The Philadelphia Eagles are set to take on the Denver Broncos in Mile High this afternoon. Both teams need a win to stay afloat in their respective conference’s playoff race.
As we do every week, let’s take a look at some of the more favorable player prop bets for this week’s matchup.
All props are provided by BetMGM.
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DeVonta Smith OVER 59.5 receiving yards (-110)
DeVonta Smith is coming off his best performance of the season, hauling in five catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. This week, the rookie will be facing a much better defensive unit in Denver. But, their secondary may be without their first-round selection, cornerback Patrick Surtain II. He’s currently listed as questionable on the team’s injury report. If he can’t go, smashing the over on Smith’s receiving yards is a no-brainer. Smith will line up against either Kyle Fuller or Ronald Darby, both of whom are not capable of stopping Smith all game long — if at all. Even if Surtain can go, I still like Smith’s chances to get at least 60 receiving yards in this one.
Courtland Sutton OVER 3.5 receptions (-155)
Courtland Sutton has had an up and down year in 2021. He’s had two games of over 100 receiving yards, and he’s also had games where he’s failed to go over 20. He likely won’t demand the Eagles best corner in this matchup, leaving Steven Nelson to take Sutton duties. Nelson started off the year pretty strong, but he’s steadily declined over the past month or so. He’s allowed at least four receptions in three out of the last four contests. It feels like Sutton is a bit overdue for a big game, and he’ll certainly have his opportunities in this matchup.
Dallas Goedert OVER 4.5 receptions (+120)
Since the departure of Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert has become a focal point for this Eagles passing attack. It hasn’t been a high volume passing attack in recent weeks, but Denver has been iffy against opposing tight ends this season, making this matchup a favorable one for Goedert. Since Week 4, Denver has allowed opposing tight ends to have at least five receptions four times. I expect Goedert to be a bit more involved this week than he was against LA. When Nick Sirianni dials up some of his play action packages, Goedert is typically the go-to target in those situations.
Jordan Howard UNDER 40.5 rushing yards (-115)
Jordan Howard has been a revelation for the Eagles running game over the past two weeks. He’s gone over 50 yards in both contests and he’s found the end zone a total of three times. Though he had success against two of the worst run defenses in the league recently, Howard will see a much tougher front in Denver on Sunday. Vic Fangio’s defense is only allowing 85.75 rushing yards per game at home in 2021. They have struggled against some of the elite rushing offenses in the NFL (i.e. Baltimore, Cleveland), and I’d place the Eagles in that same tier, but Howard may not be the main beneficiary. I envision Sirianni getting a little more creative with his running plays this week to keep Denver off guard. Some more Jalen Hurts designed runs, as well as some more outside runs with Boston Scott or Kenny Gainwell are in order.
Melvin Gordon UNDER 47.5 rushing yards (-110)
A running back not hitting the over against the Eagles defense? Really? Really. While Jonathan Gannon’s group was dreadful last week against the pass, they’ve actually improved quite a bit against the run over the past two games. Austin Ekeler averaged just 3.5 yards per carry last week and he got the majority of his yards on the final drive to seal their victory. T.J. Edwards has been a huge help against he run since earning one of the starting linebacker spots. He’s recorded 27 tackles combined over the pst two weeks. The Broncos use both of their backs, Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams, evenly. Williams has been getting more carries in recent weeks, though, making Gordon the easy choice for the under here.