3 Best Player Prop Bets for Thursday Night Football: Cowboys at Giants
Week 4's Thursday Night Football game offers us an NFC East bout between the Dallas Cowboys (1-2) and New York Giants (1-2).
Dallas desperately needs to bounce back after dropping back-to-back home games in unsettling fashion. The G-Men upset the Cleveland Browns on the road last Sunday, but they still rank 26th in our NFL Power Rankings, though Dallas ranks just 20th. The Cowboys come into this one as the 5.5-point road favorite for a matchup that features a 45.5 over/under.
Player props can be useful in a variety of ways -- from taking advantage of them straight up in the betting market to measuring a player's potential to produce in NFL DFS on FanDuel. Here, we're going to focus on the former.
Using the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as a guide, here are the best prop 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 Best Player Prop Bets
Devin Singletary Over 62.5 Rushing Yards (-110)
I'm neither a fan of Devin Singletary nor a champion that the Giants can afford a run-heavy script late in a game where they are 5.5-point 'dogs. But Singletary has been surprisingly efficient as a Giant and Dallas' run defense is trash, so I'm interested in the over here.
Let's start with Dallas' rush D. They've allowed 557 rushing yards (most in the NFL) through three games for an average of 185.6 rush yards allowed per game. They're ceding a concerning 5.4 yards per carry (most), which allowed Derrick Henry (151 rush yards, 2 TDs, 6.0 yards per carry) and Alvin Kamara (115 rush yards, 3 TDs, 5.8 yards per carry) to have their most rowdy and efficient games to date.
In Week 1, Singletary looked like typical Singletary, handling 10 carries for just 37 yards. But in Week 2, he turned 16 carries into 95 yards and one score. He kept it up in Week 3, notching 16 carries for 65 yards and a score against a limiting Browns defense.
He's trending in the right direction and is averaging 4.7 yards per carry and 0.32 rushing yards over expectation per carry. Plus, he's sort of a standalone option in New York's backfield, handling 56% of total rush attempts and 79.2% of attempts made by running backs.
Singletary has managed to clear 62.5 rushing yards in two of his three games despite the Giants running the ball on just 39.8% of plays (21st). We shouldn't be surprised to see the G-Men run the ball more tonight considering Singletary's recent performance and Dallas' role-over-and-die rush defense.
FanDuel Research's projections expect Singletary to tally 64.78 rush yards via 14.67 carries. So, we have him clearing this prop even while potentially underselling his volume and efficiency (4.4 yards per carry).
Daniel Jones Anytime Touchdown (+330)
Sorry to do this, but I see some value in Daniel Jones' +330 anytime touchdown odds.
Jones became a figure on the ground in 2022, managing 708 rushing yards and seven ground scores through 16 games. He's yet to reach the end zone with his legs in this campaign, but he has logged a notable eight red zone carries.
Through Week 3, 22 players have handled at least eight red zone carries, and 18 of those players have reached the end zone. The only players in this split to not score are Najee Harris, Carson Steele, Josh Jacobs, and Jones.
Based on his usage (47.1% red zone rush share), Jones is a viable touchdown candidate, so I'm keen on grabbing these +330 odds, which imply only a 23.2% probability.
As mentioned, Dallas' defense stinks, including at the goal line. They've allowed a league-high 90.0% red zone scoring percentage, including a 66.7% rushing touchdown percentage (fourth-highest). The Cowboys allowed Derek Carr to reach the end zone in Week 1 and Lamar Jackson to do so in Week 3. Jackson getting there was no surprise, but that marked Carr's first rush score since 2020.
Brandon Aubrey Over 7.5 Total Kicking Points (-120)
By now you're probably well aware of Dallas' second-year phenom kicker Brandon Aubrey.
In 2023, Aubrey led the NFL in field goal makes (FGM; 36) and tallied the fourth-most extra point makes (49), leading the league in total kicking points. But most impressive is Aubrey's ability to boot it from deep, going a perfect 10-for-10 on 50-plus yard field goal attempts a season ago, including one 65-yard FGM, the second-longest in NFL history.
This season, Aubrey has picked up right where he left off. He's already gone a perfect 5-for-5 on 50-plus yard attempts, including another 65-yard FGM. He's tallied 35 total kicking points through three games.
It's easy to like Aubrey's outlook in general given his unreal abilities and Dallas' sour run offense, one that has converted on fourth downs at just a 25.0% rate (23rd). Add in the Cowboys' 25.5 implied team total, and I'll back Aubrey to go over his kicking points prop.
Last season, Aubrey logged over 7.5 total kicking points in 12 out of 17 games (70.5% of contests) and 12 out of 15 games (80.0%) in which the Cowboys scored at least 16 points.
In Week 2, the Giants surrendered 21 points to the Washington Commanders. All of those points were scored via a field goal. The Cowboys can't mess around in this must-win divisional game, so I'm expecting them to take the points whenever they can get them. Our projections expect Aubrey to nail 2.23 FGM and 3.48 XPM, good for a total of 10.17 total kicking points.
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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.