3 Defensive Props to Target in the Super Bowl

With the Super Bowl giving us two weeks to focus on one game, we can find all kinds of fun things to bet on. Here, we'll focus on the defensive side of the ball. It's often neglected, but we might be able to find value on it.

We can consider betting on things like sacks, interceptions and tackles. Both the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers have some excellent defensive players

All lines are from the defensive props market on FanDuel Sportsbook. Lines may change after this article is published.

Super Bowl Prop Bets: Defensive Props to Target

Javon Hargrave to Record a Sack (+158)

We'll start with a sack prop, and one that is offering us decent odds. It's not easy to sack Patrick Mahomes, but it could be possible in this game.

Mahomes has taken sacks at just a 4.0% clip in his career, which is quite low. It was up to 4.3% this season, tied for the highest since he became a starter. He took two sacks on 41 drop backs last week. That is a small sample, but it has relevance moving forward into the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs were without Joe Thuney in the AFC Championship game victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Thuney is the top-graded guard in pass blocking by PFF this season. He's considered a long shot to play in the Super Bowl as of February 1st.

That bodes well for the player we want to bet on to record a sack, Javon Hargrave. Hargrave had seven sacks in the regular season. PFF also valued Hargrave's pass-rushing ability, giving him an 86.8 pass rush grade -- the fifth-highest among interior lineman this season.

Getting a nice +158 number on this bet, I see some value in trying to take advantage of Thuney's likely absence.

L'Jarius Sneed to Record an Interception (+600)

Brock Purdy has thrown one interception in two playoffs games, but if you watched those games, you know it could have been more.

Currently, Purdy is -110 to throw an interception in the Super Bowl. He had a 2.5% interception rate during the regular season, the eighth-highest among qualified QBs. According to PFF, Purdy has had three turnover-worthy plays in the two postseason games. He also was graded as the third-worst passer in the playoffs.

We'll want to take advantage of that in the Super Bowl. Kansas City had the second-best pass defense, according to numberFire's metrics. They didn't have a ton of interceptions in the regular season but have two in three playoff games.

L'Jarius Sneed was the only Chief to have multiple interceptions in the regular season. He's usually tasked with covering the best wide receiver on the opposing team and has done a good job of that. Even Tyreek Hill gave Sneed praise after the Wild Card round.

So, I'll go with Sneed at +600. Note that Mike Edwards at +500 also makes sense if you think Purdy will throw an interception. I wouldn't mind taking a chance on both Sneed and Edwards, and hoping one of them nabs a pick at long odds.

Fred Warner to Have the Most Tackles (+310)

We've looked at the sack market and the interception market, so let's close things out with a tackle prop.

A way to think about who will have the most tackles is which offense will be on the field more. That's likely to be the Chiefs.

They are definitely a less explosive offense than San Francisco at this point, and most of KC's drives in the playoffs have been long and methodical. San Francisco is capable of long drives, as well, but with Purdy not being as precise as Mahomes, their drives are more likely to end quicker. The Niners also have players like Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk -- guys who are more likely to strike for big plays than pretty much anyone on the Chiefs.

We can try to pinpoint where the tackles will be made by the SF defense based on the way KC's offense has played of late. Tight ends Travis Kelce and Noah Gray have combined to see 40% of the targets in the playoffs. Even their leading wide receiver, Rashee Rice, has seen shallow targets (5.13-yard average depth of target), which should lead to San Fran's linebackers being very busy.

Enter Fred Warner -- one of the most athletic and versatile linebackers in the NFL. He's a three-time All-Pro, with his selection being unanimous this year. It's likely the Niners use Warner to cover Kelce on a lot of his routes.

Overall, Warner finished the season 19th in the league in tackles. That's impressive when you consider that San Francisco's offense was seventh in average time of possession per game.

The Chiefs are also more of a running team than they have been in past seasons. In the playoffs, they have a 1.15 pass-to-run ratio. If they keep running at a relatively high clip, it could lead to a linebacker like Warner getting more opportunities to tackle than he would if the Chiefs were still the team that threw the ball to their receivers a ton.

We're getting a pretty nice number on Warner at +310 to lead the game in tackles given how the Super Bowl could play out and his overall skill set, so I think there is a lot to like with this bet.

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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.