NFL Player Prop Bets Week 2:

One week’s worth of stats is in the books and it was a rather underwhelming week for passing numbers across the board. That seems to be a very buzzy topic going into Week 2, along with the defensive adjustments that teams are making. The game is all about trying to limit explosives through the air, which is why we’re seeing the re-emergence of the running back as an offensive weapon.

There are a lot of copycats in pro sports. When one team finds success doing something, another team picks up on it. Then another. Then another. So, teams find ways to adjust to the adjustment and that’s when you get some new innovation. Or maybe something old comes back again. Whatever the case, and however you want to describe it, football has definitely changed and you have to keep those changes in mind when handicapping the player prop markets.

 

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Along with these, I’ve also done my First Touchdown Scorer picks and my VSiN colleague Matt Williams shared his favorite NFL player prop bets for Week 2 also.

Here are some NFL Player Prop Bets for Week 2

Gardner Minshew (LV) Over 201.5 Passing Yards (-115)

The projected game state is the driving force behind this bet for me. In last week’s game, which the Raiders didn’t trail by more than two scores until there was 3:40 left to play, Las Vegas still relied a lot on the pass. Minshew was 25-of-33 for 257 yards. Zamir White and Alexander Mattison combined for just 18 total rushing attempts.

Even in a close game, the Raiders were still pass-happy, a sign of the strength of the running back position, but also what Luke Getsy may want to do with this offense – something he couldn’t really do in Chicago because of Justin Fields’ legs and passing limitations.

But, in this game, the Ravens are over a touchdown favorite and many expect the Raiders to get blown out. A lot of time spent trailing means a lot of time spent throwing. I would expect Minshew to be busy and to be facing some soft Cover-2 and Cover-3 in the second half as the Ravens protect the lead while letting the clock run.

DeAndre Hopkins (TEN) Under 2.5 Receptions (+125)

Despite Brian Callahan’s midweek comments that Hopkins would be closer to a full workload against the Jets, I’m not buying it. There’s a pretty good chance of rain throughout the weekend in Nashville. Hopkins, who is playing with a torn MCL, only had 17 snaps in Week 1. Callahan also said that he wanted to work Tyjae Spears in more frequently. Where are all of these touches going to go?

As it is, Chigoziem Okonkwo only had two catches last week and Will Levis seems to be the same terrible QB we saw last season. I’m guessing Callahan wants to run the ball more this week and I don’t really see Hopkins as a big factor, especially if it rains.

Josh Hines-Allen (JAX) Over 0.75 Sacks (-105)

Hines-Allen had the top snap count among Jags pass rushers in Week 1 at 82% and he draws a Cleveland QB in Deshaun Watson who was sacked six times last week and an offensive line that doesn’t seem a whole lot stronger this week.

I am intrigued by Arik Armstead Over 0.25 Sacks at plus money here as well, but he only played 31 defensive snaps last week. We’ll see if the 31-year old plays more here, but Hines-Allen was at the top of the pecking order and recorded one pressure with one full sack. He had 17.5 sacks in this defense last year and racked up 46 pressures. I’d expect him to disrupt some things against the Browns.

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