Week 2 Monday Night Football Player Prop Bets – Saints vs. Panthers

Welcome back to Fanelli’s Fave Five Prop Bets.

Week 2 of the 2023 NFL regular season is just about in the books. Hopefully, bettors came away with more money in their pockets than they started the week with. However, we all know the grind never stops. So, let’s not waste any time and get down to business. Today, we’re taking a look at the Week 2 Monday Night Football matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers.

While fans will have their eyes glued to the game, watching every play with the utmost attention, sports bettors only care about making money. However, which prop bets will lead to cash in their pockets? Here are my five favorite player prop bets for Monday’s game.

All props and odds are from DraftKings.

Derek Carr Over 236.5 Passing Yards (+110)

The veteran quarterback had 305 passing yards in Week 1, the fifth-most in the NFL. However, that shouldn’t have been a surprise. Carr has averaged over 253 passing yards in four of the past five years before last week. More importantly, he had over 240 passing yards in 67% of the games last season, including 295 or more passing yards four times. Yet, three of those matchups were outdoors, crushing the idea that Carr struggles when he isn’t playing in a dome.

Meanwhile, the Panthers surrendered only 115 passing yards last week, the fourth-fewest in the league. However, they faced Desmond Ridder and his measly 18 pass attempts. Last year, Carolina gave up 241.1 passing yards per game, the 11th-most in the NFL. Furthermore, the Saints averaged 262 passing yards per game in the two matchups against the Panthers in 2022. Unfortunately, star cornerback Jaycee Horn won’t play in this contest because of a hamstring injury. Expect Carr to take advantage of Horn’s absence.

Bryce Young Under 196.5 Passing Yards (-125)

Young’s NFL debut was far from ideal. The rookie quarterback was pressured on over 45% of his dropbacks in Week 1, getting sacked four times. Unfortunately, things have gotten worse over the past week. Starting guard Brady Christensen suffered a season-ending bicep injury against the Atlanta Falcons. More importantly, the former Alabama star needs help from his receiving core. Despite the rookie having 38 pass attempts, no wide receiver had more than 23 receiving yards in Week 1.

Unfortunately, Young’s Week 2 matchup isn’t friendly. The Saints held quarterbacks to only 200 passing yards last season, the fewest in the NFL. Furthermore, quarterbacks had under 200 passing yards in almost 50% of the contests against New Orleans in 2022. Last week, Ryan Tannehill struggled against the Saints, totaling only 198 passing yards and three interceptions on 34 pass attempts. More importantly, New Orleans has been a nightmare for rookie quarterbacks. The last four rookie quarterbacks that faced the Saints have averaged only 192 passing yards per game.

Jamaal Williams Over 52.5 Rushing Yards (-135)

With Alvin Kamara suspended and Kendre Miller out with a hamstring injury, Williams was the New Orleans rushing attack in Week 1. He played 49 offensive snaps last week, while the backups played a combined nine. While Miller could make his NFL debut Monday night, Williams will remain the lead running back. Last week, the former BYU star had 45 rushing yards against an elite Tennessee Titans run defense. Thankfully, this week’s matchup is more appealing for the veteran running back.

The Panthers had no answers for Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier last week. Atlanta’s 1-2 punch at running back had 131 rushing yards in Week 1, averaging 5.24 yards per rushing attempt. Meanwhile, Carolina struggled to slow down opposing running backs last season, surrendering nearly 100 rushing yards per game. More importantly, the Saints’ running backs averaged 94.5 rushing yards per game in the two matchups against the Panthers last year. Williams should easily hit the over on this prop bet.

Miles Sanders Over 59.5 Rushing Yards (-125)

While the Panthers’ passing attack struggled, Sanders had a solid Carolina debut in Week 1. The former Penn State star had 18 rushing attempts for 72 yards against the Falcons. Sanders averaged 74.6 rushing yards per game last season with the Philadelphia Eagles. However, some were worried he would struggle without an elite offensive line. However, the veteran running back still averaged four yards per rushing attempt and over 2.1 yards after contact per rushing attempt in Week 1 despite the offensive line troubles.

Last week, the Saints held the Titans’ running backs to 90 rushing yards. That’s impressive, given what Derrick Henry has done to opposing defenses in his career. However, New Orleans did surrender five yards per rushing attempt to the Titans’ running backs in Week 1. Meanwhile, running backs averaged 103.7 rushing yards per game against the Saints last season, the ninth-most in the NFL. Furthermore, Chuba Hubbard and D’Onta Foreman had over 65 rushing yards each in the Week 18 matchup against New Orleans last year.

Rashid Shaheed Over 36.5 Receiving Yards (-125)

The Saints had no trouble passing the ball in Week 1 against the Titans. Chris Olave led the team with 112 receiving yards, while Michael Thomas had 61. However, the biggest surprise in the game was Shaheed. The second-year undrafted free agent had five receptions on six targets for 89 receiving yards and a touchdown against Tennessee. The 89 receiving yards were the second-most in his career. More importantly, Shaheed flashed upside last season. After not playing in the first five games, the undrafted rookie averaged 40.7 receiving yards per game over the final 12 contests.

Furthermore, the former Weber State star had at least 38 receiving yards in all but two of the nine games last year that he played over 13% of the snaps. Meanwhile, the Panthers didn’t have to worry about the Falcons’ wide receivers in Week 1 because of Arthur Smith’s phobia of passing the ball. However, Carolina surrendered 173.4 receiving yards per game to wide receivers last season, the fourth-most in the NFL. With the Panthers secondary dealing with injuries, don’t be surprised if Carr takes a few shots downfield to Shaheed in this game.

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