PREVIOUS WEEK RESULTS:
5-2
SEASON RESULTS:
5-2
Week 1 Recap:
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again… You won’t hear us complain too much with any winning weekend, especially a strong 5-2 with plus juice on two of the wagers. The only issue we have with how week one played out, is the fact that we really could have and should have been a perfect 7-0. Our first loss was with Ryan Fitzpatrick, who unfortunately was injured on the team’s second series, and left the game with a hip injury. Our other loss was the combined yardage for Alvin Kamara, who finished just 6 yards shy, and you have to imagine would have easily gotten there if he hadn’t sat for much of the fourth quarter, with his team absolutely destroying the Packers. Our five winning bets actually cruised pretty easily, as the overs were achieved in the first half or early third quarters in the other games.
Week 2 Preview:
A normal prop weekend usually consists of about 6 plays for the BetCrushers if you’ve followed us in the past. This weekend was so difficult to narrow down that we’re offering our biggest slate ever to select from. With a high-scoring Sunday expected, we’re going over on a lot of guys, and only fading one QB to the under. You could say we’re fading the Cowboys a bit too with two Chargers on our list. Before Cowboy fans get too salty, we’d better mention we have a pair of Cowboys on the list as well. We’re also back to the well with a couple of repeat plays on week one winners. Overall, we’re double a typical NFL weekend as we’ve got a whopping 12 plays for you. Play responsibly and good luck!
Our Picks:
Derek Carr – Under 271.5 Passing Yards (-115)
Derek Carr really played great in the teams exciting week one overtime thriller against the Baltimore Ravens. We’re definitely in the “Carr is not respected enough” camp as a general rule. This week is a different story however, as Carr has to try to get his team motivated to go on the road across the country to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers defense is fierce, and their pass rush will get to Carr, eliminating a lot of what they want to do with the passing game. In their first game, they really held Josh Allen and the Bills offense down, despite 51 passing attempts in the game. Even though Josh Jacobs is absent, this should be more of the old style Raider-Steeler games that features running and defense. We’re expecting under 250 for Carr, so getting an extra 21 yards is a no brainer for us on this prop bet.
Tyrod Taylor – Over 22.5 Yards Rushing (-115)
One of the easiest cashes we had in the opening weekend was Tyrod Taylor’s rushing yardage prop. Just because Taylor is a little older these days, it doesn’t mean he can’t run with the football as he showed last Sunday. He’ll face a little tougher pass rush with Myles Garrett as well so he’ll have to run out of pure necessity in this ballgame. In a game where the Browns should score plenty of points, the Texans will need to throw the football a lot, which will give Taylor many opportunities to tuck and run. The sportsbooks will eventually adapt and raise this number for Taylor, so take advantage of this one while you still can.
Cole Beasley – Over 4.5 Receptions (-120)
Our other repeat play involves catch machine, Cole Beasley taking his game to South Beach for an important game against the Miami Dolphins. Much as we stated a week ago, anytime you can get Beasley under 6.5 catches it has to be an automatic play no matter the matchup. If you need some extra ammunition to fire on this bet, it’s worth noting that Josh Allen has destroyed the Dolphins during his young career. With Stefon Diggs likely to see a lot of Xavien Howard, Beasley should again be a popular target in the passing game. His 8 catches for 60 yard stat line against the Steelers should end up being duplicated this Sunday against Miami.
Joe Mixon – Over 66.5 Yards Rushing (-110)
In what should be considered a somewhat big upset, the Bengals came away with a win in week one against the Minnesota Vikings. Lost in the return of Joe Burrow and the excitement of rookie Ja’Marr Chase and the passing game, was the return of running back Joe Mixon. He proved he’s back from his own injury of a season ago, and ran hard against what many believed was an improved Mike Zimmer defense. The Bengals take on the Bears this week and we’re expecting another heavy workload for Mixon in a game that could be lower scoring. The Bears defense is not the same vaunted unit we’ve seen in previous years, and their offense isn’t going to light up the scoreboard. In what should be a competitive football game, expect Mixon to get a lot of totes, which should propel him over his modest yardage total.
Austin Ekeler – Over 89.5 Yards Combined Rushing and Receiving (-115)
Don’t look now, but the Los Angeles Chargers are mostly healthy, and look like the football team people thought they could be. Justin Herbert is rightly the budding star as the quarterback, but the pulse of this offense runs through the versatile Austin Ekeler out of the backfield. Ekeler was surprisingly absent in the passing game against the Washington Football Team, a trend we don’t expect to continue. Everyone in America feels like this is going to be a high-scoring game, and the open style should benefit Ekeler. As much as this is about Austin Ekeler, it’s an equally big fade on the Dallas Cowboys defense, which continues to struggle. Missing some key components on the defensive line isn’t going to help the cause either, so play Ekeler with confidence.
