Brews, BBQ and BOOMS! With the Fourth of July weekend officially upon us, pigskin thoughts truly ramp up. Later this month, NFL training camps will open en masse. Looking ahead, now is the time to lock in early futures offerings before values wilt under the scorching summer sun. Brad Evans from FTN Bets searches high and low to unearth two player prop favorites. Fade or Follow? That, of course, is up to you.

Justin Herbert OVER 26.5 passing touchdowns (-115, PointsBet) — Take your sophomore slump, douse it in gasoline and light a match. Sport clichés be damned. Coming off one of the most productive rookie seasons by a passer in NFL history, the SoCal slinger won’t drown in the nearest, deepest bay. New offensive coordinator, Joe Lombardi, brings a New Orleans Saints ideology, a passing scheme that ranked top-10 in 14 of the past 15 seasons. Of course, Sean Payton and Drew Brees were the primary architects, but expect the Chargers to attack teams aggressively, early and often. Herbert, who chucked it 595 times last season and ranked No. 8 in total air yards, will again grip it and rip it. Where he suffered most was finding marks inside the 20, as he finished 2020 QB39 in red-zone completion percentage. Even with those misfires he booked 31 passing TDs. With an arsenal featuring sure-handed Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, Jared Cook and Mike Williams, who is pegged to slide into the Michael Thomas role, the Chargers’ golden boy is sure to boom. Sledgehammer worthy? I’m pounding.

Joe Burrow OVER 24.5 passing touchdowns (-125, PointsBet) — When Burrow’s knee awkwardly buckled against Washington in Week 11 last season, a collective gasp instantly emanated from the Queen City. The Bengals’ chosen one, in the midst of a promising opening act, crumbled to the turf and winced with agony. Remarkably, only months removed from the devastating injury, he resurfaced at mini-camp last month and engaged in light workouts. On track to suit up Week 1 versus Minnesota, Burrow, like countless others, is a beneficiary of modern medicine. Similar to the doctors who repaired his knee, the sophomore passer is about to dissect defenses with surgical precision. It’s an ideal setup. Uber talented arsenal that added a general WR prospect in Ja’Marr Chase? Check. A suspect defense likely to thrust the young QB into high volume situations? Double check. Burrow finished the 2020 season outside the top-30 in five different completion percentage categories, but the above number, likely influenced by his 22-TD pace last season, is absurdly low. Anticipate a quantum leap forward. Bank on 26 end-zone strikes, at a minimum.