Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

King of Props: Miles to go before he sleeps

By John Dudley | Last updated 11/3/22

The vast disparity that can exist between teams midway through an NFL season figures to be evident on Thursday night. Despite playing at their home stadium, the 1-5-1 Texans are two-touchdown underdogs against the undefeated Eagles, who average an NFC-leading 28 points scored every time they take the field. A game script in which the road team gets out to a lead and then runs clock only figures to help our top prop:

The bet: Over 78½ rushing yards for Eagles running back Miles Sanders (DraftKings)

After showing promise over his first three seasons, Sanders has established himself as Philadelphia’s featured back. He has gotten at least 13 carries in every game except last week’s 35-13 dismantling of the Steelers, and he’s averaging a respectable 80.4 rushing yards per contest on the year.

But this is much more of a bet against an abysmal run defense. The Texans rank dead last in the league, allowing an average of 186 yards on the ground to their opponents. Over the last two weeks, the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs ran for 143 yards and three touchdowns and then the Titans’ Derrick Henry piled up 219 yards and a pair of TDs.

While Sanders stands tied for seventh in rushing yards on the season, this game represents an outstanding opportunity to get closer to the goal of his first 1,000-yard season. Gaining 114 tonight would vault him over Jacobs and into fourth place, just behind Henry.

That’s a promise he’d like to keep.

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