NFL Player Props for Chiefs vs. Chargers (9/5)
What kind of performances can we expect on Friday from Justin Herbert, Najee Harris, and JuJu Smith-Schuster? Follow along as our NFL betting analyst, Nick Galaida, breaks down three of his favorite NFL prop bets for Chiefs vs. Chargers on September 5th. Get all of Nick’s picks, including more NFL plays, by subscribing to the RotoGrinders Props & Pick’em package.
Thursday Night Football had it all – the tush push, a weather delay, inopportune turnovers, and even an ejection! On Friday, the NFL will try to top an entertaining season opener with an AFC West clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Ahead of kickoff, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are 3-point favorites on the spread, with the total set at 46.5 points. Bettors can find updated NFL odds for Friday’s action and the rest of Week 1 over at ScoresAndOdds.
Below, you can find three of my favorite player props for Chiefs vs. Chargers!
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Best NFL Player Props for Friday: Chiefs vs. Chargers
Here are my top player prop bets, with kickoff scheduled for 8:00 PM ET on Friday, September 5th:
- Justin Herbert Over/Under 3.5 Rushing Attempts
- Najee Harris Over/Under 5.5 Rushing Attempts
- JuJu Smith-Schuster Over/Under 2.5 Receptions
Justin Herbert OVER 3.5 Rushing Attempts (-130, FanDuel)
FANDUELBack in June, offensive coordinator Greg Roman told the media that he thinks we will see Herbert use his legs more this season. He reminded everyone that Herbert was somewhat limited in that regard last season after being hindered by foot and ankle injuries early in the year. Still, Herbert had 4+ rushing attempts in 11 of 17 regular season games and set a new career high with 306 rushing yards.
If we are to trust Roman at his word, there should be more designed runs for Herbert this season. Taking an over on quarterback rush attempts always has the added potential to cash on late-game quarterback kneels as well. This is good value, especially with the Chargers’ running back room not being completely healthy heading into Week 1.
Najee Harris OVER 5.5 Rushing Attempts (-150, bet365)
BET365Head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman want to run the football. Notably, last season, the Chargers ranked 11th in rushing attempts, which was the least run-heavy team that Harbaugh and Roman have co-led during their 5 seasons together. It was the first time in Roman’s 11 years as an offensive coordinator in the NFL that his team hasn’t finished in the top 9 in rushing attempts and only the second time that they have finished lower than 7th.
Harris was a full participant at practice this week and all indications are that he seems ready to go for Week 1. It remains to be seen how effective Harris looks, given his eye injury and his relative lack of practice reps, but Harbaugh probably wouldn’t have him active in this game if he wasn’t ready to contribute on some level.
Harris is obviously with a new team this season and coming off of a lengthy summer injury, but he’s never recorded fewer than 6 rushing attempts in any game in his NFL career. It’s simply unlikely that this trend will be broken in this game, playing alongside a rookie in a run-heavy offense.
JuJu Smith-Schuster OVER 2.5 Receptions (+145, bet365)
BET365The biggest perceived weakness for Kansas City heading into Week 1 is their wide receiver room, with Rashee Rice unavailable due to suspension and Jalen Royals unavailable due to knee tendinitis. That leaves Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, Smith-Schuster, and Tyquan Thornton as the team’s primary receivers, with tight ends Travis Kelce and Noah Gray also in the mix for touches.
The one player who makes the most sense to see an expanded role in Week 1 is Smith-Schuster. Head coach Andy Reid has been very complimentary of him throughout the summer, most recently telling the local media on Friday that he thought Smith-Schuster had “a great camp.”
From a pure football perspective, Smith-Schuster seems like a good fit to operate in the team’s short-yardage game. Among Kansas City receivers with 20+ targets last season, Rice had a 5.2 aDOT and Smith-Schuster had a 5.6 aDOT – the two lowest marks on the team. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Smith-Schuster have a meaningful role in the offense in this game.
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