After feasting on football all day yesterday, it’s time for the first edition of Monday Night Football in the 2026 NFL season. This matchup is a juicy one, pitting the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs against each other in an AFC West rivalry tilt. Bo Nix has impressed throughout his young pro career, and now he has a new weapon to throw to in top wideout Jaylen Waddle.
Here’s the best player prop bet on DraftKings Sportsbook for Bo Nix in Broncos vs. Chiefs on Monday Night Football.
Bo Nix best passing yards pick vs. Chiefs
The Broncos’ QB1 now enters his third season with a quality resume. Over his first two years, he’s posted a completion rate of 64.8% with over 7.700 passing yards and 54 touchdowns, also racking up nearly 800 yards and nine more scores with his legs. He’s led Denver to consecutive seasons of double-digit wins, including an AFC West title last year. Had he not suffered an ankle injury in the Divisional Round of the playoffs that ended his season prematurely, the team may have even been able to punch a ticket into the Super Bowl.
We know that he’s not in the upper echelon of NFL passers, but Nix has consistently delivered good-to-great play under center thus far in his career. Now, he enters 2026 with his best supporting cast yet – the Broncos traded for former Miami Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle, who joins Courtland Sutton as one of the more intriguing one-two punches in the league at the position. We also know that Sean Payton’s offenses tend to throw the ball at one of the highest rates of any team, too. Just look at last year, when the Broncos ranked fourth in total pass attempts and seventh in pass rate over expectation.
Heading into the opening Monday Night Football matchup of 2026, DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Broncos as a +2.5 underdog on the road with +114 odds on the Moneyline. The game total is set at 43.5 combined points.
Given that listing, it may be a good night to target the over on Nix’s passing yards prop, which is set at O/U 1.5. There’s an expectation that Denver may be playing from behind in this one, especially with the Chiefs largely expected to rebound this year after a poor 2025. If the visitors trail, we’re looking at what may be significant passing volume from the quarterback. Even if the Broncos play with a lead or are in a neutral game script, though, Nix is likely to see plenty of pass attempts – he threw 37 and 38 in two games against Kansas City last season.
If Payton’s offense had an above-average PROE last season, then that may even see an uptick moving forward given the addition of Waddle into this receiver group. The former Pro Bowler is a perfect fit for how the head coach usually wants to attack the field – he’s one of the best players in the league at gaining yards after the catch on screen passes but can also stretch the field with his elite long speed. In a game that should be competitive, there’ll likely be plenty of chances for Nix to feed Waddle and Sutton, the latter of whom should also see slightly softer coverage than in the past now that he’s sharing the field with, at worst, a top-20 wideout in the league.
For what it’s worst, the Chiefs also traded All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie this offseason and will depend on rookie first-rounder Mansoor Delane as their primary option that the position moving forward. Plus, they have two new safeties in the mix between Alohi Gilman and L’Jarius Sneed. While the latter is familiar with the defense Steve Spanguolo runs after spending much of his career in Kansas City, he’s clearly no longer the player he used to be.
In short, the matchup isn’t nearly as difficult as it may appear for Nix on paper and game script as well as offensive philosophy should provide him with plenty of volume. With a new top weapon in the mix, the quarterback should be able to get to 230+ passing yards on Monday Night Football.
