Rams-Broncos Best NFL Week 3 Player Props

A marquee interconference matchup serves as this week’s Sunday Night Football primetime showdown, even though the visiting Rams appear set to come into the game missing their top pass catcher for a second straight game.

Puka Nacua is listed as doubtful for the contest due to his hip/groin injury, and prized offseason acquisition Myles Garrett is on injured reserve due to his knee injury. On the other side, the Broncos have gotten healthier at running back in a hurry, as J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey, who exited and missed Week 2 entirely, respectively, are free of injury designations.

Without further ado, let’s dive into three player props to consider for Sunday night’s action. Don’t forget to check out our NFL betting trends page for game data and insights on the week ahead.

• Rams vs. Broncos DFS Picks for SNF
• Rams vs. Broncos TD Picks for SNF

Rams-Broncos Best NFL Week 3 Player Props

• Terrance Ferguson Over 49.5 Receiving Yards
• Kyren Williams Over 12.5 Receiving Yards
• Bo Nix Under 21.5 Completions

Terrance Ferguson Over Receiving Yards

Facing the ultra-talented Broncos defense in a primetime matchup at their place is always a massive uphill climb for the opposing offense. The presence of Patrick Surtain, Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian on the outside and the slot also present some thorny obstacles for wide receivers who have to deal with their sticky coverage, and unsurprisingly, Denver is tied for the third-fewest wideout receptions surrendered through two games (16).

Naturally, the difficulty getting the ball to WRs often funnels more passes to tight ends, which is where Ferguson comes in. The talented second-year player stood out as an excellent complement to Davante Adams’ elite numbers in Week 2, recording six catches for 54 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. Ferguson was targeted on 40.9% of his 22 routes, and this week, he could have the top role at the position all to himself considering Colby Parkinson appears highly questionable to suit up due to a knee injury.

Ferguson is an athletic and field-stretching tight end as well – he took a stellar seven of his 11 receptions as a rookie for 20+ yards, and he already has one such catch this season among his six grabs. Then, the Broncos have surrendered an 80% catch rate on the 10 targets they’ve facilitated to tight ends, and those receptions are averaging a robust 13.6 yards apiece.

Original Line Publish: 49.5

Kyren Williams Over Receiving Yards

The logic behind backing this prop is largely based on the one just laid out in Ferguson’s entry above. Denver will often force quarterbacks to look elsewhere beyond their wide receivers when dropping back, and the fact Matthew Stafford appears very unlikely to have Nacua at his disposal only makes matters more challenging for the reigning regular-season MVP. While Ferguson should garner his fair share of the veteran QB’s attention, Williams could also be a key outlet option.

The veteran running back is an excellent receiver out of the backfield and has contributed a 5-36-1 line through the air on five targets over the first two games. Williams has come just a Week 2 yard short of going 2-0 to this prop in the small sample, and last season, he cleared this prop in 12 of 20 total regular-season and postseason games. The Broncos have already faced 12 running back targets over the first pair of contests this season and have surrendered 61 receiving yards on the eight catches those have produced.

Williams has the ability to cash this prop on one reception given his speed and athleticism, and a season ago, he even recorded a pair of 20+ yard catches. 

Original Line: 12.5

Bo Nix Under Completions

Pivoting to the Broncos’ side of the equation, we’ll shine the spotlight a bit on the Rams’ own capable perimeter defense, which has been fortified this season by the additions of former Chiefs standout cornerbacks Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie. The duo has helped Los Angeles limit quarterbacks to a stingy 59.1% completion rate through two games, and the Rams have quickly snagged a pair of interceptions along the way.

Nix has been fairly efficient thus far in the early going, generating a solid 66.1 percent completion rate in his first two games. However, the third-year signal-caller had just 17 completions against Kansas City in Week 1, and he barely got over the hump on this figure with 22 in a Week 2 win over Jacksonville where Denver had to mount a fourth-quarter comeback. With both Dobbins and Harvey back at his disposal Sunday and the Broncos on their home field, head coach Sean Payton and playcaller Davis Webb may opt to keep the Rams’ offense off the field as much as possible with the run while trying to limit Nix’s exposure to the pass rush and potential turnovers. 

It’s also worth noting both teams have played fairly slow thus far this season, ranking in the bottom half of the league in plays per game. If that trend persists with the help of the capable running back duos on either side, Nix’s opportunities to pile up completions will also be a bit on the scarce side.

Original Line: 21.5

Photo Credit: REUTERS