The second leg of the Week 2 MNF doubleheader has bettors looking at Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles picks, as the two teams clash at Lincoln Financial Field.
Each squad started the 2022 season with a win, as Minnesota thumped the rival Green Bay Packers, 23-7, while Philly outlasted the Lions in Detroit, 38-35.
This game features several intriguing players, who of course will be the subject of some equally intriguing prop bets. While the flashy Justin Jefferson has understandably stolen most of the headlines for Minnesota over the last year or so, prop bettors shouldn’t sleep on fellow wide receiver Adam Thielen, who could potentially have a big impact in this one.
Here are our three favorite Adam Thielen props for Monday, September 19.
Adam Thielen MNF prop picks
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Adam Thielen MNF props
Lotsa looks
Thielen battled numerous ailments in 2021, and the injury bug finally got to him in December. He missed three of the Vikings’ final five games, and logged just four receptions for 40 yards in the only two games he played in the last calendar month of the campaign. However, if one disregards that stretch, its easy to see how Thielen might clear 4.5 receptions on Monday night.
The nine-year veteran hauled in no fewer than five receptions in a six-game span from Oct. 17 to Nov. 28. Kirk Cousins looked his way 53 times in that sample, and Thielen caught 37 of those puppies for a solid completion rate of nearly 70%.
The Eagles’ defense held Jared Goff to a modest completion rate of 56.2% in a game where he was forced to go to the air more often than the Detroit Lions would like in Week 1. But Philly was the most generous defense in football last season when it came to completions, as opposing quarterbacks found their receivers 69.97% of the time.
Prop: Over 4.5 receptions (+108)
Bar too low
Thielen managed only 36 receiving yards in Week 1, but was targeted only four times by Cousins in Minnesota’s Week 1 triumph over Green Bay. That could have been due in part to a more conservative approach on offense protecting a two-score lead against Aaron Rodgers.
Prop bettors should expect this game to be a bit more wide-open, and for both Cousins and Jalen Hurts to prioritize passing well into the fourth quarter. That will obviously help Thielen’s chances of crossing a relatively low yardage threshold.
Thielen eclipsed 50 yards in five of the six games in that sample we mentioned earlier. That includes his 11-reception, 126-yard outing against the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 17.
He is also worth a look in the longest reception market at a fairly low line of 20.5, considering he recorded a catch like that at least once in nine games in 2021. But we’ll roll with Thielen to gain his yards slowly but surely on Monday night.
Prop: Over 50.5 receiving yards (-114)
Find dat endzone
Despite suiting up for only 13 games last season, Thielen still recorded 10 TD receptions. Prop players that backed him blindly to get into the end zone cleaned up in the first 11 weeks of 2021, as he accomplished the feat eight times.
It was a similar story for Thielen in 2020, as he tallied at least one tuddy in 10 of 15 games played. These odds are almost too generous to be believed.
Prop: Anytime touchdown scorer (+185)
