The biggest matchup of NFL Week 14 may just take place on Thursday Night Football. The Dallas Cowboys are riding a three-game winning streak after a standout Thanksgiving victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, but face their toughest test yet on the road in primetime. The Detroit Lions await, though an injury to Amon-Ra St. Brown may keep things closer than anticipated. That does open up more opportunities for the other weapons in the offense though, leaving Jahmyr Gibbs positioned to take advantage.
Here are the best Jahmyr Gibbs prop bets to consider on DraftKings Sportsbook for Lions vs. Cowboys on Thursday Night Football in Week 14.
Best Jahmyr Gibbs prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
The Lions’ offense remains one of the best in the entire NFL, averaging 29.2 PPG with 376.3 yards per contest, both the third-best marks in the league. The run game is particularly effective, posting an average of 138.1 rushing yards in the typical week as well — another top-four ranking. As great as the numbers are on a season-long basis though, they’ve looked particularly effective over the past four games ever since head coach Dan Campbell took over the offensive play-calling duties back in Week 10. While the team’s just 2-2 since then, producing points hasn’t been the issue by any means.
One of the key changes Campbell has made is increasing the involvement of star halfback Jahmyr Gibbs, who’s seen additional work in recent weeks and truly made the most of it. The 23-year-old eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the ground this past week and boasts 1,416 yards from scrimmage along with 13 total touchdowns on the season, displaying his game-breaking ability with the ball in his hands both on the ground and as a receiver. Over the four-game span since Campbell took over as the play caller, Gibbs has actually eclipsed 100 scrimmage yards in three contests after failing to do so in six of his first eight contests of the year. With at least 17 touches in each of these last four appearances, feeding the star is a clear priority.
This matchup with the Cowboys is intriguing for multiple reasons. First of all, the game’s total on DraftKings Sportsbook sits at 54.5, one of the highest on the Week 14 slate. With two high-powered offenses going head-to-head, there should be no shortage of points scored or offensive yardage on either side. The other reason Gibbs’ prop bets look nice in this one is because the Dallas defense has largely performed poorly against the run with 124.7 rushing yards allowed per game. It’s worth noting that the Cowboys gave up 27, 63 and 119 yards across their first three games with Quinnen Williams on the defensive line, so an average of 69.7 rushing yards allowed may indicate a significant improvement in that area.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Gibbs’ prop bet lines are set at O/U 16 rush attempts, 77.5 rushing yards, 4.5 receptions and 37.5 receiving yards with -235 odds to score an anytime touchdown.
Regardless of whether the Dallas front seven is playing better, Gibbs is an elite talent who can create something out of nothing even when given little room to run. That’s why I’m backing him to go over this rushing yards line at -113 odds and considering an alt line of 100+ rushing yards at +232 odds for a much larger payout as well. Gibbs has gone over the 77.5-yard mark five times this season with three of those instances coming over his last six games. He’s two-for-four eclipsing it since Campbell took over the play sheet, and with at least 15 carries in three of four contests since, he sees ample opportunity on the ground. To top it off, he’s an incredibly efficient runner with an average of 5.8 YPC and is one of the NFL’s premier big-play threats with the seventh-most rushes of 10+ yards and most rushes of 20+, 30+, and 40+ yards of any player in the league.
In case you need more reason to believe in the over on the rushing yards (or Gibbs’ potential to eclipse the 100-yard mark, which he’s done twice in the last four weeks on the ground), Amon-Ra St. Brown is questionable to play with an ankle injury. If the Lions’ top receiving threat winds up sidelined, the team could lean more heavily on the run and place the ball in the hands of its top remaining playmaker. It’s not a guarantee, but it is food for thought nonetheless.