Justin Herbert – Over 302.5 Yards Passing (-110)
Speaking of fading the Dallas Cowboys defense, we’re going to go ahead and double-down with quarterback Justin Herbert as well. Herbert picked up where he left off a season ago in the Chargers week one victory against Washington throwing for 337 yards. The Cowboys will be without Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory, meaning Herbert will have plenty of time to throw the football. His connections with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams seem really solid, and he build some rapport with new tight end Jared Cook as well in their first game together. The Cowboys should be able to keep this game close with their own potent offense, so Herbert should have an entire game to throw the ball. There are only a handful of quarterbacks we wouldn’t want to take to go over 300 yards against the Dallas defense, and Justin Herbert definitely isn’t one of them.
Chris Carson – Over 62.5 Yards Rushing (-115)
Russell Wilson got off to another hot start in 2021 as the Seahawks looked strong in their opening week win. Week two has them pitted against the Tennessee Titans, a team that looked really unprepared in week one. The Seahawks will no doubt take their shots with their talented wide receivers, but this is lining up as a Chris Carson type game. Carson should be able to bull his way through the Titans front seven, and we wouldn’t be shocked if he can find the century mark here. His top backup was placed on IR, meaning he might grab a few more snaps than he normally would. With his total resting at only 62.5 yards, we’re going to lean over with a play here.
Devin Singletary – Over 36.5 Yards Rushing (-115)
The Bills threw the ball 51 times in their loss to the Steelers, and never really attempted to establish a running game. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll took some heat and agreed that the team should be a little more balanced. Buffalo should be more committed on Sunday against the Dolphins, a team that’s not necessarily great at stopping the run. Zack Moss will likely be back in the lineup and take some snaps from Singletary, but at just 36.5 yards, this number is too low to pass up. Singletary rushed for 72 yards on just 11 attempts in week one, so if he can get a similar number, this seems almost too easy.
Dak Prescott – Over 306.5 Yards Passing (-115)
The Cowboys may be one of the most disliked teams in the world, but it sure felt like people were rooting for Dak Prescott in his return from his ankle injury of a season ago. Prescott jumped right back into things, throwing accurately and confidently as the Cowboys offense looks like it’ll carry the burden for Dallas again. The Chargers defense is absolutely no joke, so don’t expect things to be easy for Dak and the Boys’ as they try to spring a road upset. Even though it won’t be a slam dunk, Prescott has been a 400 yard passing machine in his last half of a dozen starts. We’re going against the tough matchup here and thinking that he can tick just past his current total.
Dalton Schultz – Over 2.5 Receptions (-125)
Dak Prescott isn’t the only Cowboy we’re liking this week, as we’ve got his top tight end Dalton Schultz marked for a wager as well. Stepping in for Blake Jarwin last season Schultz was a pleasant surprise for the Cowboys offense, and he wasn’t planning to give his starting job back this year. Schultz is listed on DraftKings at over 2.5 catches, but some books have him at 3, both are playable numbers. The Cowboys will be throwing a lot, and with Michael Gallup out of the lineup, Schultz should see an extra target or two. He caught six balls against a really good Tampa Bay defense, so facing a tough Chargers team shouldn’t be a big issue.
Melvin Gordon – Over 46.5 Yards Rushing (-115)
Betting overs on running back props with backs who are in a timeshare can be a bit risky as it’s possible they’ll lose carries if the other back is “hotter”. We’re willing to take that chance with Melvin Gordon simply based on his matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags defense was absolutely torched by the Houston Texans in their opener, and there is no reason to believe they’ll have the talent and game plan to be any better against Denver. Gordon was actually held in check for most of week one before breaking a long touchdown late. That’s part of the beauty of Gordon, even though he isn’t the fastest back in the league, he almost always seems to break a decent run off each game. Until the Jaguars prove they can stop anyone on defense, we’ll be taking overs against them all season. Melvin Gordon gets the nod in week number two.
Aaron Jones – Over 67.5 Yards Rushing (-115)
No one laid a bigger egg in the season opener than the Green Bay Packers, and that includes running back Aaron Jones. The Packers offense was completely stymied by the Saints and the team basically threw in the towel in the second half. Nothing cures a poor performance like a matchup with the Detroit Lions, something Jones and the Pack have on Monday Night Football. Yes, this is basically the Lions “Super Bowl” for the season so they’ll be fired up and playing hard. After the dud last week, it’s safe to believe that the Packers will be even more fired up to show their performance was a fluke, and beat up on divisional little brother once again. The Lions defense gave up a lot of rushing yards to the 49ers, and with a thin secondary they’ll need to offer some help with Davante Adams. That should leave some running lanes for Jones who will have a bounce back performance in the lights. We’re expecting around 80+ yards rushing from Aaron Jones, so taking the over on this one for us was a must.
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