Jahmyr Gibbs Rushing Yards Pick for Lions vs. Bills

Jahmyr Gibbs and the Detroit Lions will be looking to add to their 1-0 start to the season in a Thursday Night Football matchup with the Buffalo Bills. Detroit was pushed well beyond comfort in a 31-30 overtime victory over the New Orleans Saints. But Gibbs played a vital role in the win, as he has grown into the clear bell-cow back and will be eager to add to this in a favorable matchup against a poor rushing defense in Week 2.

Looking at the odds for the matchup, the Bills enter as 4.5-point favorites and hold -230 odds to win outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Lions hold +190 odds to produce the upset, with the game total set at 54.5 points.

There are plenty of ways to get involved in the action across DraftKings Sportsbook. You can check out the preview for the game outlook and plenty more on DraftKings Network here. But let’s look at my top Jahmyr Gibbs prop bet for tonight’s Thursday Night Football matchup.

Jahmyr Gibbs Best Rushing Yards Pick vs. Bills

Jahmyr Gibbs Over 89.5 Rushing Yards (-113)

After splitting carries at the start of his career with David Montgomery, the Detroit Lions have fully committed to Jahmyr Gibbs as the lead back and are reaping the benefits. The Alabama product is coming off a career-high and NFL-leading 29 carries in the Week 1 victory, converting these chances into 156 rushing yards and two touchdowns. This was all while his longest rush attempt was limited to 21 yards. He also added five receptions for 30 yards through the air.

This is a favorable matchup to build off the strong start to the season, with Buffalo finishing last season ranked 28th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed, 31st in rushing touchdowns conceded, and 30th in net yards per rush attempt. The early returns are not promising for improvement for the Bills, as they were gashed for 124 yards and two scores in their Week 1 victory. This came primarily from 60 yards and a pair of scores from former Montgomery, now suiting up for the Texans, and 42 additional rushing yards from Woody Marks.

Gibbs is the type of home run-hitting running back that can take any given rush attempt for a monster gain and turn it into a score. He has game-breaking speed and no longer has real competition looking over his shoulder for carries. Sione Vaki and Jared Goff each tallied two rush attempts in the opener, but neither should be expected to play much of a role in this area this season.

So much attention is brought to all the weapons in the high-powered Lions’ attack. While player like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams are certainly deserving of notable places on the scouting report, it is becoming increasingly clear that the foundation of this Detroit offense is built upon Gibbs. He has tallied 2,635 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns across the past two seasons and is coming off his most carries in his career in Week 1. With the favorable matchup against the poor Bills’ rushing defense, expect the Lions to put the ball in his hands plenty and for Gibbs to continue leading the offensive attack. Count on the 89.5 rushing yard total to be far too low based on the matchup and his level of opportunity.