Andrew Wilsher
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Week 10 of the NFL season comes to a close with a matchup in the NFC North as the Minnesota Vikings take on the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.
The Bears are 5-4 but have lost their last three games and are in desperate need of a win here to get their playoff hopes back on track. The Vikings meanwhile have won their last two, largely thanks to the unstoppable Dalvin Cook. He has 369 rushing yards and six touchdowns across those two games. A win here and Minnesota could start to be in the conversation for a spot in the postseason.
A same game parlay with FanDuel or PointsBet offers bettors the chance for a huge payout, and enhances the excitement of this high-stakes matchup. You can check out our full preview of the game, which features picks on the side and total.
Minnesota Vikings -6.5 alternate spread (+130)
Kirk Cousins over 229.5 passing yards (-110)
Justin Jefferson to score a touchdown (+155)
Chicago Bears over 9.5 second-half points (-112)
Parlay odds: +2540
A few of these picks are highly correlated, as I’m pretty high on the Vikings winning this and looking sharp in the passing game. However, it gets a nice boost by throwing in Chicago to score 10 or more second-half points.
Minnesota Vikings -6.5 alternate spread (+130)
As mentioned above, these teams have endured very different fortunes over the past couple of weeks. After a hapless start to the season, things finally seem to be clicking into gear for Minnesota, with Cook almost getting the wins all by himself. But I think Minnesota has always been a better team than their record was suggesting, and they’re finally showing it. They lost to the Titans and Seahawks by just one point, and have consistently been red hot on offense.
By contrast, Chicago has looked worse than their record was suggesting earlier in the season, and things finally seem to be evening out. The Bears were shut down completely by the Titans last week until they had a few late garbage time scores, and I’m not sure how Nick Foles and company will be able to keep up with Minnesota scoring-wise. Matt Nagy has handed play-calling duties over to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, and they may need this game to get used to the new dynamic.
Kirk Cousins over 229.5 passing yards (-110)
Dalvin Cook has been the star of the show for the past couple of weeks, but I think he could be pacified somewhat in this game. Chicago’s defense is still among the best in the NFL, and is ranked 11th in yards per carry allowed. Further, the Bears have allowed just six rushing touchdowns this season. All of this can open the door for Kirk Cousins, who is renowned for blowing hot and cold but should be able to go over this somewhat generous line. He has done so in five of eight games this season, but all of those were pretty comfortable. Further, although he only tallied 220 yards last week, he only threw the ball 20 times. I expect him to air it out a little more in this one, and should be able to reach the 230 mark.
Justin Jefferson to score a touchdown (+155)
If Cousins does throw the ball more, Justin Jefferson should be one to benefit. The LSU product has been a great addition to Minnesota’s receiving corps, having already posted three games where he has reached triple digits in yards. Although he has only three TDs to his name so far, Cousins has been targeting him a lot and it’s only a matter of time before he starts adding to that total. Chicago has conceded six receiving touchdowns in its last three games and I expect the secondary to struggle against the speed of Jefferson.
Justin Jefferson vs. the Falcons:
▪️ 9 receptions
▪️ 166 yards
▪️ 2 touchdowns
▪️ 39.60 fantasy pointsThe rookie is lighting it up this season! 🔥#Skol | #NFL pic.twitter.com/vz4yqb7MSB
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) October 19, 2020
Chicago Bears over 9.5 second-half points (-112)
Chicago’s offense normally takes a bit of time before things get going, and although they haven’t been great I think scoring 10 points in the second half is very achievable. Firstly, the Bears proved last week they love a garbage time score, evidenced by their 17 points in the fourth quarter against the Titans. So even if Minnesota surge into a comfortable lead, Nick Foles should still be able to lead his offense to some late scores. Chicago has also tallied 10 points or more in three of their last four games, and they have done so against better defenses than Minnesota’s. Further, the Vikings have themselves allowed 10 or more second-half points in seven of their eight games. I think this is a great bet, and works perfectly as a boost for this same game parlay.
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