Week 14 of the NFL season will kick off with a Thursday Night matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions.
Neither team holds its desired outlook on the season, but they remain in the playoff race with the home stretch of the season in front of them. The Lions have dropped to 7-5 and now sit in third place in the NFC North behind the Packers and Bears. The Cowboys hold a record of 6-5-1 on the season, but have won three consecutive games to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Looking at the odds for this Week 14 matchup, the Lions enter as three-point favorites with -166 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Cowboys hold +140 odds of pulling off the outright upset, with the game total set at 54.5 points.
There are plenty of ways to get involved in the action outside of backing a side or total. Here’s a look at the top player prop bets for TNF on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Cowboys at Lions Best Prop Bets
Jahmyr Gibbs Longest Rush Over 16.5 Yards (-125)
Few players in the entire NFL carry more big-play potential than Jahmyr Gibbs. The 23-year-old is capable of taking any rush attempt for a massive gain and will get plenty of opportunities to do so. So far this season, Gibbs has carried the ball 175 times for 1,019 rushing yards, while adding 397 receiving yards and 13 total touchdowns.
He will look to add to this against a Cowboys’ defense that ranks 31st in points allowed and 29th in yards given up this season. Dallas also ranks 20th in rushing yards allowed, 23rd in rushing touchdowns conceded, and 27th in yards per carry. Gibbs is a focal point of the offense already, but his role could expand even further with Amon-Ra St. Brown’s status uncertain due to the ankle injury he suffered last week.
Looking at the big-play ability, Gibbs has produced a longest rush of over 16.5 yards in six of the 12 games overall, including back-to-back weeks entering this game and three of the last four. There is a favorable outlook across each of Gibbs’ rushing props, but I like his chances of breaking free for a long gain at least once as my favorite angle. With a strong offensive line going against a struggling defense, count on Gibbs’ breakaway speed coming into play in the second level for at least one game-changing run. Expect the Lions’ star to capitalize on some significant holes created by the offensive line and for him to be able to do the rest.
Dak Prescott Over 266.5 Passing Yards (-111)
Largely due to their struggling defense, Dak Prescott has needed to lead this Cowboys’ offense to some monstrous scoring totals. He is coming off back-to-back games with 320+ passing yards and has thrown for as many as 361 yards this season. Prescott leads the NFL with 271.8 passing yards per game and has thrown for over 266.5 passing yards in three straight games entering this matchup.
He will face a Lions defense that is banged up and has its concerns even at full strength. On the season overall, Detroit ranks 15th in points allowed and 14th in total yards conceded. They are 30th in passing touchdowns conceded, 21st in yards per pass attempt, and 17th in passing yards allowed. All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph has battled knee problems all season, and Terrion Arnold was officially placed on injured reserve this week. The Lions use man coverage at a high rate, and this will be a problem with the star duo of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens lining up against them.
While they have shown some improvement in recent weeks, it has felt like no lead is safe with this Cowboys’ defense for most of the season. Expect Dallas to keep their foot on the gas throughout and for Prescott to carry this responsibility. The offensive firepower that Detroit holds will also force this to be the case. Buckle up from some points to occur from each of these offenses. This is a high passing total, but Jameis Winston lit this same Lions defense up for 366 passing yards two weeks ago, and Jordan Love had plenty of success in the previous game. Expect Prescott to continue playing at a high level and throw for over 266.5 passing yards for the fourth straight game.
Dak Prescott to Record 3+ Passing Touchdowns (+214)
The yardage may get the headlines, but these are far from empty-calorie stats that Dak Prescott is putting up. He is leading the Cowboys on drives and doing his part to finish around the end zone. The 32-year-old has 25 passing touchdowns already this season, tied for the second most in the NFL. He is averaging 2.1 passing scores per game and has thrown three or more touchdowns in five of 12 games.
The weapons around him have only gotten stronger since this point. Dallas’ wide receiver duo of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens has given opponents fits all season. The two have combined for 11 touchdowns between them, even with Lamb missing some time, while Jake Ferguson has seven scores of his own. Expect the Lions to struggle to contain Prescott with their 30th-ranked passing touchdown defense in mind.
Dallas prefers to attack through the air anyway, and this matchup advantage will only reinforce this game plan. The odds are set at -168 on DraftKings Sportsbook for Prescott to throw for two touchdowns, and upping that to +214 feels like great value.
Detroit allowed four passing touchdowns to Jordan Love last week, while the Giants tallied three passing scores against them the week before. Expect the Cowboys to let Prescott air it out to the end zone, and for the three-time Pro Bowler to throw for at least three scores.
