Consider betting on CeeDee Lamb and Devonta Smith this NFL season
Welcome to training camp, gamers. It’s a time for overreaction to mundane and purposely misguided coachspeak, PUP designations and inflated expectations. With everyone’s optimism on high, what player props stand out most? FTN Bets’ Brad Evans explores the deepest recesses of the sportsbooks to discover his top value plays. Fade or follow? That, of course, is up to you.
CeeDee Lamb OVER 80.5 receptions (-120, DraftKings) Jeff Bezos’ rocket blasting into the outer reaches of the Earth’s atmosphere. That, my betting friends, is the perfect metaphor for Lamb’s upcoming season. The setup is ideal with Amari Cooper slowly recovering from offseason ankle surgery, Dak Prescott looking springy, spry and healthy, and Dallas’ defense still expected to be middling at best. It’s also helpful that Lamb is an exceptional overall talent. Despite the merry-go-round at QB last season — which explains his WR40 standing in catchable target percentage — he hauled in 74 receptions in 16 games. Most encouraging for cashing a winning ticket, a significant chunk of that production came with Prescott under center. Over five games, the pair tallied a 10.67-yard average depth of target and 29 receptions (on 39 targets). That, my friends, is a 98.6 receptions pace over a 17-game slate. If you like dollar dollar bills, feast on a whole rack of Lamb.
Devonta Smith OVER 749.5 receiving yards (-115, BetMGM) Sticking with the NFC East theme, the rookie wide receiver, nicknamed the “Slim Reaper,” is about to apply a Million Dollar Man-level sleeper hold on the competition. Multiple accomplished prognosticators, including ESPN’s Mike Clay and FTN’s Jeff Ratcliffe, have the rookie cruising to an easy over cash. Both soothsayers believe, barring injury, the speedster will eclipse the 900-yard mark this fall. Their rosy outlook is warranted. Dallas Goedert will push the youngster for looks, but unless Jalen Reagor quickly matures, Smith should score anywhere between 22-24% of the team’s target share straight away. Wheels, body control, ball tracking, suddenness, Gumby-like contortions — the man possesses multiple alpha qualities. Looks can be deceiving. Last season with the national champion Crimson Tide, he ranked top-five in all of Division I football in deep catches, deep yards, screen yards and slot yards — signs he sports plenty of branches on the route tree. He also slotted in at No. 2 in yards after catch per game (72.8) and No. 1 in yards per route run (2.8). There’s a reason he hoisted the Heisman, folks. Jalen Hurts’ No. 42 ranking in adjusted completion percentage is somewhat worrisome, but given the rookie’s clear opportunity path, his volume potential alleviates doubt.





