NFL Week 8 Picks: Vegas Odds, Props and Predictions Before Thursday Night

The first meeting between the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers only had 39 points, but there were plenty of high offensive totals on both rosters.

Each NFC South side had a 100-yard receiver in that Week 5 clash, and Mike Davis was 11 rushing yards away from the game producing a pair of 100-yard ground performances.

Thursday night's rematch at Bank of America Stadium could produce similar totals since both defenses have been gashed for high yardage totals this season.

The safest player prop bets to wager on in the Week 8 opener involve the most targeted wide receiver on each roster: Robby Anderson and Calvin Ridley.

One of Sunday's most intriguing prop bets comes from what is expected to be a lopsided affair. The Kansas City Chiefs are a 19-point favorite over the New York Jets, but they do not need to score a ton of points to eclipse their projected first-half total.

Week 8 Schedule and Odds

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Thursday, October 29

Atlanta at Carolina (-2.5) (8:20 p.m., Fox/NFL Network) (Over/Under: 51.5)

Sunday, November 1

Indianapolis (-3) at Detroit (1 p.m., CBS) (O/U: 50)

New England at Buffalo (-3.5) (1 p.m., CBS) (O/U: 42.5)

New York Jets at Kansas City (-19.5) (1 p.m, CBS) (O/U: 49)

Pittsburgh at Baltimore (-4) (1 p.m., CBS) (O/U: 46.5)

Tennessee (-5.5) at Cincinnati (1 p.m., CBS) (O/U: 53.5)

Las Vegas at Cleveland (-2.5) (1 p.m., Fox) (O/U: 51.5)

Los Angeles Rams (-3.5) at Miami (1 p.m., Fox) (O/U: 46)

Minnesota at Green Bay (-6.5) (1 p.m., Fox) (O/U: 51.5)

Los Angeles Chargers (-3.5) at Denver (4:05 p.m., CBS) (O/U: 44.5)

New Orleans (-4) at Chicago (4:25 p.m., Fox) (O/U: 43.5)

San Francisco at Seattle (-2.5) (4:25 p.m., Fox) (O/U: 54)

Dallas at Philadelphia (-8) (8:20 p.m., NBC) (O/U: 43)

Monday, November 2

Tampa Bay (-10.5) at New York Giants (8:15 p.m., ESPN) (O/U: 46)

All Times ET. Predictions against the spread in bold. Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Robby Anderson and Calvin Ridley over 5.5 Receptions

John Bazemore/Associated Press

In Week 5, Anderson and Ridley combined to catch 16 balls off 22 targets for 248 yards.

Anderson has received the most targets from Teddy Bridgewater this season. He has been thrown to on 59 occasions and caught 46 of those balls. He also leads the Panthers with 640 receiving yards.

Ridley, meanwhile, has emerged as Matt Ryan's top target. He carries a significant lead over Russell Gage and Julio Jones in targets, receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.

The Alabama product has 40 receptions on 64 targets, 615 receiving yards and six scoring plays. He has 21 more targets than Gage, nine more receptions than Gage and Jones and the same number of touchdowns as the rest of Atlanta's wide receivers and tight ends.

There are plenty of ways to bet on the two leading wideouts, but the best approach is to take the over on both reception totals. Anderson and Ridley both average more than 5.5 receptions per game, and each one tore apart the opposing secondary in Week 5.

Carolina is coming off its second 400-yard concession of 2020, and Atlanta allowed more than 300 passing yards in each of its past six contests.

If you want to add yardage prop bets to your card, Anderson sits at 75.5 and Ridley is at 73.5. Both players are also at +150 to score a touchdown.

Before you lock in on the yardage and scoring props, secure the receptions bets since Anderson and Ridley should see plenty of passes in their direction.

Kansas City 1st-Half Points over 17.5

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

A 19.5-point spread can make a bettor second-guess their decision to wager on the favorite.

Look at Week 7's Jets game as a perfect example of that. The Buffalo Bills were a 10-point favorite but struggled to find offensive consistency and won by eight, which led to the Jets' first cover of 2020.

If you believe the Chiefs will beat the Jets but are wary of a backdoor cover or Kansas City winning by only two scores, the prop market will have the better bets for you.

New York has been outscored 87-24 in three road games this season, and Kansas City produced at least 23 points in each of its seven contests.

In two of Kansas City's three home games, it put up at least 17 first-half points. Those totals were earned against the Houston Texans and Las Vegas Raiders. The Jets are a much worse team than the Texans and Raiders and allowed 21 first-half points in their most recent road trip to Miami Dolphins.

If Patrick Mahomes and Co. play at their typical high level Sunday, their first-half score could eclipse what Miami did to the Jets. Mahomes is the main threat on the Chiefs roster, but their defense and special teams could pad an early total too. In Week 7, Kansas City scored on an interception return and kick return to beat Denver by 27 points.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.

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