This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
I want to chalk up last week's results to being unlucky, as the Titans put 33 points on the board but Derrick Henry was unable to get in the end zone (let alone twice at +220), while the Jets were more abysmal than expected (which is pretty surprising), with Chris Herndon not coming remotely close to going over his receiving yards prop of 45.5 (-110). And while the Cowboys staged an epic comeback against the Falcons, their 40-39 win did nothing for our Cowboys -6.5 and over 52.5 points (+320). Thankfully, Ronald Jones was able to get in the end zone before basically losing his job to Leonard Fournette in the Bucs' win over the Panthers, salvaging a cliff day with that +170 hit.
Given the success of anytime touchdown and win parlays early this season, let's try to see if we can increase our moneyline odds with some reasonable pairings.
Cam Newton anytime touchdown and Patriots win (+135)
The Patriots are -260 on the moneyline and -110 to cover a six-point spread, so combining that moneyline with their leading rusher and touchdown scorer seems like a solid way to get on the board this week. The Raiders come in off a big win over the Saints on Monday night and now have to travel east for a 10:00 a.m. body clock game. Newton, who had two rushing touchdowns in each of the first two games, is -130 to score anytime, the best odds in the game, and this bet doesn't require the Patriots to win by at least a touchdown. (And if you think Cam keeps his streak going, he's +450 to score at least two touchdowns).
Calvin Ridley anytime touchdown and Falcons win (+190)
Ridley is going to be a popular DFS play Sunday if Julio Jones is unable to go due to a hamstring injury. That being said, Ridley has been excellent to start the season, as only four players have more targets and only three have more in the red zone. And, similarly to Newton, he has two touchdowns in each of the first two games. The Falcons are 3.5-point home favorites against the Bears, who could certainly focus more on Ridley defensively if Jones is out, but at -130 to score anytime and the Falcons -164 on the moneyline, this is one worth thinking about.
Ezekiel Elliott anytime touchdown and Cowboys win (+270)
This game is expected to have a ton of points, and while the Cowboys are 5.0-point underdogs, using Elliott makes this much more fun if you think Dallas can pull out the W in Seattle. You can obviously play the other side of this game with someone like DK Metcalf, as his anytime touchdown and Seahawks win is priced at +160, but if you're looking for something a little longer, you can do more than just the Cowboys moneyline at +188. Elliott isn't the only one who could provide the fireworks, with Amari Cooper (+430), CeeDee Lamb (+500), Michael Gallup (+500) or Dak Prescott (+750), who each provide a massive return if they can get into the end zone in a Cowboys victory.
Austin Ekeler over 26.5 receiving yards (-110)
Jumping into a straight player prop, Ekeler comes in with a surprising low receiving yardage figure after racking up 55 just last week. One could look at the disappointing one catch on one target in Week 1 against Cincinnati, but that was with Tyrod Taylor under center and not Justin Herbert, who completed all four of his targets to Ekeler for 55 receiving yards last week against the Chargers. Up next is a Panthers defense that allowed eight and 11 running backs receptions in the past two games, respectively, and while Ekeler might lose some rushing opportunities to Joshua Kelley, his pass-catching skills out of the backfield should still be utilized.
Miles Sanders to rush for 100+ yards and Eagles to win (+255)
Sanders came up just short of the century mark in last weekend's loss to the Rams, rushing 20 times for 95 yards and a touchdown while catching three of seven targets for 36 receiving yards. I was initially going to simply go with over 81.5 rushing yards, which is currently at -110, or his over 27.5 receiving yards at -122. Given those two, his over/under for combined rushing and receiving yards is 108.5, but it's -120 for the over, which isn't a fun payout. Instead, we'll rely on the Eagles actually winning a game (they are -205 to win and -110 to cover a 4.0-point spread), and expect Sanders to eclipse 100 yards against a Bengals defense that has allowed a league-high 358 rushing yards through two games thanks to 148 by the Chargers in Week 1 and 210 to the Browns in Week 2.
KJ Hamler anytime touchdown (+400)
Hamler is a darling of the DFS community this week because he is dirt cheap and expected to play a ton of snaps for the Broncos in place of the injured Courtland Sutton. He caught three of seven targets for 48 yards last week while also rushing once for nine yards, and one of his targets was in the red zone. This is a decent long-shot, which is why it's +400, but what better way to feel smart about playing him in DFS than to double down on his anytime touchdown odds?
