3 Props to Bet on Monday Night Football of Week 1: Stafford will Shine

• Monday Night Football kicks off with the Lions hosting the Jets, followed by the Rams vs Raiders
• Can Matthew Stafford throw more TDs than Sam Darnold?
• See the props we are most confident in for tonight’s games

Monday Night Football features two games this week with the Lions hosting the Jets followed by the Raiders hosting the Rams. We dig into the prop cards to find the three best bets for MNF.

Prop #1: Stafford will Throw more TDs than Darnold

*All odds taken on 9/10/18

The Player Props feature allows you to create and customise your own bets on player performance by selecting your bet type, play, and statistic.

The Detroit Lions are about a touchdown favorite over the New York Jets, and likewise, their starting QB Matthew Stafford is favored to have a better day than the Jets’ Sam Darnold.

Stafford has thrown for over 5,000 yards once in his career and over 4,000 yards each of the past six years. In 2017 he threw for 4,446 yards, 29 TDs and averaged 277.9 YPG.

Matthew Stafford is a legitimate MVP candidate in 2018. @POD_Payton explains why: https://t.co/b4L9o33UoY

— Pride of Detroit (@PrideOfDetroit) September 3, 2018

New York allowed 234.3 YPG through the air last year ranking 21st, while Stafford’s offense ranked 6th in the league in passing. Darnold will be making his first ever NFL start as the youngest player ever (21) to start an NFL opening day game.

Pick: STAFFORD TO THROW MORE TOUCHDOWNS THAN DARNOLD

Prop #2: Blount Will Have at Least 50 Rushing Yards

Sticking with the Player Prop Builder, let’s focus in on Detroit’s new running back LeGarrette Blount.

The Super Bowl champion departed Philly in the offseason and joins a Lions’ rushing attack that ranked dead last in the NFL in 2017, with only 76.3 YPG. Luckily, the Jets weren’t one of the stronger teams against the rush last season, ranking 24th by allowing 117.9 YPG.

The Lions have shown to be keen on working Blount into the lineup as he actually carried the ball the most of any Lions’ backs in the preseason. Blount had 27 carries for 98 yards in the three preseason games he participated in. His carries and yardage increased from 5 carries/21 yards to 11/32 and 11/45.

In the Jets’ preseason, two rushers cracked the 50-yard mark against them in Week 4. One rusher recorded 71 yards against them in Week 3, and they allowed 45 yards to a single rusher in Week 2. Blount looks to be in for at least a 50-yard day of his own.

LeGarrette Blount’s Recent Career Stats

Pick: BLOUNT TO HAVE AT LEAST 50 RUSHING YARDS

Prop #3: Jordy Nelson To Score a Touchdown

Todd Gurley is the clear favorite, but his -280 odds offer little value. So instead let’s take a look at a few of the leading candidates who can be had at even money.

I’ll go with the new addition to the Raiders in Jordy Nelson. Nelson had been Aaron Rodgers’ favorite security blanket in Green Bay for years and should be able to move into a similar role in Oakland for Derek Carr.

He only had six TDs last year but Rodgers also missed most of the season. In his previous two seasons Nelson had 14 and 13 TDs.

Nelson didn’t see much action during the preseason but he’s already made an impression with his teammates.

“It’s added experience to the room,” said Amari Cooper. “Jordy is a bit like me: He doesn’t talk much, but when he does talk, it’s always something important and my ears always perk up.”

Best Bet: JORDY NELSON +110