3 Best Prop Bets for Chiefs vs. Cardinals (Expect Travis Kelce to Eat)
The Kansas City Chiefs will begin their 2022 NFL campaign on the road in Arizona.
The spread in the game has shifted from Chiefs -3, all the way to Chiefs -6.5. But, in this article, we're not going to focus on the spread. Instead, let's talk prop bets.
Here are my top 3 prop bets for this Week 1 interconference matchup. All odds listed below are via FanDuel Sportsbook.
Chiefs vs. Cardinals Prop Bets
James Conner OVER 48.5 Rushing Yards (-110)
James Conner averaged 50.1 rushing yards per game with the Cardinals last season. While that is still a couple of yards below his set total for today's game, he should get a bigger share of the work with Chase Edmunds leaving for the Miami Dolphins in the offseason.
Furthermore, Conner and the Cardinals get to take on the Chiefs, who were one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL last season. They finished 30th in opponent yards per carry, allowing an average of 4.7 yards per rush. I think Conner can have a big game today.
Patrick Mahomes UNDER 295.5 Passing Yards (-110)
Patrick Mahomes averaged 284.6 passing yards per game in 2021. Today, his set total is two yards above that average, and he has to play without the player that served as his best receiving option throughout his career, Tyreek Hill.
Can Mahomes replicate last year's success relying on a receiving core of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Skyy Moore? Maybe, maybe not. But in Week 1, I'm willing to take the under on his passing yards total until we see how he deals with his new receivers room.
Travis Kelce OVER 6.5 Receptions (-109)
As I just mentioned, Mahomes has a brand new receiving core this season. That means that Travis Kelce's usage in the passing game will be increased that much more, especially early in the season while Mahomes finds a new favorite target.
Kelce averaged 5.8 receptions per game last season, but 7.0 receptions per game in 2020. Without Hill, I expect him to replicate his 2020 results instead of a repeat of last year's numbers.
You can track Iain's bets on Betstamp here.