Two quarterbacks who were drafted to be the successor of a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer are set to square off on Monday night. Whereas the Packers’ Jordan Love bided his time for three years until Aaron Rodgers was traded to the Jets in April, the Raiders’ Jimmy Garoppolo is now on his third team, having found he was expendable once Tom Brady kept winning Super Bowls for the Patriots. This is the second prime-time game in 12 days for Green Bay, and the extra rest should benefit the player we’re backing for top prop:
The bet: Over 41½ receiving yards for Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (DraftKings)
Coming out of FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, Watson dealt with injuries in transitioning to the pro game as a rookie. But he found his groove over the second half of the season, clearing this number in seven of his last eight games and eclipsing the century mark three times.
It’s been another slow start to this season for Watson, who sat out the first three contests with a hamstring injury. He was then eased into action in Week 4, playing on just 46% of the offensive snaps. Still, he posted 25 yards and a touchdown on his two catches, and it’s reasonable to assume he would’ve seen the field more if the game had been closer.
After carrying a “questionable” designation prior to that outing, Watson no longer appears on the injury report. He should provide Love with a consistent downfield target versus a Las Vegas secondary that allows opponents to complete better than 70% of their passes.
Despite the risk of reaggravation, Watson seems like a good bet. And you’ve got to roll the dice in Vegas.
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