Chargers vs Saints Props – MNF Best Team and Player Prop Bets for Week 5

• The LA Chargers clash with the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football (Oct. 12th, 8:15 pm EST)
• Our MNF prop bets were 3-1 in Week 4 (2020 season: -1.77 units)
• Read below for analysis and our favorite Monday Night Football prop bets

Monday Night Football this week was supposed to mark the return of reigning receiving King Michael Thomas to the New Orleans Saints’ lineup. Unfortunately, that won’t be happening, but not because of an injury setback.

Saints’ WR Michael Thomas had an altercation with a teammate at practice this weekend, per league sources. Saints now disciplining Thomas by sitting him Monday night, when he was being listed as questionable with an ankle injury.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 11, 2020

Thomas hasn’t played since Week 1 due to a high-ankle sprain, and when he’s out of the lineup, no one benefits more than Alvin Kamara. The New Orleans RB gobbles up all the underneath work in the passing game, something we can definitely take advantage of in the NFL prop betting market.

Chargers vs Saints Player Props

All Odds taken Oct. 12th at DraftKings

Prop #1: Alvin Kamara Over 46.5 Receiving Yards

In three games without Thomas this season, Kamara has racked up catch totals of 9, 13 and 3. He’s totalled 270 receiving yards during that stretch and has been Drew Brees’ most reliable target.

Packers defense looking like a freshmen high school team as Alvin Kamara runs through everyone for a TD pic.twitter.com/8VzgNPEoXJ

— Eric Rosenthal (@ericsports) September 28, 2020

Brees’ average yards per attempt is down at 7.8 this season, which aligns perfectly with the type of routes Kamara likes to run. Also working in his favor is the fact that the Chargers defense has been decimated by injuries. Half of their defensive line is missing in action, as is stud safety Derwin James who was lost to IR before the season started.

LAC is allowing the sixth most catches to opposing running backs so far in 2020, which makes this an ideal spot for Kamara.

Pick: Kamara Over 46.5 receiving yards, 2 units

Prop #2: Joshua Kelley Under 49.5 Rushing Yards

Austin Ekeler is out which means rookie Joshua Kelly is now LA’s lead back. Kelley started off the year strong posting at least 60 yards rushing in the first two games of the season, but struggled in Weeks 3 and 4. He contributed just 50 rush yards total in those games, while losing two fumbles.

Chargers final HB snap count
Joshua Kelley 30
Justin Jackson 21
Austin Ekeler 3(injured)

— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) October 4, 2020

He’s averaging just 3.3 yards per carry and will face competition for work from Justin Jackson. Once Ekeler went down in Week 4, Kelley only out-touched Jackson 12-8, and played on just 57% of the offensive snaps.

The matchup against New Orleans’ rush defense is not favorable, as the Saints are allowing just 3.57 yards per rush attempt. Los Angeles is a significant underdog in the Chargers vs Saints odds, and could be forced to abandon the run if they get down early.

Pick: Kelley Under 49.5 rushing yards, 1 unit

Chargers vs Saints Scoring Props

Prop #3: Kamara Strikes First

Kamara’s usage in general is off the charts, but it gets amped up in the red zone. He has 14 carries and 7 targets inside the 20-yard line this season, and his seven touchdowns are more than he had in the entire 2019 season. Yes, he has the shortest odds to score first, but +425 is still a very appealing price tag.

In addition to Kamara, I’m also going to sprinkle a quarter of a unit on Hunter Henry. He’s seen target counts of 8, 7 and 4 with Herbert under center, and tight ends have been feasting on the Saints all season.

Rivers ➡️ Hunter Henry

TD after a 16-play drive 😅#LACvsOAK | #TNF

(via @NFL)

pic.twitter.com/kcG9v5gUl5

— PFF (@PFF) November 8, 2019

New Orleans has given up 26 receptions for 283 yards and four TD to opposing tight ends, allowing at least one touchdown in each game. Henry has yet to hit paydirt this season, but I’m betting that changes on Monday.

Keenan Allen is also due for some positive touchdown regression, as he’s found the end zone just once despite commanding a team-high 40 targets. He has at least 7 catches in all three games with Herbert, and it’s only a matter of time before they start connecting more often for scores.

Picks: Kamara to score first (+425), 0.5 units, Henry to score first (+1300), 0.25 units, Allen to score anytime (+110), 1 unit