Week 7's Thursday Night Football doesn't quite hold the same level of competition as we've seen over the last two weeks. The Denver Broncos carry +250 odds to make the playoffs while the New Orleans Saints are +270 to earn a postseason berth. Both teams are trending down following recent struggles.

Denver was playing well prior to Week 6, winning three in a row, but they trailed pretty much start to finish last week against the Los Angeles Chargers. New Orleans has completely unraveled after a 2-0 start, losing four consecutive contests, and injury woes only add to the Saints' long list of concerns.

Which team will get on track in primetime football?

Using the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as a guide, here are the best bets for this week's Thursday night game.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook. Lines may change after this article is published.

Thursday Night Football Betting Picks: Broncos at Saints

Saints Under 17.5 Points (-120)

As the 36.5-point total suggests -- the lowest total of the week -- we are not expecting many points in this one. I'm going to hone in on the Saints' total.

While Denver gave up 23 points a week ago, part of it was due to short fields thanks to the offense's two turnovers. The Chargers logged only 4.7 yards per play, 6.5 yards per passing attempt, and 3.4 yards per rushing attempt. None of that screams defensive struggles. In fact, the Broncos still hold the league's fourth-best schedule-adjusted defense, second-best adjusted pass defense, and seventh-best adjusted run defense. Denver is allowing only 16.0 points per game (fourth-fewest), 284.3 yards per game (fourth-fewest), and 4.4 yards per play (second-fewest).

After suffering a concussion in Week 6's game, the Broncos' star cornerback Patrick Surtain II will likely be out as he's yet to practice this week. Denver's defense should be fine, though, as New Orleans is dealing with much more dire injury concerns.

Here's a quick look at some of the Saints' injuries: Derek Carr (oblique), center Lucas Patrick (chest), guard Cesar Ruiz (knee), Alvin Kamara (hand), Taysom Hill (rib), Chris Olave (concussion), and Rashid Shaheed (knee). This doesn't even include the injuries to defenders Pete Werner (hamstring), Alontae Taylor (shoulder), and Nathan Shepherd (groin). Fortunately for the Saints, the defense should be at near full strength as Werner has been the only player not practicing. The same cannot be said for the offense.

Carr, Olave, Shaheed, and Ruiz have all yet to practice this week. Patrick was limited on Tuesday while Kamara and Hill have been limited all week. In the best-case scenario, New Orleans will probably be without Carr, Olave, and Shaheed. That's nearly all of the Saints' passing offense. Rookie Spencer Rattler posting -0.45 expected points added per dropback (EPA/db) -- via NFL's Next Gen Stats -- in his debut doesn't bode much confidence.

That certainly makes up for the potential absence of Surtain. Even in last week's 27-point outing, the Saints' offense logged only 4.6 yards per play. The scoring was mostly fueled by the defense forcing three turnovers paired with Shaheed returning a punt for a touchdown.

Stopping the run will probably be the Broncos' biggest concern. New Orleans will likely have a rookie QB under center and already carries the ninth-highest run-play rate. Plus, Kamara seems on track to play, making him one of the few key offensive players available for the Saints. But Denver is allowing only 4.0 yards per carry (sixth-fewest) and just held Los Angeles' run-heavy offense to 3.4 yards per carry in Week 6.

Additionally, the Broncos force the 12th-most turnovers per game while the Saints log the 10th-most giveaways per contest. This is gearing up to be a woeful offensive showing across the board for New Orleans; give me under 17.5 points.

Bo Nix Anytime Touchdown/Denver Moneyline Parlay (+350)

Considering the widespread injuries paired with a four-game losing streak for the Saints, Denver is my pick to win. However, the -146 odds don't offer much value, so let's parlay it with a Bo Nix anytime touchdown (+350).

New Orleans has the second-worst adjusted run defense, giving up 5.2 yards per carry (third-most). Opponents are also averaging 1.2 rushing touchdowns per game against the Saints (12th-most).

The Broncos' offense is far from exceptional, but the run game has been the more efficient unit. For example, they hold the 13th-worst adjusted run offense compared to the 6th-worst adjusted pass offense. Denver is averaging 4.3 yards per rushing attempt (15th-fewest) and 5.5 yards per passing attempt (3rd-fewest). Considering the matchup, the Broncos could play it safe by leaning on the run.

This only increases the chances for a rushing touchdown, but who will make it happen?

Javonte Williams (+240), Bo Nix (+350), and Jaleel McLaughlin (+480) are the best anytime touchdown choices when it comes to a rushing touchdown. In my eyes, Nix stands out as the best choice.

Williams doesn't feel like great value when he holds only a 28.6% red zone rushing attempt share since Week 3. This is barely ahead of McLaughlin's 21.4% mark.

Enter the rookie Nix.

He's flashed his legs with three rushing touchdowns. Nix didn't run often in the red zone to start the season, logging only two red zone carries over the first two weeks of play. However, this has jumped to a 50.0% red zone rush share and 1.8 red zone carries per game since Week 3. Williams is at 1.0 red zone rushing attempt per game in that time while McLaughlin is at 0.8 per game.

Denver did not have a red zone rushing attempt last week, but overall, Nix and Williams led the team with six rushing attempts apiece. In Week 5, Nix accounted for five of Denver's seven red zone carries (71.4%) while Williams took two attempts (28.6%). Nix even has a 37.5% rushing attempt share within the five-yard line (the same as Williams' 37.5% mark).

Taking the rookie to scamper into the end zone is a solid bet, and it pairs well with the moneyline, giving us +350 odds on the two-leg parlay compared to the -146 moneyline.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.