This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
Monday Night Football Picks And
Player Props, Week 2
I'm not sure why the NFL waited to Week 2 to put two games on Monday night instead of Week 1. Perhaps even more odd is the first game starts at 7:15 pm ET and the second starts an hour later instead of a being a late game. Let's check out what looks attractive at the sportsbooks.
Carolina Panthers Team Points OVER 18.5 (-112) DraftKings
I'm going to stay away from the spread and over/under in this one, but I think the Panthers will put up points in this one. Seeing 18.5 is an odd number, as I would think this would be either 17.5 or 19.5, but I supposed a two-point conversion could come into play. Carolina is home and has a few other advantages. The Panthers have a nice running back tandem with Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard and while it's a one-game sample, the Saints gave up 4.7 yards per carry last week. Bryce Young has as much upside as any other rookie quarterback and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Panthers run some trick plays with some of the receivers they have.
Juwan Johnson Anytime Touchdown +380 (FanDuel)
Johnson scored in five of his last 10 games last season, and has become a big part of the offense. He's a huge target at 6-4, 231 lbs. and should have plenty of room to work over the middle playing alongside Michael Thomas, Chris Olave and even Rashid Shaheed. Derek Carr will have no problem throwing to his tight end as evidenced by turning Darren Waller into a household name.
Cleveland Browns -2 (-110) at Pittsburgh Steelers
I look at this matchup and the only advantage I see for the Steelers is that they'll be at home. Deshaun Watson is better than Kenny Pickett. Nick Chubb is better than Najee Harris/Jaylen Warren, and even the defenses favor the Browns. The absences of Diontae Johnson and Amari Cooper (possible absence) is another part of this game that's a slight advantage for the Browns, given what each player means to their respective team.
Elijah Moore Anytime Touchdown +275 (DraftKings), George Pickens +280 (FanDuel)
As I already touched on, Diontae Johnson will be out and Amari Cooper is questionable at best (unlikely to play according to some reporters). This should open a few extra targets for both Moore and Pickens who are getting solid anytime touchdown odds. You can hedge and take both here and you'll have action no matter which team is on offense.
