Docs Website

53 Years Strong! A Trusted Leader In Sports Picks, Best Bets and Predictions Since 1971.

Main Menu
NFL Player Props Odds for 2017 Season with Expert Betting Predictions

by - 5/8/2017

Christian McCaffrey Stanford Cardinal

The NFL season is still several months away, but there is never really a true offseason in this game. The draft just ended, and now we are into minicamps and the final filling out of rosters. There is still a whole lot we don't know, but it is never too early to guess as what could happen. Bovada has a solid range of interesting player props to look at. Here are the most interesting:

Corey Davis total receiving yards - "over/under" 750: The Titans had two receivers who topped 750 yards last year - Rishard Matthews had 945 and tight end Delanie Walker had 800. Both guys are back, but that shouldn't really impact Davis. There is room for Marcus Mariota to improve his passing yardage this year, and there are several other receivers who don't need as many targets as they saw last year. Davis is athletic and talented, and the team wouldn't have used such a high pick on him if they didn't intend to use him heavily. I like the over here.

Adrian Peterson rushing yards - o/u 900: Mark Ingram is back with the Saints, and he had more than 1,000 yards last year. Peterson will be, at best, the 1A option. Plus, he's on the wrong side of 30, his health is a disaster, and the Saints aren't all of a sudden going to quit using Drew Brees' arm so that they can run the ball much more. The under is an easy play here. Unfortunately, it's also a very obvious one - the under is at -175 here, while it is at -115 for most of the other props.

Leonard Fournette rushing yards - o/u 1,000: Ezekiel Elliott ran for 1,631 yards last year, so it certainly isn't inconceivable that Fournette could rush for more than 1,000. After all, Fournette was a better running back in college than Elliott was. The problem, though, is that Fournette didn't land in a great spot. Part of what made Elliott's season go so well is that Dak Prescott was playing great, so offenses couldn't focus on Elliott. Unless Blake Bortles suddenly becomes a different person, that won't be the case for Fournette in Jacksonville. Still, he's going to get his touches, and he has plenty of talent, so as long as he can stay healthy I'd lean towards the over - it's just not as attractive as some other plays.

Christian McCaffrey rushing and receiving yards - o/u 1,100: I think McCaffrey is an incredible, freakish talent. And I still like the under here. It's all about fit. First, McCaffrey is at his best when he is given the ball and left to make something happen. Cam Newton's offense, though, looks deep whenever possible, so the short man won't get his due. The team also drafted a second very good running back in Curtis Samuel, so McCaffrey will have to share his touches - and could be forced to play as a decoy. I think he'll make plenty of impact returning, but that doesn't factor in here. And while he should have good numbers, this feels a little ambitious.

Marshawn Lynch rushing yards - o/u 850: This is a tough one to judge. Very tough. The Raiders were a quietly strong running team - they were sixth in the league in yards despite featuring a running back by committee approach. Latavius Murray was the top back with just 788 yards, and he's now in Minnesota. So Lynch will get his chances, and his new team can run. But what can we expect from Lynch? He's over 30, and that's never good for running backs. He didn't play last year and was ineffective in all but one of his seven games in 2015 before being injured. He returned for the NFC Championship game that year and did little. Is he physically going to be ready? And is he mentally set for this after walking away from the game once already? I lean to the under, but nothing would surprise me here.

Mike Williams receiving yards - o/u 750: The over is an easy play here - probably the most attractive of any we have here. Williams is a very talented receiver, and he landed in a prime place - the Chargers should be improved, and Philip Rivers is certainly capable of slinging it. Rivers had two receivers with more than 750 yards last year, and Williams is dramatically more talented than both of them. If QB and receiver can find strong chemistry early on then Williams has a chance at a big year. And Williams starred in the National Championship Game last year, so pressure is nothing new to him. This is a nice play.

Myles Garrett total sacks - o/u 7.5: He's a strong pass rusher on a team that desperately needs a pass rush, so he will have every opportunity to do some damage here. Two rookies surpassed this total last year, and with all due respect to Joey Bosa neither was nearly of the caliber of Garrett. The over is a reasonable play here.

Doc's Sports is offering $60 worth of member's picks absolutely free - no obligation, no sales people - you don't even have to enter credit card information. You can use this $60 credit any way you please for any handicapper and any sport on Doc's Sports Advisory Board list of expert sports handicappers. Click here for more details and take advantage of this free $60 picks credit today .

Read more articles by

Most Recent NFL Handicapping

One E-mail A Week Is All You Need!
Our weekly newsletter is loaded with exclusive free picks,insight and advice from our expert handicappers