Thursday Night Football Week 8: Minnesota Vikings @ Los Angeles Rams NFL Best Bets and Top Props
All the best bets and top props to help you win money on Thursday Night Football.
Last week, we got another subpar Thursday Night Football game, with the Broncos dismantling the hapless Saints, who have been ruined by injuries. To be honest, they weren't very good before injury to begin with. The good news was that we hit on two of our three best bets and two of our three prop bets.
We have been on fire this season and we will look to stay hot this week when the Minnesota Vikings go on the road to take on the Los Angeles Rams. The Vikings will look to bounce back in Week 8 after suffering their first loss in Week 7, but there may be a lot more on the line than you think in this game. The outcome of this game could dramatically shift the outlook of both of these teams moving forward.
Week 8 NFL Best Bets
On the surface, this feels like a pretty straight forward and predictable game. The Vikings are far superior on both sides of the ball and should win this game going away. Even with the Rams playing at home getting Cooper Kupp back, it will be an uphill battle for them to win this one. However, there is something much more interesting going on here.
There have been a ton of rumors swirling that the Vikings and Rams could swap quarterbacks in the coming week or weeks. Cooper Kupp has also rumored to be on the move and Minnesota is a potential landing spot. The outcome of this game could determine whether or not these teams pull the trigger on this proposed deal.
If the Vikings are able to win this game, the Rams would be all but out of the running to make a serious push for the playoffs in the NFC. It would make all the sense in the world for them to trade their former Super Bowl winning quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Vikings for Sam Darnold and likely additional compensation.
Darnold is both younger and cheaper, and would be auditioning for a potential long-term job in Los Angeles. The Rams could add a young QB and draft compensation while cutting down their salary cap for a better quarterback, but a quarterback nearing the end of the road.
However, if the Rams were to knock off the Vikings, there is a chance they end Week 8 half-a-game out of the NFC West depending on how the other games play out. They'd be sitting at 3-4 and getting both Kupp and Puka Nacua back, along with a few other key defensive pieces. Plus, they would have potentially just watched Darnold blow what should be an easy win, which could sway their interest away from him.
With a win, the Rams would be at worst 1.5 games out of first place when the week wraps up. That could change or at the very least delay everything.
There is so much more on the line in this game then initially meets the eye. It will be interesting to watch with that perspective in mind. Still, let's not lose sight of what we're really here for and that's to win money. So let's get into our picks for this matchup.
The Picks
Spread: Minnesota Vikings -3 (-105)
Over/Under: Under 48 (-110)
Moneyline: Minnesota Vikings (-162)
Player Props of the Night
Prop #1: Justin Jefferson, 80+ Receiving Yards (-145)
Betting Jefferson to hit 80 receiving yards has been easy money this season. His over/under is set at 84.5, so we went with this option instead. He has topped 80 yards in five straight games and every game this season since Week 1. There is no reason to believe he slows down this week on Thursday Night Football.
Prop #2: Andrew Van Ginkel, Over 0.25 Sacks (+105)
Van Ginkel doesn't get the recognition he deserves, but he's been one of the best edge rushers in the league this season. He has only failed to record a sack in two games all season and has totaled five sacks through six games including a two-sack performance last week. The Rams have a leaky offensive line and an immobile quarterback, making this a great matchup for him to drag down the play caller yet again.
Prop #3: Kyren Williams, Under 73.5 Rushing Yards (-115)
The Vikings have a very tough defense and have only allowed running backs to rush for 432 yards all season, which is the fourth-fewest in the NFL. The line is set at 73.5 yards for Williams this week, which is a bar too high for him to clear against a defense that is allowing fewer rushing yards than that per game to all running backs. Only Jahmyr Gibbs and Jordan Mason have accomplished this feat this season and no other running back has come close.
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