NFL Playoffs: Wildcard Monday 1/15/24

It was a great day yesterday for our picks here at PropChop as we went 4-1 and brought ourselves to 6-2 on the weekend. Let’s take a look at what we had and how they ended up:

  • Jayden Reed over 48.5 receiving yards – L
  • Jordan Love over 1.5 passing TDs – W
  • Jake Ferguson over 43.5 receiving yards – W
  • Amon-Ra St. Brown over 88.5 receiving yards – W
  • Puka Nacua over 78.5 receiving yards – W

Unfortunately, Jayden Reed did stone nothing in that game. That will happen. But thankfully we hit our other four lines – easily, across the board – so it was a great day. There’s two more games today after the Pittsburgh-Buffalo game was moved, and there’s two props I like, so let’s check them out.

Najee Harris (RB, PIT) over 16.5 rushing attempts +105

Over the past three games, Najee Harris is averaging 24 carries per game, and the Steelers are 3-0. Those two things aren’t unrelated, of course, as some early leads have led to favorable game scripts for the backfield. But most importantly, Harris has been reasonably efficient with those carries, and he is dominating the rush attempt split with 70% over that span. Conditions are still expected to be tricky today, with some snow, and Buffalo’s top ten ranked pass defense will make Pittsburgh think twice about unleashing Mason Rudolph. If Pittsburgh is going to find a way to win this game, it’s likely by controlling the time of possession, and that path goes through Najee Harris. 16.5 is high, but at plus money and given script/conditions, it’s value to me.

Kenny Gainwell (RB, PHI) over 13.5 rushing yards -135

Kenny Gainwell has had at least three rush attempts in 10 games this season, and he eclipsed this total in each of those games. With AJB out and Jalen Hurts banged up, the Eagles will be looking to get every healthy body involved. They lost five of their last six games and surrendered 30.3 points per game in that stretch, so they’ll want to limit their defensive exposure by leaning on the run game. Gainwell was a surprisingly key part to their offense last postseason, averaging over 60 rushing yards over three playoff games. I expect Gainwell to get some extra work today alongside D’Andre Swift, and I believe he’ll easily beat this total.

Draftkings had a 50% profit boost on a $25 max bet NFL promo today, so I parlayed these two picks to boost the +256 odds to +385, paying $121.31 if it wins. As always, these are my thoughts and your picks are your own. Gamble responsibly, have fun, and good luck to us!