Week 12 of the NFL season brings us two Thanksgiving games, one fewer than expected, but the schedule still offers ample opportunity to play props and win with Monkey Knife Fight.
The first game of the day sees the 3-7 Houston Texans visiting the 4-6 Detroit Lions. Neither team has played particularly well this season but a matchup of two bad teams can still be competitive.
The second game of the day has the Dallas Cowboys hosting the Washington Football Team, a big rivalry game for two NFC East teams that, like all NFC East teams, have had some trouble this season. Both teams are 3-7, a half game behind the division-leading Philadelphia Eagles.
Here are some prop possibilities to consider for the Thanksgiving Thursday NFL games on Monkey Knife Fight:
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HOUSTON-DETROIT
MORE OR LESS
Deshaun Watson LESS THAN 299.5 PASSING YARDS
This is a pretty big number to cover. Watson has averaged 288.3 passing yards per game and has five games with at least 300 passing yards this season. The Lions have allowed an average of 258.4 passing yards per game and only two quarterbacks have thrown for at least 300 yards against the Lions.
Matthew Stafford LESS THAN 277.5 PASSING YARDS
The Lions quarterback has averaged 258.1 passing yards per game and has thrown for more than 277 yards three times this season. Houston’s pass defense is below average, allowing 252.4 passing yards per game, and 7.1 net yards per pass attempt, but the Texans Defense has allowed more than 277 passing yards five times in 10 games. Stafford is also dealing with a thumb injury and could still be missing wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola.
RAPID FIRE
Will Fuller +0.5 receptions vs. Brandin Cooks
Both Texans wideouts are averaging 4.7 receptions per game this season and, strangely enough, Fuller seems to be the more consistent option, ranging between four and six receptions in seven of the past eight games. Cooks broke through in Weeks 5, 6, and 7, but has slowed down since.
D’Andre Swift -1.5 rushing yards vs. Duke Johnson
This does presume that Swift, the Lions’ rookie running back, is deemed healthy enough to play because he is recovering from a concussion, but he is expected to be in the lineup. Swift had gained 145 yards on the ground on 29 carries in his last two games. Johnson has started to get more carries in the Texans’ backfield but hasn’t found a lot of success, running for 110 yards on 40 carries in the past three games.
WASHINGTON-DALLAS
MORE OR LESS
Andy Dalton LESS THAN 249.5 PASSING YARDS
Even though he stepped into the starting quarterback role for the Cowboys in the wake of Dak Prescott’s injury, Dalton has had a difficult time in his own right, but he did return to the lineup in Week 11, passing for 203 yards in a win at Minnesota. The Washington Football Team, for all of its problems, is the only team in the league allowing fewer than 200 passing yards per game.
Alex Smith MORE THAN 245.5 PASSING YARDS
Coming all the way back to start at quarterback for Washington, Smith has a couple of 300-yard games already this season and faces the Dallas Cowboys, who have allowed an average of 232.6 passing yards per game and 6.8 net yards per attempt, both better than league average, but they have also surrendered more than 300 passing yards in back-to-back games.
RAPID FIRE
Ezekiel Elliott -17.5 rushing yards vs. Antonio Gibson
Zeke has had a bizarrely unproductive season, especially considering the loss of starting quarterback Dak Prescott, and he’s averaging 67.5 rushing yards per game. Last week against Minnesota was Elliott’s first 100-yard rushing game of the season. Gibson has averaged 53 rushing yards per game but, starting in Week 7 against Dallas, has had a bigger role recently, running for 287 yards and five touchdowns in the past four games.
Terry McLaurin -0.5 receptions vs. J.D. McKissic
McLaurin has established his credentials as a legit No. 1 receiver, putting up 6.2 receptions per game, and that should give him an edge over his teammate. McKissic has averaged 4.4 receptions per game this season, though that number is going up – he has 19 catches in the past three games.
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