Sunday night’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions should be a high-scoring affair, as it has the highest total of NFL Wild Card Weekend. Will Matthew Stafford have a big performance in his return to Detroit? We break it all down and more as we give out our top Rams vs. Lions player prop bets.
Top Rams vs. Lions Player Prop Bets
Matthew Stafford Under 0.5 Interceptions (+100 at DraftKings)
Soppe: The Lions own the third-best per-carry run defense in the league and are the top pressure unit in the league. That profile, along with the ability of Los Angeles’ top two receivers to get open in a phone booth, makes me think that we could be looking at a lower-risk game plan for Stafford.
The veteran QB has played in three games against top-10 pressure defenses this season, and he has fired just one interception on 106 attempts in those games (0.9% of throws, against all other defenses: 2.4%).
There is no denying that Stafford is more comfortable indoors (68.1% complete over the past two seasons) than outdoors (61%), so while this is a road game, it’s far from an uncomfortable setting for the former Lion.
Kyren Williams Under 82.5 Rushing Yards (-114 at FanDuel)
Blewis: Kyren Williams had an incredible season, finishing with the third-most rushing yards in the NFL despite missing five games. But if there’s any strength of his Lions defense, it’s their ability to stop the run.
During the regular season, the Lions were a top-five rushing defense by yards allowed and EPA/play. The key to attacking this Lions defense is through the air, which could lead to a very pass-heavy script from Sean McVay and the Rams.
Puka Nacua Over 77.5 Receiving Yards (-110 at ESPN BET)
Rolfe: If we discount Week 18, where he was pulled early in the second half, Puka Nacua has topped 80 receiving yards in four of his last five games. This week is gets a Detroit Lions defense that is allowing an average of more than 250 receiving yards to wide receivers in the last four weeks.
I could easily make the case here for taking the over on both Nacua and Cooper Kupp’s receiving totals this week. This game just screams shootout, with a projected total of 51.5.
David Montgomery Longest Rush Under 13.5 Rushing Yards (-122 at FanDuel)
Katz: David Montgomery is definitely a way better running back than I initially gave him credit for. But one thing he is not is explosive.
Montgomery is a power back. He can get you 4, 5, 6 yards, but he’s really not the type to bust out a 15+ yard rush. In the regular season, just 3.7% of his carries went for 15+ yards.
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While the Rams are not the best against the run, they are above average, allowing 4.1 yards per carry. More importantly, they’re a pass-funnel defense.
This could be the type of game where the Lions are more apt to air it out and use Jahmyr Gibbs, limiting Montgomery to short-yardage and more obvious run situations. He could still have a nice game without any long runs.
Amon-Ra St. Brown Anytime Touchdown Scorer (+125 at ESPN BET)
Blewis: Amon-Ra St. Brown is an obvious candidate to score a touchdown, so this is far from an under-the-radar pick, but the odds at ESPN BET are very appealing, as is the current state of the Lions’ offense.
Even if Sam LaPorta is active, he can’t be expected to be playing at 100% after suffering a knee injury just last week, which could open up even more red-zone opportunities for Amon-Ra St. Brown.
During the regular season, 20 of Jared Goff’s 30 touchdown passes were thrown to St. Brown or LaPorta, and the two pass catchers combined for over 60% of the red-zone target share. If LaPorta is out or not a focal point in the game plan due to his injury, St. Brown should see even more red-zone looks than he did during the regular season.
Josh Reynolds Under 30.5 Receiving Yards (-115 at DraftKings)
Soppe: If we are to believe that this is an aggressive Detroit passing attack (in part because of how the Rams are approached by opponents and in part because 7% of Jared Goff passes at home since the beginning of last season have been touchdowns), let’s continue to fade the short passing game.
Donovan Peoples-Jones was acquired midseason and was a spectator for much of his debut in Week 11. From then on, Josh Reynolds’ role has changed in a significant way:
- Reynolds aDOT, Weeks 1-11: 11.92
- Reynolds aDOT, Weeks 12-18: 7.56
That’s a 36.4% dip in depth of target and a potential damning trend in this specific spot. Through his first six games this season, Reynolds was good for 64 yards per game, notching a 20+ yard catch in each of those games.
Since? Since then, he is averaging 20.4 receiving yards per game and has a 20+ yard catch in two of 11 contests. If the big play role is out of his profile, only volume will beat us, and that’s something I can live with from a player that hasn’t seen more than four targets in 12 of his past 13 games.
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