It’s a special edition of Thursday Night Football as this game is the conclusion of a 3-game slate on Thanksgiving. The Patriots travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings, and both offenses will be looking to bounce back after they each failed to score an offensive touchdown in Week 11. I went 2-0 on my touchdown scorer best bets on Monday Night Football, hitting a +100 and +185 winner. Let’s keep it rolling for this Thanksgiving finale!
With kickoff set for 8:20 pm ET on NBC, it’s time to take a look at the best touchdown scorer bets to be made.
Be sure to check out our full New England Patriots vs Minnesota Vikings predictions
New England Patriots touchdown scorer best bet: Rhamondre Stevenson, RB (+110)
Available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing
The Patriots failed to score a touchdown on offense in their Week 11 win over the Jets. A punt returned for a touchdown saved New England, and more importantly, QB Mac Jones. The boos from the home crowd started to get louder in the third quarter as Jones was struggling to find a rhythm with his weapons, but one player continued to thrive, and that was RB Rhamondre Stevenson. He had a team-high 15 carries to go with a team-leading 6 receptions, so he was the main source of offense on Sunday. Stevenson has grown into the lead back of the Patriots and a consistent option for short passes, and since Jones isn’t the type of quarterback for deep passes, Stevenson benefits from having Jones under center.
I expect him to get 15+ carries on Thursday night as well as 4+ receptions, and whenever the Patriots get into the red zone, expect Jones to look Stevenson’s way if pressure comes. Stevenson has great value to score since he’s used on the ground and in the air.
Check out our Patriots vs Vikings Same Game Parlay at +849 odds!
Minnesota Vikings touchdown scorer best bet: T.J. Hockenson, TE (+215)
Available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing
Since being acquired from the Lions, T.J. Hockenson has seen the 2nd-most targets by a Vikings receiver in the last 3 games. Justin Jefferson leads the way with 34 targets, but Hockenson is a close second with 28. He has quickly become a favorite target of Kirk Cousins, and his involvement has caused a decrease in Adam Thielen’s usage. The tight end has yet to record his first Vikings touchdown, but he has an excellent opportunity on Thursday night against the Patriots. New England has not faced many elite tight ends this season, except for in Week 3 against Mark Andrews and the Ravens.
The Patriots defense didn’t fare well as Andrews totaled 89 yards on 8 receptions and 2 touchdowns. Even against average tight ends this season, New England has struggled, allowing 7 touchdowns to opposing tight ends this season, the 2nd-most in the league. There’s no better time for his first Minnesota touchdown than at home on Thanksgiving, so I’ll back Hockenson at an excellent price.
Don’t miss Clevta’s Thanksgiving Day best bet!
Anytime Touchdown Scorer FAQs
What does “anytime touchdown scorer” mean?
Anytime touchdown scorer is a popular player prop bet that NFL bettors can wager on throughout the season. But what is it, and how do you win?
As the name suggests, placing a wager on the anytime touchdown scorer market is when you tip a particular player to score a touchdown during a game. This can be a rushing or receiving touchdown for an offensive player, or you can wager on a team’s defense/special teams to score a touchdown by interception return and fumble return or kickoff and punt returns.
If your player or defense scores a touchdown, you win! The odds will differ from player-to-player depending on the sportsbooks’ calculated probability of that player scoring.
Does anytime touchdown scorer include passing touchdowns?
Not for a quarterback, no. A player must get into the endzone, himself, in order to qualify as an anytime touchdown scorer. If a quarterback throws a touchdown pass, only the player who caught it counts as the scorer. If Joe Burrow throws a touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase, wagers placed on Evans as an anytime touchdown scorer will cash. However, those placed on Rodgers as an anytime touchdown scorer will not (unless he also runs for a TD). See below for more on what the anytime touchdown scorer market means for quarterbacks.
What does anytime touchdown scorer mean for a QB?
For a wager on a QB to be an anytime touchdown scorer to cash, he must follow the same rules as a running back, tight end, or receiver. He must get into the endzone himself, either as a runner or a pass-catcher.
In the age of the mobile quarterback, QBs such as Murray, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are often seen rushing in for a touchdown on any given Sunday. And don’t forget the occasional Philly Special, either. QBs can sometimes catch passes for TDs, too.
Pickswise is the home of free NFL Picks and NFL Odds. Check out the latest NFL Prop Bets and NFL Parlays as well as expert NFL Underdog Picks and NFL Computer Picks.
