Week 8 of the NFL season wraps up in the Motor City as the Detroit Lions host the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football. Although this is not the greatest matchup for primetime NFL action, bettors can still take advantage of all the plus-money player props, including the best Monday Night Football touchdown scorer props.
The Lions were expected to be competitive entering this season, but it still feels safe to say that they are one of the surprise teams in the league this year. They enter tonight in first place in the NFC North and are 5-2 on the season. Meanwhile, the Raiders (3-4) are not really in a spot to compete for a playoff spot, and injuries play a significant factor in that.
Las Vegas will be down a few players on defense, but Detroit is the side with the injury bug on MNF. They will be without David Montgomery and starting guard Jonah Jackson, and with center Frank Ragnow listed as ‘DOUBTFUL, ‘ the Lions will likely be breaking in two new offensive linemen.
Anyway, let’s take a look at the best Raiders vs Lions MNF anytime touchdown scorer picks.
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Anytime Touchdown Scorer Odds
Here, we have included the best available anytime touchdown scorer betting odds for Raiders vs. Lions from some of our favorite sports betting apps.
Michael Mayer
While his NFL career did not get off to a great start, Michael Mayer is finally becoming more involved with the offense. In his first four games, Mayer totaled one reception for two yards and only received two targets. To be fair, he did not play much to start, but that type of production from someone who was given the nickname ‘Baby Grank’ was concerning.
He has still yet to catch a touchdown, but over his last three games, Mayer has nine receptions for 127 yards, and his snap count has increased by a significant amount. He also will enjoy having Jimmy Garoppolo back under center, as the last time these two played together, Mayer caught four passes for 67 yards.
The Lions’ defense has not been that great this season, especially against the pass. They rank 16th in yards per pass, and they do not get a lot of pressure outside of Aidan Hutchinson. While much of that has to do with teams running a negative game script, the Lions are also the worst defense in the NFL at covering tight ends.
This unit ranks last in targets (15.3), receptions (11.3), and receiving yards (131.7) allowed to tight ends this season, and they also struggle in the red zone, ranking 24th in opponents’ red zone touchdown rate.
Jahmyr Gibbs
With Montgomery out, the Lions will lean on Jahmyr Gibbs more in this game. It took him a while to get going, but Gibbs scored his first NFL touchdown last week against the Ravens, and he was the most active he has been in his short NFL career, with 11 carries and nine receptions in the blowout loss.
With Detroit playing as a big favorite in this game, it is safe to assume the Lions will be in a ‘burn clock’ mode for most of the game. Despite the injuries, the Lions are just a better team in this matchup, which means we will see more running plays.
Gibbs will match up with one of the worst defenses in the league, especially against the run. Outside of Maxx Crosby, there is no real impact player in the front seven, and it has shown throughout the season. The Raiders’ run defense ranks 24th in yards per carry (4.4), 25th in rushing yards per game (129), and 29th in rushing touchdowns per game (1.3).
The Raiders also allow eight targets, 6.7 receptions, and 36.3 receiving yards per game to opposing running backs. This means we might see Gibbs active in the passing game early. Even though he has not played as much, Gibbs ranks fourth on the team in targets.
The odds are not great across the top sports betting apps, but Gibbs is in an excellent spot to cash a touchdown scorer prop tonight.
Monday Night Football Anytime Touchdown Parlay Odds
If you are following our Monday Night Football anytime touchdown scorer picks, you can parlay them for a much bigger payout. The odds for each touchdown prop will differ depending on the sportsbook you use. However, with two plus-money player props, you should get an excellent number to bet on, no matter what.
At FanDuel, you can parlay Mayer (+400) and Gibbs (-170) to score a touchdown tonight, and you will be given +618 odds. This means that a $100 bettor would be up $652 if both players cash a touchdown scorer prop.
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