It’s crazy to think it’s already Week 3 of the NFL season! We’ve had two weeks to take in these NFL teams and see what their strengths and weaknesses are. Now is a great time to break out the old prop ladder and find some of the best in player props to climb up in Week 3. So grab your ladder and let’s climb the NFL Week 3 best bets!
What’s a ladder bet you ask? Well, I’m glad you did! Last week in the Cleveland Browns at Jackson Jaguars preview article I laid out the case for Brian Thomas Jr. You start at the low number or bottom rung, which was 40+ receiving yards at +100. If you hit that bet, that’s awesome and a great day!
Just re-living this beautiful Brain Thomas Jr ladder 🪜 from last week’s preview article @GamblingPodcast 😎 pic.twitter.com/ISJY3KAtDX
— Cody Zeeb (@Husker_Zeeb) September 18, 2024
But you also bet him at 50+ at +175, and 60+, and 80 plus, and I even tossed in if you were feeling frisky to grab that 90+ at 11/1. Brian Thomas Jr went on to record 94 receiving yards, meaning not only did you hit the 11/1 bet, you hit 7/1 and +290 and all the other rungs on that ladder bet! So in summary, bet the bottom of the ladder expecting that to be what you get, and climb that ladder as the player does better and get paid big if Brian Thomas is in your corner!
NFL Week 3 Best Bets: The Player Prop Ladder
Kyler Murray Rushing Yards: 40+ (+135), 50+ (+255), 60+ (+450), 70+ (+800)
You don’t need a very big ladder for this one (sorry Kyler!). Kyler Murray has returned to his pre-injury form and looked great in the first two weeks against what should be good teams in the Bills and Rams. In Week 1 against the Bills, Murray scrambled just five times, but was able to amass 57 yards. In Week 2 it was a similar story, just five attempts but he again ran for 59 yards.
Kyler is almost effortlessly gliding for 50+ yards on just five attempts in each game, averaging 11.6 yards per carry. If he can simply do that again this week, it’ll cash the +135 & +255 which is already a nice weekend. Add on one more run that breaks 60, or two and breaks 70. The ladder is complete and it’s a great day! Also, the Lions defense he’s facing this week just gave up 34 rushing yards to Baker Mayfield in Week 2.
Brain Thomas Jr Receiving Yards: 50+ (+135), 60+ (+215), 70+ (+340), 80+ (+500), 90+ (+800)
Unbelievable rep here from Brian Thomas Jr. who is on that ++ trajectory right now… sky is the limit for a talent like this if he works at his craft.#Jaguars pic.twitter.com/ZKRtNlTkoy
— Dan Schneier (@DanSchneierNFL) September 16, 2024
We are absolutely running this back in Week 3. It worked great in Week 2 hitting every rung of the ladder. Thomas Jr showed off his big play ability with a 66-yard catch for his first reception of the day. All the same logic from last week applies. Thomas Jr is that dude, he’s proved it both weeks so far and Trevor Lawrence loves him. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Let’s roll the dice with house money and see how far this ladder extends.
Chris Godwin Receiving Yards: 60+ (-120), 70+ (+130), 80+ (+200), 100+ (+425), 110+ (+600), 120+ (+900)
The Denver Broncos have one of the best defensive backs in the entire league in Patrick Surtain. Unfortunately for Denver, he can only cover one receiver at a time. That’s exactly what we saw in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks. Surtain shut down DK Metcalf. On Sunday, he’ll likely shut down Mike Evans as well. That will leave Chris Godwin open for business, just like it left Tyler Lockett open for the Seahawks. Lockett had six catches for 77 yards on the day against the Broncos.
In two games this season, Godwin has already been tearing it up. In Week 1 against the Commanders he went for 83 yards, before really breaking out in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions where he caught seven passes for 117 yards. We know Godwin and quarterback Baker Mayfield have it in them to be explosive, with Evans being shut down on one side, it’ll leave Godwin to do his ladder work on the other.
Brock Bowers Receiving Yards: 50+ (-105), 60+ (+155), 70+ (+250), 80+ (+370), 100+ (+800), 110+ (+1200)
Brock Bowers has been a stud through his first two career games at tight end for the Las Vegas Raiders. Week 1 he caught six passes for 58 yards. But it was Week 2 where quarterback Gardner Minshew really leaned on Bowers. Bowers caught all nine passes tossed his way totaling 98 yards against the Baltimore Ravens.
This week the Raiders get the pleasure of playing the Carolina Panthers who have easily been the worst team in the league. They have made the switch at quarterback to the Red Rifle Andy Dalton, which may help their offense, but their defense hasn’t been very good. In Week 1 Foster Moreau went for 43 yards in four catches while in Week 2 Will Dissly went for 29 yards on just three catches. Bowers has already proven his worth and why the Raiders drafted him so high, and Antonio Pierce is going to want to continue to show off his new toy this week.
