Monday Night Football Betting Picks: Los Angeles Chargers at New Orleans Saints
The Saints will play again without Michael Thomas against the injury-riddled Los Angeles Chargers. Justin Herbert makes his first primetime spot without Austin Ekeler on the road in New Orleans. Will the Saints smother the young quarterback? Here are Monday Night Football betting picks for Chargers at the Saints.
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Chargers at Saints NFL Betting Odds
Spread: Saints -6.5
60% of bets backing New Orleans, per ScoresandOdds.com.
Over/Under: 50
57% of bets on the over.
Chargers at Saints MNF Betting Preview
The New Orleans Saints look to keep pace in the NFC South as they welcome in a weakened San Diego Chargers offense. The headlines surround Michael Thomas — missing another game for a physical altercation with a teammate in practice. The Saints will go to battle without their superstar, again — hopefully, this discipline issue is not a sign of things to come for the talented wideout.
Jared Cook and Marshon Lattimore are both questionable for the game though both practiced on Saturday. Despite their injury concerns, the Saints are far better off than the Chargers. The Chargers play their first game without Austin Ekeler have a hamstring strain. Ekeler has been heating up prior to the injury — tallying at least 140 all-purpose yards two weeks in a row with Justin Herbert under center. Ekeler’s dynamic ability will be missed — especially for a rookie quarterback.
The Chargers will also play this game without Bryan Bulaga and Trai Turner. Herbert will likely be under siege on the road without his normal outlet. Expect plenty of volume for Hunter Henry and Keenan Allen. Allen makes for an intriguing DFS option this evening as a bring-back for your New Orleans onslaught stacks.
The Saints offense — with or without Thomas — is still firing on all cylinders. The Saints average 30.8 points per game and 5.9 yards per play with Alvin Kamara as the engine to the offense. Kamara stands out as the most dynamic player in the NFL in 2020, paying dividends on his contract extension, already. Kamara leads the NFL in scrimmage yards (557) and is tied with Dalvin Cook with the most touchdowns (7). I expect that tie to be broken this evening. Kamara will be an overwhelmingly popular captain option in DFS contests and probably an impossible fade at the flex position. Do you want a unique lineup? Fada Kamara — likely at your peril.
A road victory versus the Saints seems like a big ask for rookie Justin Herbert. The Saints allow a measly 5.2 yards per play on defense and might improve that number against a potentially punchless offense. Despite weapons like Keenan Allen, Hunter Henry, and potentially Mike Williams (questionable), the loss of a dynamic Austin Ekeler takes away a Herbert’s most trusted big-play option.
The Saints offense will challenge a similarly solid defense, but one that surrendered a huge lead to the Buccaneers in Week 4. The Saints offense is far more dynamic — at home — than the Buccaneers and should be able to run the ball far more effectively than their division rival. Look for the Saints to control the ball on offense and stifle Herbert on the defensive side.
Monday Night Football Betting Picks
I cannot fathom a world where Justin Herbert has success on the road in New Orleans. Monday Night Football and the Saints have a special history. While New Orleans will not have fans in the building, the travel alone in a primetime game could be too much for the rookie. Herbert will be under siege with a weakened offensive line and no Ekeler outlet to throw the football.
I love the Saints where I can get them at -6.5. At the time of this writing, DraftKings Sportsbook offers this number so I am buying before the spread moves back to 7 points. I’ll lay the points in a possible route of the Chargers.
MNF Betting Pick: New Orleans Saints -6.5 (DraftKings)
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Chargers and Saints Player Props
Here are my first touchdown picks for Monday Night Football at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Alvin Kamara +425
Latavius Murray +1100
Hunter Henry +1300
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Here are my picks for one of the “More or Less” games at Monkey Knife Fight for tonight’s matchup.
Drew Brees Less Than 270.5 Passing Yards
Justin Herbert More Than 263.5 Passing Yards
Alvin Kamara Less Than 7.5 Receptions
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