Packers vs. Eagles Player Props: Three Predictions for Friday Night
What can we expect on Friday from Saquon Barkley, Luke Musgrave, and Dallas Goedert? Follow along as our NFL betting expert, Nick Galaida, breaks down three of his favorite NFL prop bets for Friday, September 6, 2024. Get all of Nick’s picks, including more football props, at ScoresandOdds.
NFL Kickoff week features a special Friday Night edition of primetime football, with the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles meeting in Brazil for the league’s first international contest of the new season. Jordan Love and the Packers are coming off of an impressive second-half run to the playoffs in 2023 and will be looking to prove that they are ready to take the next step in 2024. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles will be looking to regain their throne among the NFC’s elite after a first round playoff exit last season.
Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET on Peacock.
If looking to wager on the player prop market for Packers vs. Eagles, we have 3 prop leans to consider for Friday evening!
Packers vs. Eagles Player Prop Bets
- Barkley Over/Under 2.5 Receptions
- Musgrave Over/Under 26.5 Receiving Yards
- Goedert Over/Under 4.5 Receptions
Saquon Barkley OVER 2.5 Receptions (-115), Caesars
If there is one extremely salient weakness for the Packers defensively heading into Week 1, it’s their linebacker corps. Isaiah McDuffie, Quay Walker, and Eric Wilson each finished last season near the bottom of the league in coverage grade, per PFF. Barkley is on a new team in 2024, but it’s worth noting that he had 3+ receptions in 10 of the 14 games he played last year for the Giants. He had 3+ receptions in 11 of 16 games with New York the year prior as well.
There are undeniably more mouths to feed in Philadelphia, with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and a talented tight end room being a significant upgrade in talent compared to what Barkley had alongside him in New York. That being said, there is proof of concept for Barkley at this number, and it’s a favorable matchup.
Luke Musgrave UNDER 26.5 Receiving Yards (-120), DraftKings
Luke Musgrave got off to a spectacular start to his rookie season, with at least 25 receiving yards in 5 of his first 6 contests. He even had a pair of big games to begin November, totaling 51 receiving yards against the Rams and 64 receiving yards against the Steelers. However, he lacerated his kidney shortly before Thanksgiving, which forced him to miss significant time.
In his absence, Tucker Kraft stepped up in a big way. From Week 11 to Week 18, Kraft ranked 8th in receiving yards and 9th in receptions among all tight ends. In the postseason, Kraft had 9 targets, which was 2 more than Musgrave.
Musgrave is probably the more talented of the two tight end options in Green Bay, but there are a lot of mouths to feed in this passing attack heading into Week 1, with a healthy Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Christian Watson also vying for looks. Philadelphia wasn’t great at defending tight ends in 2023, but they should be improved in that regard with a healthy Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun manning the middle of the field.
Dallas Goedert UNDER 4.5 Receptions (-140), BetMGM
Dallas Goedert ranked 3rd on the Eagles in targets in 2023, but he could see his looks diminish this fall with Jahan Dotson, Parris Campbell, and Saquon Barkley now on the team. Dotson and Campbell can both play effectively in the slot, which is where Goedert lined up for 52.1% of his offensive snaps last year. Barkley is a better receiving back than D’Andre Swift and could earn more targets out of the backfield.
New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has plenty of mouths to feed and only so many targets to go around. It’s also worth noting that Jalen Hurts has never thrown for 4,000 yards or topped 352 completions in a single season. Moore had Dak Prescott in Dallas from 2019 to 2022, who threw for at least 4,449 yards in each season that he played more than 12 games.
If Hurts has ~20 completions on Friday, it’s difficult to see Goedert ending up with 25% of those receptions, with a newly paid AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith ahead of him, and newcomers Dotson and Barkley also in the mix for touches.
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