Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season is upon us and on Thursday Night Football we actually have a repeat of a Week 2 2022 matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles. Minnesota is coming off an upset loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home while the Eagles had an impressive win in Foxborough, albeit after almost squandering a 16-0 lead against the Patriots. The Eagles return to Philadelphia for their season home opener here and a raucous crowd is expected. The meeting between these teams finished 24-7 to the Eagles — could we see a repeat here tonight? Let’s dive into my favorite Vikings vs Eagles player prop bets, but make sure you also check out our expert Vikings vs Eagles predictions along with the rest of our NFL picks for Week 2.
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TJ Hockenson over 45.5 receiving yards (-110)
Line available at Bet365 at time of publishing. Playable up to 46.5.
TJ Hockenson was second on the team in targets in Week 1, as Kirk Cousins threw the ball his way 9 times with Hockenson registering 8 receptions, but only 35 yards. This is well below his 2022 season averages with Minnesota, reeling in 9.45 yards per reception in 10 games last season for the Vikings which was good for 55.8 yards per game (minus Week 18 when he only played 46% of snaps due to playoff seeding being secured).
In the 2022 Week 2 matchup against the Eagles, Kevin O’Connell saw something he liked in the tight end matchup because they were targeted 11 times for 7 receptions that game despite a losing effort. I see Hockenson in for another high-volume game and the Eagles just gave up the most yards to opposing TEs in Week 1 (92), along with 11.5 yards per reception. This is a 1.5-unit NFL prop bet play for me at the 45.5 and a ladder spot. The 50+ line is +110 on Bet365 and could be worth half a unit.
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Devonta Smith over 5.5 receptions (+130)
Line available at Bet365 at the time of publishing.
Devonta Smith is in Year 3 and ready to establish himself as more of a WR1 instead of being the WR2 to AJ Brown. The savvy route runner started off 2023 with 10 targets and 7 receptions for only 47 yards. Those targets and receptions were completely even with what Brown saw against the Patriots. The Eagles targeted WRs 73% of the time in Week 1 and it’s not far off their 2022 number of 69%. Smith will continue to win in space and although Minnesota does run a lot of man coverage in Brian Flores’ defense, getting this at +125 looks to have great value. AJ Brown may have the more explosive game, but with a line set at 72.5, it’s very difficult to attack. The Vikings ranked 31st last season in completions per game (24.4) and slightly improved to 15th in Week 1 against Baker Mayfield.
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