Justin Jefferson has established himself as one of the best wide receivers in football, regardless of who is taking snaps under center. But there is increased optimism surrounding the Vikings with the J.J. McCarthy era in full swing. The four-time Pro Bowler will prepare for his second game alongside the Michigan product as they take on the Falcons tonight.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Vikings enter as 3.5-point favorites and hold -180 odds on the moneyline. The Falcons are +150 moneyline underdogs, and the game’s total is set at O/U 44.5 points.
There are plenty of ways to get involved in the action outside of backing a side or total. This article will look at my top Justin Jefferson prop bets ahead of tonight’s Week 2 Sunday Night Football matchup.
Best Justin Jefferson Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Justin Jefferson Over 5.5 Receptions (-132)
The Vikings did not do a good enough job of getting the football to Jefferson in Week 1. While the inspired fourth-quarter comeback deserves praise and has dominated headlines, the struggles to start are still noteworthy. Jefferson was limited to four receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown against the Bears. He was targeted seven times.
Expect it to be a priority for the Vikings’ offense to get their best offensive player more involved. Jefferson averaged 6.1 receptions per game last year and tallied over 5.5 in 12 of the 17 games. He has a friendlier matchup this week with Mike Hughes, who is expected to take on the majority of the coverage responsibilities. Atlanta has a soft secondary that Jefferson shredded for seven receptions, 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns last year.
Minnesota did not air the ball out deep often and still kept the game plan fairly simple for McCarthy in his debut. With this in mind, I prefer betting the receptions over yards until there is a clearer sample size of what the offense will look like with the new QB. Jefferson was still targeted nearly twice as many times as any other pass-catcher on the Vikings in Week 1. Expect McCarthy to look less bothered in the early portions of this game and for Jefferson to be the biggest beneficiary.
Justin Jefferson & Drake London to Combine for 175+ Receiving Yards (+155)
To go outside the box a bit, I am backing Jefferson and Drake London to combine for 175+ receiving yards at +155 odds. This bet is found in the receiving props section.
The 44 receiving yards Jefferson pulled in during Week 1 marked the 13th-fewest across his 78 career games. He averages 95.8 receiving yards per game in his career and has never averaged fewer than 87.5 receiving yards per game over a season. It is far too early to panic over one outlier game with a quarterback making his NFL debut.
On the other side of things, London was targeted 15 times in Week 1 and ended up pulling in eight receptions for 55 yards. Across the three starts that Michael Penix Jr. made last year, London pulled in 22 passes for 352 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He is the clear top option in the pass game, and the chemistry alongside his quarterback is notable.
Both of these wide receivers have cleared 175+ receiving yards individually in their careers. Expect both to be active in the passing attack and for each to make an impact felt in the game. This is a matchup I expect both offenses to have some success airing the ball out, with their young quarterbacks settling in. Getting +155 odds is a great value for the top pass-catching options, and it would not be surprising if both end up cracking 100 yards in the matchup.
