name. Everyone will be keeping a close eye on this game to see how Shedeur Sanders does in his first NFL start. He was expected to go much earlier in the draft after a strong college career but slid to the Browns in the fifth round. He was a controversial figure even before that since his father, Deion Sanders, was his coach in college and everyone seems to have strong opinions one way or the other about whether he’s overrated or underrated.
Whether you’re on the hype train or chugging haterade coming into his first start, Sanders should be able to hit this rushing total, even if he struggles passing the ball. In his first game action last week, he went 4-for-16 for 47 yards with an interception, but he did run for 16 yards on three carries. He played only half the game, so in a full game, he probably would have hit at least 25 rushing yards even though he didn’t look good at all throwing the ball.
There’s a good chance that he looks much better after a full week of practice with the No. 1 offense, but his athleticism is also one of his greatest strengths, and with a whole week to design plays around it, the Browns should be able to find some ways to give him opportunities to use his skill set. I’m less confident about his passing than I am his rushing potential, so I love getting this prop at plus money against the Raiders, who have struggled to stop the run (more below).
Tyler Lockett over 2.5 receptions (+148)
It’s a little scary that the Raiders’ passing game is actually the more reliable of the two offenses we’ll see in this matchup. The Raiders lost Amari Cooper to retirement before the season and traded Jakobi Meyers to the Jaguars at the deadline, leaving the receiver room young and very inexperienced.
They brought in Lockett as a veteran option after he asked for his release from the Titans earlier this year, and the veteran has stepped right into a very involved role. He caught five of his six targets for 44 yards against the Broncos and followed that up with three catches on three targets for 33 yards against the Cowboys last week.
Lockett may not rack up tons of yardage, but Geno Smith is comfortable getting him the ball. The Browns have done a good job limiting receiver production, but the Raiders will likely have plenty of possessions on Sunday, which gives Lockett a good shot at posting a third straight game with at least three catches.
This prop comes at very favorable odds and it won’t take much for the veteran to deliver some green on this plus money prop.
Quinshon Judkins 70+ Rushing Yards (-121)
While all eyes will be on Shedeur, one of the best ways for the Browns to take the pressure off him would be to feed the ball to rookie Quinshon Judkins, who has been productive overall for the Browns this year. He only had 59 rushing yards on 17 carries against the Ravens last week, but he has gone over this rushing total in five of his last eight games.
Against the Jets in Week 10 right after the team’s bye week, Judkins had 75 yards on 22 carries. He’s had 20+ carries in four games this season, going over 70 yards each time.
The Raiders have allowed an average of 89.6 rushing yards per game to opposing running backs this season. Last week, Javonte Williams ran for 93 yards against them, and they have allowed at least one opposing running back to produce 70+ yards in each of the last three weeks. As long as the game is close, look for the Browns to lean on their run game, which should give Judkins the work he needs to get over this rushing prop line.
