NFL Playoffs Wild Card Weekend Odds to Lead in Passing, Rushing, and Receiving
- Oddsmakers are expecting dominance from the Buffalo Bills during NFL Wild Card weekend
- Bills QB Josh Allen (+200) is favored to lead the weekend in passing yardage, while WR Stefon Diggs is the +400 favorite to post the most receiving yards
- Tennessee Titans RB Derrick Henry is the +100 chalk to lead Wild Card weekend in rushing yardage
The wildest Wild Card weekend in NFL history is upon us. A record six games are on tap as the NFL kicks off the 2020-21 postseason.
Those are the biggest numbers ever in terms of playoff participation. On Saturday in the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks are playing host to the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Washington to face the Football Team. The Indianapolis Colts are at the Buffalo Bills in the lone AFC contest on Saturday.
Sunday’s AFC action sees the Baltimore Ravens traveling to Tennesse to face the Titans, while the Cleveland Browns are at the Pittsburgh Steelers. The New Orleans Saints play host to the Chicago Bears in the lone NFC game.
Prop bets are out asking which quarterback will lead the Wild Card weekend in passing yardage. There is similar action offered on running backs (rushing yardage) and wide receivers (reception yardage).
Most NFL Wild Card Weekend Passing Yards
| Player (Team) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Josh Allen (Bills) | +200 |
| Tom Brady (Buccaneers) | +300 |
| Drew Brees (Saints) | +600 |
| Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers) | +700 |
| Russell Wilson (Seahawks) | +725 |
| Philip Rivers (Colts) | +800 |
| Ryan Tannehill (Titans) | +1000 |
| Baker Mayfield (Browns) | +1400 |
| Lamar Jackson (Ravens) | +1600 |
| Mitch Trubisky (Bears) | +1600 |
| Los Angeles Rams QBs | +1800 |
| Alex Smith (Washington) | +2000 |
Odds taken from PointsBet on Jan 7
When it comes to pass, in terms of raw numbers, Brady is the guy at the top of the list. The Tampa Bay quarterback threw for 4,633 yards, the most of any QB involved with the Wild Card round.
However, Brady is coming up against Washington’s pass defense, ranked #2 in the NFL. Likewise, Russell Wilson of the Seahawks is tangling with the #1 pass defense of the Los Angeles Rams.
https://twitter.com/SavageBoston/status/1346095753211609090?s=20
Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield (#3 Pittsburgh), Chicago’s Mitch Trubisky (#5 New Orleans) and Tennessee’s Ryan Tannehill (#6 Baltimore) also figure to find the air taken out of the ball by the defenses they must face.
On the flip side, the Rams get a chance to pick apart Seattle’s #31-ranked pass defense. The problem being, Rams coach Sean McVay won’t reveal whether Jared Goff (broken thumb) or backup John Wolford will be under center for his team.
Lay the Favorite
There’s a couple of reasons why going with the favorite makes sense here. Buffalo’s Josh Allen is at +200. He’s facing an Indianapolis defense that rated 20th overall at stopping the pass.
Think this team is staying loose?
Here's the #Bills dancing to "Can't Touch This" at practice 😂 pic.twitter.com/PIAdTS1lcf
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) January 7, 2021
Allen passed for 4,544 yards this season, good for fifth among NFL QBs. He threw for over 300 yards in three of his last five games.
If it’s value you seek, maybe take a chance on Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger (+700). Big Ben gets Cleveland’s #22 pass defense and a Browns team in disarray due to a COVID-19 outbreak. But he was only good for 162 yards through the air during a 38-7 win over Cleveland earlier this season.
