Following a hectic Week 3, which concluded with a Monday Night Football doubleheader, the NFL powers on in Week 4.
This week will be kicked off with an NFC East battle on Thursday Night Football between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants. While the teams had far different expectations entering the season, both hold a 1-2 record, with their lone victories occurring against the Cleveland Browns.
The Dallas Cowboys enter as 6-point favorites on the spread and are -258 currently on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Giants will be looking to defend their home turf as +210 underdogs on the moneyline. The over/under for the game sits at 45 points for the matchup.
While we have plenty of articles on the site for the game outlook, DFS and Pick6 breakdowns, here is a look at some of the most intriguing player props ahead of the Thursday Night matchup.
Jake Ferguson Over 41.5 Receiving Yards (-115)
The Dallas Cowboys selected Jake Ferguson in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft and have quickly put him on the path to being a staple of the offense. The Wisconsin product had a breakout season last season, recording 71 receptions for 761 yards, 40 first downs and five touchdowns.
He has gotten off to a bit of a rocky start as Ferguson suffered a bone bruise and MCL sprain in the opening week. This injury forced Ferguson to miss Week 2. The 25-year-old returned to the field last week where he caught six of the 11 passes sent his way for 95 yards.
Look for Ferguson to build off this performance and eclipse 41.5 yards again against the Giants. He cleared this margin in nine of the 17 games last season and is more important to the Cowboys’ offense this year. Despite missing the second week, Ferguson is tied for second on the team in targets with 16 on the season, trailing only CeeDee Lamb. Expect the Cowboys to make it a point to get the ball in Ferguson’s hands and for him to eclipse the 41.5-yard margin in this matchup. While we are sticking to this number for the sake of the article, the alternate line of 60+ receiving yards at +230 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook also has my eye.
Wan’Dale Robinson Over 34.5 Receiving Yards (-115)
There has been plenty of attention paid to Malik Nabers for his explosive start to his NFL career. The Giants spent the sixth overall pick in the draft on the LSU product who has rewarded them with 23 receptions for 271 yards and three touchdowns in the opening three weeks.
Expect Nabers to have the defense heavily focused on him in this matchup and for this to open the door for Wan’Dale Robinson to put forth an impressive performance. Robinson is also off to a successful start to the season and has recorded 15 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown through the first three weeks.
Robinson is a big-play threat who the Giants will look to utilize. He is capable of clearing 34.5 receiving yards on just one play and looks to have established himself as a more important part of the New York offense than most expected. He tallied 12 targets in the opening week, four in Week 2 and eight in last week’s victory. Expect him to receive a few big-play opportunities and clear the 34.5-yard margin. Robinson tallied over 60 yards receiving last week and if you think he can replicate this performance, you can take the alternate line for 60+ yards at +340 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook as well.
Rico Dowdle Over 55.5 Rushing and Receiving Yards (+100)
The days of Ezekiel Elliott serving as the bell-cow running back of the Cowboys are officially in the past. Instead, Rico Dowdle looks to have taken the reins for the most important back on the team. Elliott played in 51% of offensive snaps in the opening week, 40% in Week 2 and was on the field for just 19% of offensive snaps last week. Dowdle has been more consistent, recording 44%, 43% and 46% of the offensive snaps throughout the first three weeks.
This feels set to be the week in which Dowdle will have his full breakout. He tallied 32 yards from scrimmage the opening week, 59 yards in Week 2 and 56 last week. This occurred in nine touches in Week 1, 12 in the Cowboys’ second week and 13 in Week 3. Look for the opportunity for Dowdle to further expand on Thursday Night Football. He is more effective in the passing game and capable as a runner on the ground as well.
You can bet on Dowdle to eclipse 55.5 yards from scrimmage at +100 odds. You can also wager on Dowdle’s alternate line of 75+ yards at +215 odds.
Daniel Jones Over 237.5 Passing and Rushing Yards (-115)
Turnovers will always be the Achilles heel in Daniel Jones’ game. The Giants starting quarterback has fumbled the ball 47 times and thrown 42 interceptions across the 63 games he has played at the NFL level. However, beyond this, Jones’ production has not been bad from a statistical standpoint.
Throughout the entirety of Jones’ career, he is averaging 208.1 passing yards and 31.4 rushing yards per game. Looking at this season, Jones had 201 combined passing and rushing yards in Week 1, 210 in Week 2 and 256 yards last week.
If the Cowboys are who they think they are, they should have no problem putting points on the board in this matchup. Expect the Giants to fall behind early and for New York to be forced to rely on its aerial attack. Jones is constantly a threat to break off a significant rushing attack so I prefer this line over the 200.5 passing yard margin. This may end up being a garbage-time number, but expect Jones to go down swinging and record over 237.5 passing and rushing yards in the Thursday Night matchup.
Malik Nabers to Record 25+ Yards Receiving in Each Half (+125)
Malik Nabers has officially arrived on the NFL stage. He has looked like a man among boys at the next level. The 37 targets thrown in his direction lead all wide receivers in the NFL. In total, Nabers has tallied 271 yards receiving and three touchdowns.
While he has recorded 66 or more receiving yards in all three games, it would not surprise me if this is a bit of a down week for Nabers. He is sure to be at the top of the Cowboys’ scouting report and will see increased coverage throughout the game. Nabers’ receiving props are set at 6.5 receptions and 70.5 yards for the matchup.
Instead, we are getting a bit creative and taking a DraftKings special for him to record 25+ receiving yards in each half. New York will be looking to put the ball in his hands as much as possible and this is a small margin for Nabers to clear. The LSU star is also capable of turning any reception into a 25+ yard gain and will be trusted to go up and make a play whenever it does get him in one-on-one coverage. While I am avoiding him for a full-game total, the +125 value is too good to pass up here.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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