First TD Bets — Wild Card Monday Slate
Alex Christenson
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more we have a chance to win a bet on the first touchdown scorer. It’s time for the Super Bowl, the last game of the season, and it should be a doozy. All season, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs have been part of the small club of the best teams in the NFL. Philadelphia’s stout defense and dangerous offense got them through the NFC and to this game for a rematch against the Chiefs.
Kansas City had the best record in the league but rarely won games by big margins. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes know how to win games ugly. It should be a great game and be sure to check out all the incredible content across of FTN Fantasy. For now, enjoy my bets for the player to score the first touchdown of the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl LIX First TD Bets
Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
(+1100, BetMGM/DraftKings Sportsbook)
Worthy is the most dynamic athlete on the Chiefs’ offense and has been used by Andy Reid in special plays all season. We’ve seen Worthy make long runs on jet sweeps and big catches on trick plays. He has the most targets on the team this postseason and even got a carry on a special run play designed for him. I think he’s the best skill player on this offense and should be the best option for the Chiefs to attack this Eagles defense. Scoring on Philadelphia has been tough for teams, but with two weeks to plan, I expect Andy Reid to have a few tricks up his sleeve and several of those should involve Worth. I think he’s well worth(y) a wager to get the first touchdown at a price of +1100 or better.
Marquise Brown, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Brown has been an important part of the passing attack since returning from injury. As I mentioned, scoring on the Eagles’ defense is not an easy task, and it requires speed from a team’s receivers. As one of the fastest players on the team and arguably the best deep ball threat, Brown is going to get some chances to make big plays. Philadelphia has the players to cover Brown but most of those guys will be preoccupied with Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce. At +1700 or better, I think it’s a good idea to bet on Brown to be the first player to get the ball across the goal line.
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
(+1800, FanDuel Sportsbook/BetMGM)
Mahomes is a great runner. He generally avoids rushing during the regular season to keep from getting injured, but in big games, especially playoff games, we see his rushing attempts increase. There is no bigger game than the Super Bowl. As Dan Fouts once said, “Last game of the year … can’t hold anything back now” and I doubt that Mahomes will. Philadelphia struggled to keep Jayden Daniels, and other running QBs throughout the season, from rushing the ball for big gains and touchdowns. There will be chances for Mahomes to run the ball near the end zone and at +1800 or better, I’ll bet that one of those plays is early in the game for the first six pointer of the game.
Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
(+1800, DraftKings Sportsbook/BetMGM)
Goedert has always been one of Jalen Hurts’ favorite targets and continues to be one this postseason. He’s tied for the most targets and most red zone targets on the team during the first three rounds. Kansas City has struggled for years to cover tight ends. A defense can’t cover everything on the field and the Chiefs have generally given up space in the middle of the field where tight ends thrive. Goedert is in line for plenty of catches, a lot of yards, and probably a touchdown. At +1700 or better, I’ll even bet that not only does he get a touchdown, but that it’s the first touchdown of the day.
Grant Calcaterra, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
(+8000, FanDuel Sportsbook/Caesars)
As I mentioned, the Chiefs are bad at defending opposing tight ends. Goedert is the top player at that position but certainly not the only tight end to get on the field. Calcaterra played about 50% of the snaps this postseason and has been used in the passing offense while on the field. It’s certainly more likely that Goedert scores before Calcaterra, if he scores at all, but this price is much too high. The Eagles will use two tight end sets often and with the defense locked in on Saquon Barkley and Philadelphia’s wideouts there will be chances for Calcaterra to find space and make good use of it. At +8000 or better, it’s worth a wager that Calcaterra surprises the audience as he scores the first touchdown.
