Week 9 of the NFL season gets under way with an interconference mismatch between the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans. The mismatch is as glaring on paper as it is in the standings. The carry a perfect 7-0 record into this matchup. They remain the league’s only undefeated team. The Texans on the other hand are the worst in the AFC at 1-5-1.
The Eagles offense has soared this season. Jalen Hurts has played very well under center as a legitimate dual threat. That has been helped in part by the addition of AJ Brown to the receiving corps. They have also improved on the ground, and Miles Sanders has played well carrying the ball. Sanders could be in for a big game in a good matchup on Monday Night.
The Texans have struggled on both sides of the ball, and will continue to struggle. They now have some dramatics on their hands following their inability to find a trade for wide out Brandin Cooks. There are not too many bright spots on their offense at the moment. That is not to say there are none however. Rookie running back Dameon Pierce has played very well. The defense continues to be decimated by the run and we will see more of that on Thursday Night.
The level of mismatch here is not lost on the oddsmakers at top US sportsbooks. The Eagles are set as 13.5 point favorites. It would likely be a larger line if this were a Sunday game with normal preparation time.
Dameon Pierce Prop Bet
The season started a little bit ugly for Dameon Pierce. The coaching staff was completely inept and unaware of his snap and touch count early in the season. It appeared the rookie would be misused, but that has turned out to not be the case.
Pierce has had at least 18 touches in every single game since Week 3. He started by taking all running back carries, but it has not stopped there. Pierce is now the primary pass catching running back as well. Rex Burkhead was being targeted, but it seems Pierce has fully taken that role as well in last week’s game.
Over the last four games, Pierce has seen at least four targets in every game. He has turned those to a minimum of three catches in every single game as well, averaging 4.0 per game.
The passing down role in addition to an early down role for a running back entering a game that is expected to have a woefully negative game script is a recipe for bog target volume. Now, consider his receptions prop is set at just 2.5. A figure he has not fallen short of with a lesser role and in more favorable game scripts. This may be one of the best player props we see at any point this season. Take Pierce for over 2.5 receptions. Over 17.5 receiving yards is attractive as well, but certainly, take the receptions over.