The NFL Playoffs have arrived at long last! The Los Angeles Rams look like a powerhouse for a most part and open up Wild Card Weekend with a… road game? Against… the Carolina Panthers?
Yeah, Bryce Young and Co. won the NFC South with an 8-9 record and now host a postseason matchup. We can debate the merits of this format all day long, but Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua certainly don’t care who they’re playing and will look to down any opponent with an offensive onslaught.
So here we are — let’s outline the top first TD scorer picks on DraftKings Sportsbook for Rams vs. Panthers to start Saturday’s Wild Card Weekend slate.
Panthers vs. Rams first touchdown scorer prop bets
Davante Adams first touchdown scorer (+500)
It’s far easier to project the Rams to open the scoring on Saturday than it is for the Panthers. This Los Angeles offense led the NFL with 3.8 touchdowns per game during the regular season and scored TDs in the red zone at a 63.16% clip, seventh-best in the league. Carolina comes in allowing 2.5 touchdowns per contest (14th), so the Rams should stampede in this one. If any player should be a favorite to score first, it’s wideout Davante Adams. While he hasn’t played since Week 15 due to a hamstring issue, the veteran appears healthy now and will surely play a massive role once again. Despite missing several contests, Adams tied with Amon-Ra St. Brown for the most red-zone targets of any wideout with 32 on the campaign. The Rams fed their star the ball plenty in the most important part of the field as he tallied an NFL-best 14 receiving touchdowns, 12 of which came inside the 20-yard line. The even more interesting part is that Adams worked as a de-facto goal-line back, logging 16 targets inside the five. The next-closest wideout garnered just nine. At +500 odds, this is a smash pick assuming L.A. scores first.
Kyren Williams first touchdown scorer (+475)
I considered taking a Panthers player here, but with the Rams allowing just 2.2 touchdowns per game and Carolina scoring just 2.1 (26th), we’re sticking with L.A. here. It simply feels much more likely that the visitors score first since they’re a far superior team. Aside from Adams, the other top pick looks like Kyren Williams. Yes, the halfback is a chalky play, but he’ll likely get the first series or two before his backfield mate Blake Corum sees much run. With that said, Williams scored 13 total touchdowns this season and has clearly displayed a nose for the end zone as a pro. His 49 carries in the red zone rank eighth among all halfbacks and he saw nine targets in that area as well. More importantly, he took 17 carries inside the five-yard line, fifth-most at the position. The Panthers allowed relatively few passing touchdowns with 20 on the year, but the 20 rushing touchdowns they conceded ended up as the fourth-most of any team. If Los Angeles drives downfield to open this game, chances are Williams will get some touches.
For full odds of anytime and first TD scorers, check out the image below!