Pick: Josh Allen (Bills) +200
Most NFL Wild Card Weekend Receiving Yards
| Player (Team) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Stefon Diggs (Bills) | +400 |
| AJ Brown (Titans) | +650 |
| DK Metcalf (Seahawks) | +650 |
| Allen Robinson (Bears) | +1100 |
| Terry McLaurin (Washington) | +1500 |
| Mike Evans (Buccaneers) | +1500 |
| Chris Godwin (Buccaneers) | +1600 |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster (Steelers) | +1600 |
| Diontae Johnson (Steelers) | +1600 |
| Tyler Lockett (Seahawks) | +1600 |
| Antonio Brown (Buccanneers) | +1600 |
| Cooper Kupp (Rams) | +1800 |
| Robert Woods (Rams) | +1800 |
| TY Hilton (Colts) | +1800 |
| Emmanuel Sanders (Saints) | +1800 |
| Alvin Kamara (Saints) | +2000 |
| Chase Claypool (Steelers) | +2000 |
| Corey Davis (Titans) | +2000 |
| Jarvis Landry (Browns) | +2200 |
| Mark Andrews (Ravens) | +2500 |
| Marquise Brown (Ravens) | +2500 |
| John Brown (Bills) | +2500 |
| Rob Gronkowski (Buccaneers) | +3500 |
It’s going to be difficult to pass up a chance to lock in Stefon Diggs at +400. The Bills wideout led the NFL with 1,535 yards in receptions this season.
That works out to an average of 95.9 yards per game. No other receiver involved in Wild Card weekend is averaging better than 81.4 ypg. Diggs is averaging 14 yards per catch during his career in postseason play.
Just when you thought Stefon Diggs couldn’t get any more impressive… displaying phenomenal dental hygiene. #Bills pic.twitter.com/q4NWzBTxL9
— Bradley Gelber (@BradleyGelber) January 3, 2021
If someone can get him the ball, Washington’s Terry McLaurin might be worthy as a value play. He’s going up against Tampa Bay’s #29 pass defense.
Unfortunately, Washington QB Alex Smith is listed as questionable due to a calf injury
Pick: Stefon Diggs (Bills) +400
Most NFL Wild Card Weekend Rushing Yards
| Player (Team) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Derrick Henry (Titans) | +100 |
| Nick Chubb (Browns) | +400 |
| Jonathan Taylor (Colts) | +450 |
| David Montgomery (Bears) | +1100 |
| Alvin Kamara (Saints) | +1600 |
| Chris Carson (Seahawks) | +1800 |
| Lamar Jackson (Ravens) | +1800 |
| JK Dobbins (Ravens) | +1800 |
| Antonio Gibson (Washington) | +2000 |
| Cam Akers (Rams) | +2000 |
| Ronald Jones II (Buccanneers) | +2200 |
| James Conner (Steelers) | +2500 |
| Gus Edwards (Ravens) | +2800 |
| Kareem Hunt (Browns) | +2800 |
| Zack Moss (Bills) | +3000 |
| Devin Singletary (Bills) | +4000 |
| Leonard Fournette (Buccaneers) | +4000 |
Earlier this season, Tennessee’s Derrick Henry went for 133 yards in a 30-24 overtime victory over the Ravens. In last season’s NFL Divisional Round playoffs, he sliced and diced Baltimore for 195 yards during a 28-12 triumph.
Yes, Baltimore was #8 in the NFL at stopping the run this season. No matter. Tennessee has the power offense to match the Ravens’ strength.
As the Ravens and @Titans get set to meet in the playoffs again, we had to throw it back to earlier this season when @KingHenry_2 walked it off in OT vs Baltimore 😤
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/pTszNs4w1i
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 6, 2021
Henry (+100) rambled for a league-leading 2,027 yards this season, so no team was really successful at containing him. He’s rushed for over 200 yards twice in the past four games and topped 100 yards in six of his last eight games.
If you must play a sleeper, consider Jonathan Taylor (+450) of the Colts. He stormed through Jacksonville for 253 yards last week. It was his second time to 150 yards rushing in the past month.
Buffalo rates #18 in the NFL at stopping the run.
Pick: Derrick Henry (Titans) +100
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
