Ricky Dimon
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Week 16 of the 2023 NFL season kicks off with Thursday Night Football between the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams. By recent primetime standards, this is actually a decent matchup, as both teams are well within playoff contention. New Orleans is tied atop the moribund NFC South with Tampa Bay at 7-7, while Los Angeles is also 7-7 and would be in the playoffs right now as a wild card based on tiebreakers. Here is my Saints vs Rams Same Game Parlay for TNF, which kicks off at 8:15 pm ET on Amazon Prime. Also, be sure to check out our full Saints vs Rams predictions.
Rams -5.5 alternate spread (+100)
Tyler Higbee to score a touchdown (+280)
Chris Olave Over 59.5 receiving yards (-114)
Same Game Parlay odds: +1104
Part of the value in a Same Game Parlay, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is some of the plan here, as Rams tight end Tyler Higbee scoring a touchdown would obviously work well with a big win by Los Angeles. At the same time, plays that aren’t correlated drive up the overall payout of the parlay. That is the case with backing New Orleans receiver Chris Olave to rack up his fair share of receiving yards. But even if he does, there is no reason why the Rams can’t take care of business. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
LA Rams -5.5 alternate spread over New Orleans Saints (+100)
The Saints have put themselves in realistic playoff contention thanks to some decent form of late, but the Rams really have the hot hand. Their offense has been humming since their bye in Week 10; they have scored at least 28 points in 4 consecutive contests. The Saints’ defense is certainly formidable, but without cornerback Marshon Lattimore (unlikely to play on Thursday night), the Rams will likely find a way to exploit the secondary with receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. As for the New Orleans offense, lineman Ryan Ramcyzk is questionable and WR Michael Thomas is out. It’s one thing to beat up on the Panthers and Giants, as the Saints have done in recent weeks, but this is a big step up in competition. Look for Los Angeles to win this one by somewhere around a touchdown and perhaps even more.
Tyler Higbee to score a touchdown (+280)
Higbee has not exactly been a touchdown machine this season, but Thursday should be a good matchup for him. New Orleans has given up the 7th-most fantasy points to tight ends in 2023 while allowing 7 touchdowns to that position through 14 games. Although Higbee has scored just twice, both TDs came not long ago in Week 12 against Arizona. The Western Kentucky product has made at least 4 receptions in 2 of the last 3 games, including 4 catches on 5 targets for 36 yards last weekend during a win over Washington. With the Saints’ secondary surely focusing on Kupp and Nacua, this should be another good opportunity for Higbee to find success.
Our NFL expert’s best Saints vs Rams touchdown scorer picks at +125 and +210 odds
Chris Olave Over 59.5 receiving yards (-114)
Olave was inactive for last week’s victory over the Giants, but he is good to go for Thursday. In fact, the former Ohio State standout has no kind of injury distinction whatsoever in advance of this game. As such, he should be in line for a productive night at the office. Olave was held to only 28 yards in Week 14 against Carolina, but that’s because it was such a blowout in the Saints’ favor that they basically didn’t have to pass the ball. In the previous 2 weeks, he went for 114 and 119 yards against Atlanta and Detroit, respectively. Olave now faces a Rams defense that is better against the run (#14 in the NFL) than the pass (#21). No cornerback on L.A.’s roster is of the caliber that can be expected to give Olave any real trouble.
Find out Prop Holliday’s best Saints vs Rams player prop bet for Thursday Night Football
