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The NFL postseason kicks off on Saturday, signaling the start of the end of football season. If you haven’t made enough from your fantasy football winnings this year, the playoffs are a great time to add a few extra bucks to your wallet. The favorites cleaned up last year, and we’ve got a whole season of data to play with to determine our best bets.
Aside from picking the spreads, there’s good value in the plethora of prop bets available. I scoured Bodog to find some of the best bets this weekend, and I found one prop from each game that I think could prove pretty profitable. Here’s a breakdown of each game, followed by my preferred prop:
Titans at Chiefs
If the Chiefs want a deep playoff run, they’ll need to lean on their playmakers. That means getting All-Pro Travis Kelce involved early and often, including inside the red zone. Kelce has 21 red zone targets this season, nine more than the next Chief. The Titans are a pass-funnel defense, and were burned by tight ends like Garrett Celek and Stephen Anderson late in the regular season. I think this game has Sneaky Shootout potential, and that means Kelce is a lock to score.
Prop: Travis Kelce scores a TD (-130)
Falcons at Rams
Saturday’s evening tilt should have plenty of offense on both sides, and that gives us lots of unique angles. Normally we’d go right to Gurley rushing yards, but I think the Falcons run defense is better than expected and they’ll place a huge emphasis on stopping TG.
In the Falcons offense, the public thought is that Devonta Freeman is the carying back, and Tevin Coleman is the lead receiving back. That role has reversed somewhat this year, and Freeman has been getting plenty of looks in the screen game. We only need two catches here, and Freeman racked up nine grabs in the regular season finale last week. If Freeman is seeing an expanded role in the passing game, this prop could cash on the opening drive.
Prop: Devonta Freeman over 2 catches (-150)
Bills at Jaguars
I really like this one. Tyrod Taylor and the Bills are big underdogs for Sunday, and there’s a chane they’ll be without Shady McCoy. That’s a negative game script for the Bills, forcing Taylor to throw into the vaunted Jaguars defense. On the other side of the field, the Jaguars will likely play it safe with a strong run game. But if the Bills can make a play and force Jacksonville to chase, the Jags will need to win this game on the arm of Blake Bortles. All of that sounds like a delicious recipe for….
Prop: YES a DST will score a TD (+195)
Panthers at Saints
Playing it safe with the Sunday finale and going with the Saints’ elite run game. There’s been a philosophy shift in New Orleans, and NFL fans that haven’t seen the Saints all year might be surprised Sunday at their commitment to the ground game. Kamara makes the highlights, but Mark Ingram has almost double his rushing carries on the season. He only needs 70.5 yards to clear the final prop of the weekend, something he’s done eight times since Week 5. The Saints will want to keep Cam Newton off the field, and that means long drives fueled by Ingram.
Prop: Mark Ingram over 70.5 rushing yards (-120)
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NFL Wild Card Props: Picks For Each Game