College Football Props of the Week: Week 4
Walter Waddell
Thursday, Kentucky online sports betting went live, and fans are already itching to get in on the action. Kentuckians are undoubtedly looking to place some wagers during their first weekend of NFL betting, so we’ll take a look at a couple best bets from the most relevant games to our Kentucky sports bettors.
All lines are from Caesars Sportsbook, where new Kentucky sports bettors can receive $250 in bonus bets after they place one $50 wager.
NFL Sports Betting in Kentucky
Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans
Spread: Cincinnati Bengals -2.5 (-110)
Total: O/U 41
The first weekend of NFL betting in Kentucky gives us a matchup of two of the state’s favorite teams – the Bengals and the Titans. The Bengals travel to Tennessee after avoiding an 0-3 start with a much-needed victory over the Rams Monday night in Week 3, while the Titans are fresh off a 27-3 beatdown at the hands of the Cleveland Browns.
Joe Burrow’s calf and its effect on the underwhelming Bengals’ passing attack have been the story thus far in Cincinnati, and there aren’t many better matchups to rectify that than Tennessee. After finishing 28th in passing defense DVOA last season, the Titans are 26th through three games this year. The Bengals rank just 26th in passing offense DVOA this season, but they finished 13th in 2021 and 7th in 2022. Burrow is still the quarterback, and he still has elite weapons around him, so I want to be ahead of this turnaround in the betting market.
Through three weeks, the Titans have allowed each quarterback they’ve faced to throw for at least 289 yards, including Deshaun Watson, who had been desperately searching for a bounceback game. The yardage hasn’t been there for Burrow yet this season as he topped out at 259 yards last week against the Rams, but he threw for at least 265 passing yards in 9 of 16 games in 2021 and 2022. This is the perfect opportunity for the Cincinnati passing attack to find its rhythm, and it’ll have to because Tennessee boasts the No. 1 rushing defense in the NFL.
Best Bet
Joe Burrow Over 264.5 Passing Yards (-115)
Indianapolis Colts vs. Los Angeles Rams
Spread: Pick (-110)
Total: O/U 46
Up North, the Colts will host the Rams in a battle of teams that have somewhat exceeded expectations in the early season. The Colts are coming off an overtime win as 8-point underdogs against the Ravens, while the Rams suffered a frustrating loss in an ugly game last week versus the Bengals.
While Anthony Richardson is in line to return for the upstart Indy offense, we’ll focus on the Rams’ offense and the player who has taken the NFL by storm this season – rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua. In three games, Nacua has racked up a ridiculous 30 catches on 42 targets, including a 20-target, 15-reception game against the 49ers in Week 2. Why is that relevant? The 49ers drop back in zone coverage at the highest rate in the NFL per FTN Fantasy’s coverage data, and the Colts play zone at the fourth-highest rate. The former BYU wideout was lauded for his knowledge of zone coverage coming out of college, and it has shown so far in his connection with Matthew Stafford.
After one “down” game – five receptions for 72 yards on seven targets – people are wondering if Puka’s magic has run out, and I think the answer is a resounding “no.” Why would it? The Rams’ offense is so concentrated to Puka, Tutu Atwell and Kyren Williams, and Stafford has shown basically no interest in giving Tyler Higbee or Van Jefferson a shot to contribute. Pick your poison on any Puka prop, but I’ll bank on him finding holes in the zone time after time.
Best Bet
Puka Nacua Over 6.5 Receptions (-101)
