The NFL Week 8 slate opens up with a Thursday Night Football contest between the Vikings and Rams, with Minnesota sitting as 3-point road favorites at BetMGM.
With Cooper Kupp's return to the Los Angeles offense, there's been a lot of attention on the prop betting markets this week, with Kupp, Justin Jefferson, and Kyren Williams drawing the most bets according to BetMGM's data. The public (and I) don't think Kupp's return will do much for Los Angeles, though, with 80% of bets coming in on the Vikings to cover -3.
Below, I'll highlight where the betting action is for the Week 8 Thursday Night Football game and what we can learn from the handle:
Vikings vs Rams Betting Handle
Vikings vs Rams, Oct. 24, 8:15 pm ET
| Team | Spread | % Bets | % Handle | Total | % Bets | % Handle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | -3 | 80% | 78% | O48 | 57% | 56% |
| Los Angeles Rams | +3 | 20% | 22% | U48 | 43% | 44% |
Betting Handle per BetMGM
Over on my Vikings vs Rams Week 8 breakdown, I explained why I'm with the public on this one. I'm backing the Vikings -3 because they out-rank Los Angeles in basically every advanced metric I love (point differential, Net EPA, expected record). Plus, I think Minnesota's run defense is built to stop Kyren Williams and Los Angeles' ground game. When Williams rushes for fewer than 70 yards this year, the Rams haven't won or covered a spread.
If the side and total bets don't tickle your fancy for tonight's Vikings vs Rams TNF contest, BetMGM has provided us the most bet on Minnesota and Los Angeles player props in terms of number of tickets:
Five Most Bet Vikings vs Rams Player Props
- Kyren Williams UNDER 2.5 receptions (-110)
- Jared Verse UNDER 5.5 tackles/assists (-125)
- Aaron Jones OVER 68.5 rushing yards (-110)
- Justin Jefferson OVER 26.5 longest reception (-135)
- Cooper Kupp OVER 6.5 receptions (-135)
The wager that sticks out to me here is the public riding Cooper Kupp's receptions OVER in the wideouts return. Kupp hasn't played since September 15th, but in his 1.5 contests before suffering a sprained ankle the veteran receiver had 18 receptions and 147 yards.
With Puka Nacua still hurt, Kupp is obviously going to be the lead option in the pass game this week — if he's healthy. It's hard to bet on players like Kupp coming back from injury, as we don't really know how large a part of the offense they'll be in Game 1.
Five most Bet Vikings vs Rams Players for Anytime TD
- Justin Jefferson (-120)
- MIN Defense/Special Teams (+750)
- Cooper Kupp (+125)
- Aaron Jones (-115)
- Kyren Williams (-175)
Five Most Bet Vikings vs Rams Players For First TD
- Justin Jefferson (+550)
- Aaron Jones (+500)
- Kyren Williams (+425)
- Cooper Kupp (+750)
- Jordan Addison (+950)
Justin Jefferson is the clear top target for both first and anytime TD scorer wagers this week. JJ has touchdowns in five of his last six games, so at near-even odds for an anytime TD wager, I get why the public is all over him.
But, I'm actually intrigued by the Rams' receivers for anytime TD bets this week. As I broke down over on my Vikings vs Rams preview, Minnesota has one of the worst defenses in football against receivers allowing the second-most receptions to the position and seven WR TDs in six contests, so far. I'd take a look at Cooper Kupp (+135) and Demarcus Robinson (+390) for your touchdown bets.
