NFL Player Props: Bets for Week 2 - Prop Betting Picks for Rushing, Receiving, Passing Yards

September 16, 2023

Gage Bridgford provides his favorite NFL player prop bets for quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers in Week 2. His top props betting picks, all free.

Week 2 of the NFL season is here. We only get about five months of football to bet on, so we have to bet on it while we can. The scores were down a bit in Week 1, but there are opportunities for more points this week. Some juicy matchups are on the slate that we had to dive into before they’re gone. While they’re here, let’s take advantage of it. 

We started the season in the green with a 3-2 showing last week, and we just barely missed a 4-1 week with Justin Herbert coming up short a couple of times. He had two completions that went for 35 or more yards, and he had a few other deep balls that fell incomplete. Regardless of that, it was nice to start in the green, and, assuming you bet one unit on every play, you would be up .55 units heading into Week 2. I'll be pinning my tracker into my Twitter bio for full transparency all season long with every pick that I make.

Before we get into this week’s picks, I just had one more piece of information to add for those who are new here. These picks are not in any sort of order. I try to give you my confidence level in the pick in the analysis, but I also have a belief in every pick I put out that they will hit. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be wasting your time by making the play at all. 

NFL Player Prop Bets for Week 2

Jaylen Waddle O4.5 Receptions
Sportsbook: DraftKings
Odds: +105

I’m jumping on this line now while it’s still there because I expect it to jump up by game time on Sunday evening. Miami Dolphins wideout Jaylen Waddle is one of the most electric players in the game, and it just so happens that probably the most electric one is his teammate Tyreek Hill. I’m expecting the New England Patriots to throw a ton of attention at Hill to force the Dolphins to beat them in another way. I think they can do that with a heavy dose of Waddle.

Last week, Waddle caught four of his five targets for 78 yards. Miami generated several big plays last week, but I’m expecting the Patriots to take those away this week to force Miami to methodically work their way down the field. If Hill is struggling to get involved early in the game, this could be a huge game for Waddle, and I want to find a way to target him this week.

Javonte Williams O45.5 Rushing Yards
Sportsbook: BetMGM
Odds: -115

This is another line that I think is going to be gone by the time the game rolls around. In last week’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, I felt like Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton was working to contain Russell Wilson into playing mistake-free football. He had a heavy emphasis on the ground game and short throws. They averaged a solid 4.4 yards per carry by their running backs, including 52 yards on 13 carries by Javonte Williams.

Williams cleared this line last week, and I think the Broncos’ defense will put a lid on the Washington offense. With that in mind, Denver can give Williams a healthy volume of carries to get to this mark again. Washington gave up 62 yards on 14 carries to James Conner last week, and Arizona was playing with a quarterback that had only been there for a week. I like Williams to have a solid day on the ground.

Khalil Herbert O8.5 Receiving Yards
Sportsbook: BetMGM
Odds: -110

The Chicago Bears started last week with a bit of a thud, but they have a bounceback spot this week in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs are still a solid defense, especially against the run, but they gave up a heap of yards through the air to the Minnesota Vikings last week. The Vikings’ three running backs combined to catch six of their eight targets for 35 yards. 

For the Bears, they couldn’t get much going on the ground against the Green Bay Packers, but they found a little something through the air via their running backs. Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson specifically combined for nine catches on 12 targets and 72 yards. This offense doesn’t throw the ball a lot, but Fields likes to dump the ball off when the pressure gets to him, so Herbert just needs one or two catches to hit a line this low.

Robert Woods O34.5 Receiving Yards
Sportsbook: FanDuel
Odds: -114

This line scares me a little bit because I’m trusting a rookie quarterback, but I’ll target him in a matchup that I think he can take advantage of. Last week, against the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans wide receiver Robert Woods was targeted 10 times in his Houston debut. He and Nico Collins were the only pass-catchers with more than four targets, and he finished with 57 yards on the day to crush this mark with relative ease.

The Indianapolis Colts hung tight with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but they came up just a bit short in the end. Ultimately, quarterback Trevor Lawrence had no trouble getting the ball to his primary targets in wideouts Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones, who had 101 and 55 yards respectively. Assuming the game stays close, I would expect another heavy-volume day for Woods to get to this mark.

Bryce Young U196.5 Passing Yards
Sportsbook: Caesar's Sportbook
Odds: -115

Back to that whole not trusting rookie quarterbacks thing. Bryce Young’s debut last week against the Atlanta Falcons was brutal. He completed 20-of-38 passes for just 146 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Now, with an already below-average receiving corps, he draws the New Orleans Saints that just held Ryan Tannehill and the Tennessee Titans to 198 yards with three interceptions. 

Young has the talent and skills to be a strong starting quarterback in the NFL, but, as of right now, it is way too early in his development to count on him for a big day. New Orleans has the advantage in this one, and I would expect them to turn this into another grind-it-out game where they win by a margin that makes the game look closer than it really is. Young underwhelms again in Week 2 to start his NFL career.

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