Ricky Dimon
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There is no ManningCast for this Week 5 installment of Monday Night Football, but the good news is that the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense can usually entertain us even without any extra hoopla. They are going up against the Las Vegas Raiders, an AFC West rival against whom the Chiefs have enjoyed plenty of success. With Kansas City 3-1 and Las Vegas 1-3, the visitors pretty much have to pull off an upset to stay anywhere close to striking distance.
With kickoff set for 8:15 pm ET on ESPN, it’s time to take a look at the best touchdown scorer bets to be made for Monday Night Football.
Las Vegas Raiders touchdown scorer best bet: Darren Waller, TE (+230)
Darren Waller has 1 touchdown this season and has been targeted at least 5 times in all 4 games, including 6 on one occasion and 8 on another. The former Georgia Tech standout has found the end zone in 2 of his last 3 outings against the Chiefs and in 1 of the 2020 head-to-head meetings he caught all 7 targets for 88 yards. In 2019 he had a 7-reception, 100-yard performance against Kansas City. I anticipate the Raiders trailing basically the entire way on Monday night, which will force them to air it out early and often – thus maximizing Waller’s opportunities all over the field, including in the red zone. Getting Waller this far into plus-money is a steal.
Be sure to check out our full Las Vegas Raiders vs Kansas City Chiefs predictions
Kansas City Chiefs touchdown scorer best bet: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB (-105)
Clyde Edwards-Helaire has 5 touchdowns through 4 games, so it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that getting him at basically even money represents good value. Two of the LSU product’s TDs have come on the ground and the other 3 have come via reception, so he can get the job done in multiple ways. In 3 career games against the Raiders, CEH has found the end zone 4 times. As for this year, the Chiefs are rolling on offense – ranking #1 in EPA. Now they face a Raiders defense that ranks 24th in EPA on drop-backs, 30th in yards per attempt allowed adjusted by opponent, has allowed the 4th-highest rate of explosive passes and is 28th in pressure rate. Kansas City has scored fewer than 30 in this head-to-head matchup only once in Patrick Mahomes’ career – a 2019 game in which his team scored “only” 28. Count on Kansas City scoring a lot on Monday, and Edwards-Helaire will almost certainly be a part of the party.
Anytime Touchdown Scorer FAQs
What does “anytime touchdown scorer” mean?
Anytime touchdown scorer is a popular player prop bet that NFL bettors can wager on throughout the season. But what is it, and how do you win?
As the name suggests, placing a wager on the anytime touchdown scorer market is when you tip a particular player to score a touchdown during a game. This can be a rushing or receiving touchdown for an offensive player, or you can wager on a team’s defense/special teams to score a touchdown by interception return and fumble return or kickoff and punt returns.
If your player or defense scores a touchdown, you win! The odds will differ from player-to-player depending on the sportsbooks’ calculated probability of that player scoring.
Does anytime touchdown scorer include passing touchdowns?
Not for a quarterback, no. A player must get into the endzone, himself, in order to qualify as an anytime touchdown scorer. If a quarterback throws a touchdown pass, only the player who caught it counts as the scorer. If Joe Burrow throws a touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase, wagers placed on Evans as an anytime touchdown scorer will cash. However, those placed on Rodgers as an anytime touchdown scorer will not (unless he also runs for a TD). See below for more on what the anytime touchdown scorer market means for quarterbacks.
What does anytime touchdown scorer mean for a QB?
For a wager on a QB to be an anytime touchdown scorer to cash, he must follow the same rules as a running back, tight end, or receiver. He must get into the end zone himself, either as a runner or a pass-catcher.
In the age of the mobile quarterback, QBs such as Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Kyler Murray are often seen rushing in for a touchdown on any given Sunday. And don’t forget the occasional Philly Special, either. QBs can sometimes catch passes for TDs, too.
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