Prime-Time First TD Bets — Sunday Night Football, Week 16
Alex Christenson
Could Week 7 finally bring us an exciting Thursday Night Football matchup? You never know, but at least Thursday’s combatants (the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals) bring more weaponry to the table than some of the recent participants in the first game of the week.
Here is my favorite bet for Thursday’s game.
Rondale Moore Over 80 Receiving Yards
+390, FanDuel Sportsbook
Currently the best line on the market is 45.5 receiving yards on PointsBet, but I kind of like the increased odds hoping for a breakout performance here. His other markets are also pretty interesting, receptions aren’t out yet, but could be a very tempting market. Same with longest reception, considering he’s recorded a 26- and 28-yard catch in his last two games. The Saints are definitely a scary name on paper, but their defense just hasn’t been the same this season. Let’s check out how some receivers have done against them over these last couple weeks:
- Week 6 — Ja’Marr Chase 132, Tyler Boyd 66
- Week 5 — Tyler Lockett 104, DK Metcalf 88
- Week 4 — Justin Jefferson 147, Adam Thielen 74
Additionally, all of this was with cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who is questionable to play this week after missing practice. While the WR1 has clearly been destroyed in each of those games, it’s interesting to see that the No. 2 options also ended up playing very well. Rondale Moore has seen increased usage over the past two weeks, seeing 10 and 8 catches in those games without Marquise Brown. Since Brown was injured at the end of last week’s game, it’s very likely Moore sees an even larger role.
Another reason I like this play is because I’m not projecting DeAndre Hopkins to come back to as much immediate success as the rest of the market. Hopkins is one of my favorite players in the NFL, and while he was seemingly hampered with injuries, his tenure in Arizona didn’t get off to a great start. While Hopkins will clearly be involved, I think Moore might be in store for a bigger usage bump then people realize. Robbie Anderson was just acquired from the Panthers, and I don’t think he will be able to come over and instantly learn the playbook. While Moore is running downfield routes, he’s also given multiple screens/short yardage targets, all we need is him to break one.
