Best player prop bets for Henry and Hurts on NFL Wild Card weekend: Grounded Eagle?
Derrick Henry and Jalen Hurts celebrated national championship victories during their time in Tuscaloosa. With the NFL playoffs starting this weekend, both players are in prime positions to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Henry and the Ravens are nearly a double-digit favorite against the Steelers on Saturday night. Hurts and the Eagles host the Packers on Sunday afternoon, and the spread sits at Philadelphia -5.5. Read on to see my expert player prop bets for Henry and Hurts in the Wild Card round.
Derrick Henry longest rush over 19.5 yards
Best odds: -110 at Fanatics Sportsbook
Even at 31 years old, Henry is still a home-run hitter. The former Heisman winner’s 19 rushes of 20+ yards are the most in the NFL. He also had a 20+ yard run in Baltimore’s last three games and did the same in two meetings with Pittsburgh.
Henry’s workload increased at the end of the regular season, resulting in three blowout victories by the Ravens. In those games, Henry ran for 447 yards and three touchdowns. He’s the driving force behind the NFL’s top rushing offense and should get plenty of carries against the Steelers.
Pittsburgh’s defense was dominant for most of the regular season, but the wheels are starting to fall off the wagon. The Steelers blew their lead in the AFC North by losing the previous four games, and the defense surrendered 27 points or more in three of the defeats. One of the losses came against the Ravens in Week 16 when Henry ran for 162 yards.
WR Zay Flowers is out with a knee injury, giving Baltimore even more reason to lean on Henry. Flowers leads the Ravens in receptions and is the only pass catcher to surpass 1,000 yards.
Jalen Hurts under 214.5 passing yards
Best odds: -110 at DraftKings Sportsbook
Hurts hasn’t played since exiting Philadelphia’s Week 16 matchup with a concussion. He was held out of practice for 17 days but finally returned on Wednesday. Hurts will suit up against Green Bay, but missing all that time could cause some rust.
A.J. Brown is also dealing with an injury and missed practice earlier this week. The Eagles will need their leading receiver to make a Super Bowl run, and Brown being less than 100% should impact Hurts’ production.
Before the Week 16 concussion, Hurts threw for less than 180 yards in three of the previous four games. His passing stats are down from the last three seasons, largely due to RB Saquon Barkley’s dominance.
The Eagles have become a run-first team and Barkley leads the NFL with 2,005 rushing yards. That won’t change in the postseason, especially against a Packers’ defense that only allows 215 passing yards per game.