Ravens vs. Dolphins: NFL player props for Zay Flowers, Jaylen Waddle for Thursday Night Football Week 9
Is Zay Flowers or Jaylen Waddle the better play for NFL player props on Thursday Night Football?
Two of the NFL's better receivers will match up for Week 9's edition of Thursday Night Football when the Baltimore Ravens visit the Miami Dolphins. Baltimore's Zay Flowers will be glad to have quarterback Lamar Jackson back to throw him the ball, while Jaylen Waddle has performed admirably as the new top wideout in the Miami offense after Tyreek Hill's season-ending injury.
So which receiver is the better bet for NFL player props on Thursday Night Football? Here, we dive into NFL player props for Flowers and Waddle for Week 9 with odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. We'll also share the top prop recommendations for these receivers from the SportsLine Projection Model, which grades NFL player props on a 5-star scale after simulating every NFL game 10,000 times. Check out the full game forecast for Ravens vs. Dolphins at SportsLine.
Receiving yards props
Jaylen Waddle: 65.5 (Over -112, Under -112)
Zay Flowers: 68.5 (Over -112, Under -112)
Top pick: Jaylen Waddle Over 67.5 receiving yards (3.5 stars)
Waddle is the top dog in the Miami passing game now, and given that Baltimore is likely to establish a lead in this game, Tua Tagovailoa is going to have to throw quite a bit as the game progresses. Waddle is going to eat well on Thursday. He's exceeded this line -- quite handily, in fact -- in three of his last four games, and the one outlier was a 15-yard, one-catch effort against a bruising Cleveland defense in a game played in a wind storm. Baltimore's defense is finally healthy, but they're almost certainly not going to lock Waddle up like that. The model projects 73 yards for Waddle.
Receptions props
Jaylen Waddle: 5.5 (Over +116, Under -148)
Zay Flowers: 5.5 (Over +102, Under -128)
Top pick: Zay Flowers Over 5.5 receptions (3.5 stars)
Flowers has cleared this line in five of his seven games this season, and one of the two games in which he didn't was a five-catch effort. The Dolphins are actually somewhat competent at defending the pass, but the atrocious run defense will have its hands full with Derek Henry and Lamar Jackson. Needing to devote so many resources to those two runners could open up more avenues for Flowers to compile receptions. The model projects 6.1 catches for Flowers.
