Another primetime game involving Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos, just what everyone needed to end Week 6. The Denver Broncos travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers on Monday Night Football which features the Chargers as 4-point favorites. The total in this game is coming in at 45.5 and although I do believe that is a bit high and lean to the under, I still like this spot for a few guys to go over their reception props tonight. The 2-3 Broncos are coming into this game off of two straight losses, while the 3-2 Chargers are fresh off of two straight wins. This AFC West matchup between Nathaniel Hackett and Brandon Staley is sure to have a few highly questionable moments and there’s no better place for poor coaching than the national stage on Monday night.
Best Bets
The Los Angeles Chargers have been faced with a plethora of injuries this season but have still been able to find consistency on offense. They have been without star receiver Keenan Allen since Week 1 and he is once again doubtful for tonight. Although they have faced injuries to Allen, Justin Herbert and others, the Chargers rank fifth in total offense. When digging into their last two games, Austin Ekeler jumps off the stat sheet. Ekeler accounted for 199 total yards a week ago and continues to round into his form from last season.
Without Keenan Allen, Ekeler will continue to be one of the featured pass catchers in this Chargers offense. With reception totals of 4, 9, 8, 6, and 4 so far this season, I am more than willing to take a shot on his reception prop tonight. Sitting at 4.5 with great +120 odds to the over, I think Herbert continues to look his way out of the backfield. Ekeler is averaging 6.6 targets per game and should be featured on the majority of passing downs tonight. With his uptick in touches and an important divisional matchup on deck, give me their best weapon to catch 5+ balls at home.
Austin Ekeler Over 4.5 Receptions (+120) 1u BetMGM
The Denver Broncos are maddening to watch on offense. I almost have no words for how bad of an investment Russell Wilson appears to be. To make it even worse, Nathaniel Hackett is in over his head and refuses to make competent coaching decisions. Alright now that I got that out of the way, I do think the Broncos have found a tight end. Eric Saubert has slowly surpassed Albert Okwuegbunam on the depth chart and with that, he has seen his snap share rise.
Saubert had five receptions on seven targets last week against the Colts and because that was his first game as a starter, this bet tonight is definitely a risk. I am projecting him to see a similar workload tonight in reference to his snap count and if the Broncos are indeed playing from behind, look for Wilson to get up into the 35-40 passing attempts range. The prop market can sometimes lead you to these players that have never been on your radar, but when you can get a receptions line of 1.5 and you think a guy might be in for a bigger workload, you have to take the chance. Seven targets tell me that Russell Wilson likes the potential of his new weapon and coming off of a long week to prepare, I envision them getting Saubert even more involved tonight.
Eric Saubert Over 1.5 Receptions (-119) 1u BetRivers