Christian McCaffrey and the San Francisco 49ers will face the Carolina Panthers tonight to conclude the Week 12 NFL slate. This Monday Night Football matchup has plenty on the line, with the Panthers having a chance to take sole possession of the lead in the NFC South with a victory. The 49ers have battled injuries all season, but still hold a record of 7-4 with their playoff hopes still alive.
Looking at the odds for tonight, the 49ers enter as 7.5-point favorites and hold -410 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Panthers hold +320 odds of pulling off the outright upset, with the game total set at 49.5 points.
There are plenty of ways to get involved in the action outside of backing a side or total. This article will look at my top Christian McCaffrey prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook ahead of tonight’s Week 12 Monday Night Football matchup.
Best Christian McCaffrey Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Christian McCaffrey Over 15.5 Rush Attempts (-134)
While injuries have ravaged the 49ers’ roster this season, Christian McCaffrey has done his part to keep this team afloat. The former Offensive Player of the Year has rushed for 707 yards on the ground and tallied 732 receiving yards with 11 total touchdowns already this season. He will look to add to this against a Panthers’ defense that ranks 13th in points allowed and 18th in yards given up this season. Carolina is weakest against the run, ranking 16th in rushing yards allowed, 21st in net yards per rush attempt, and 26th in rushing touchdowns conceded.
While most of McCaffrey’s props are (rightfully) juiced at a high number, I like the value of his rushing attempts. The 29-year-old is averaging 17.5 rushing attempts per game this season. He has carried the ball over 15.5 times in seven of the 11 games this year, including recording as many as 28 rush attempts in a game.
San Francisco enters as a 7.5-point favorite and holds a favorable game script to keep control of this matchup. If they are able to take a lead, expect them to lean even heavier on McCaffrey’s workload in an effort to control the clock. He is the most talented offensive player on the roster and expect San Francisco to give him the ball plenty. McCaffrey has also recorded over 15.5 rush attempts in two of the three games played with Brock Purdy this year. This number is too low based on the volume of opportunities he is seeing and expect McCaffrey to eclipse this again tonight.
Christian McCaffrey Over 48.5 Receiving Yards (-114)
While he is undoubtedly a running back by position, McCaffrey has been even more dangerous in the passing game this year. He leads the team with 96 targets, and his 74 receptions for 732 receiving yards are each more than double the next most on the team.
In addition, the Panthers have allowed 54 receptions to opposing running backs this season, which is the fourth-most in the league. San Francisco leans on this area of attack as a part of their game plan regardless, and this will especially be the case given the matchup advantage. Across Purdy’s three starts, McCaffrey has tallied nine receptions for 73 yards, six receptions for 92 yards, and five receptions for 40 yards. In total, he is averaging 66.5 receiving yards per game and has tallied over 48.5 receiving yards in nine of the 11 games.
McCaffrey is talented enough to take any short pass for a massive gain and will see multiple opportunities to do so. Especially following the fallout of the Brandon Aiyuk split, San Francisco is weak at the wide receiver positions, and someone needs to make up for this level of production. Count on the three-time Pro Bowler seeing several opportunities out of the backfield, or even lining up outside. This 48.5 receiving yard line is high for most running backs, but McCaffrey has had no trouble clearing it, and there is a need in the 49ers’ offense for him to continue. Don’t be shocked if he reaches this margin on one or two big gains, and for McCaffrey to see far more volume of opportunities than just this.
