Player Props to Target During the 2022 NFL Season — Week 1
The opening night of the NFL season is officially back as of Thursday, Sept. 8 after 207 days of no football. After all of the crazy blockbuster signings, trades, draft picks, retirements, and unretirement during the offseason, it’s finally time to watch everything unfold during the 2022 season. It’s also that time of year to celebrate a bet cashing — whether that’s cheering for a team to cover the spread or for a certain player to hit their rushing yards total. Everyone loves to root for their fantasy team, but it’s even better cheering for your player props to hit. Throughout the season, I will be dropping my favorite player prop bets for the weekend for bettors to target to earn a little extra cash.
Derrick Henry OVER 98.5 rushing yards vs NYG
One of the best running backs in the NFL when healthy is finally that. During an injury-plagued 2021 season in which he only played in eight games, Henry still rushed for 937 yards. Henry averaged 117 yards per game and is facing a bad Giants team in Week 1. With A.J. Brown no longer in Tennessee, there’s going to be more of an emphasis to run with Henry throughout the season. The Giants were the 25th-ranked rush defense last season and I expect the Titans to get up quickly and feed their MVP early and often.
Jonathan Taylor OVER 96.5 rushing yards @ HOU
The same thing goes for Taylor that I said about Henry: he’s going to get the ball. The leading rusher in the NFL last season is in the same offense and faces a bad Houston Texans team in Week 1. Last season, Taylor rushed for 145 and 143 yards in two games against Houston. Yes, Frank Reich said he wants fewer touches this year for Taylor, but even if his carries decrease from last season, I still see him smashing this number pretty easily. This is one of the best player props on the entire board for the weekend.
Mac Jones UNDER 230.5 passing yards @ MIA
I am not high on Mac Jones at all for this upcoming season. With a new offensive coordinator Matt Patricia, and a very questionable wide receiver room to start the year, I’m expecting a sophomore slump from the 24-year-old. Jones did hit this number both times he played against Miami last year, but I just don’t see it happening this week. The combination of the receiver room (Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, and Nelson Agholor) and a first-year play caller in Patricia, I see them being more conservative than last year. I hate playing the under for player props, but I’m confident this one will not go over.
A.J. Brown OVER 64.5 receiving yards @ DET
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is going to make A.J. Brown the focus point of the Philly offense for the upcoming season. During the draft, the Eagles traded a first-round pick and gave Brown a four-year, $100 million deal. With that type of investment in one of the best young receivers in the league, he certainly will get plenty of targets. Sirianni and Jalen Hurts will try to get the newly acquired receiver involved in the offense right away. Detroit ranked 23rd in pass defense last season which could give Brown a big day in Week 1.
Darnell Mooney OVER 4.5 receptions vs SF
I feel for Justin Fields in his second year in Chicago. He doesn’t have a lot of help on that side of the ball besides Darnell Mooney. Fields will be looking towards Mooney often throughout the season with Byron Pringle and rookie Velus Jones Jr. as the other receiving options in a weak Chicago supporting cast. In the last four games of the 2021 season, Mooney hit his reception number by being targeted 11 times per game. Expect Chicago to get down quick and Fields to start targeting his favorite receiver in Mooney. This is by far one of the best values on the prop bet board.
These are the five picks for Week 1. You can either ride with me or fade me, but these are the quintet that I’m playing. Follow along to see my picks and an updated record next week for Week 2 of NFL prop bets.
