Ricky Dimon
Show Bio
Week 17 of the 2023 NFL season continues with a Saturday night battle between the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys. Both teams will be going all out even though they have clinched spots in the playoffs. Detroit is already the NFC North champion but hopes to stay in contention for the #1 seed. Dallas is also in #1 seed range and remains in the hunt with the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East.
Here is my Same Game Parlay for the festivities, which kick off at 8:15 pm ET on ABC and ESPN. Also be sure to check out our full Lions vs Cowboys predictions.
Cowboys -6.5 alternate spread (+114)
Brandin Cooks to record 50+ receiving yards (+154)
Sam LaPorta to score a touchdown (+145)
Parlay odds: +1248
Part of the value in a Same Game Parlay, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is some of the plan here, as Cowboys receiver Brandin Cooks racking up plenty of receiving yards would obviously work well with a big win by Dallas. At the same time, plays that aren’t correlated drive up the overall payout of the parlay. That is the case with backing Detroit tight end Sam LaPorta to score a touchdown. But even if he does, there is no reason why the Cowboys can’t take care of business. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
Cowboys -6.5 alternate spread (+114)
This shapes up to a be a nice bounce-back spot for the Cowboys, who are a much different team at home than they are on the road. All 5 of their losses have come away from AT&T Stadium; they are 7-0 insider Jerry World and 6 of those 7 victories have been absolute beatdowns. Dallas is coming off back-to-back setbacks at Buffalo and Miami, so this squad will be extremely motivated to get back on track in front of the home fans. Meanwhile, the Lions may endure a bit of a hangover following their emotional clinching of a long-awaited division title last weekend. I think the Cowboys can win this one by more than a touchdown.
Brandin Cooks to record 50+ receiving yards (+154)
Cooks is coming off some mediocre performances (although he did score a touchdown during last Sunday’s loss at Miami), but I expect him to rebound on Saturday. The Lions have Brian Branch to shadow Cowboys WR1 CeeDee Lamb, but fellow cornerback Cameron Sutton is questionable due to a toe injury. Whether Sutton plays or not, Cook should be in line for a productive night at the office. The veteran out of Oregon State has caught 43 passes for 558 yards and 6 touchdowns this season. He has exceeded the 40-yard mark in 5 of the last 9 games, so asking him to reach 50 should not be too much. Detroit is #25 in the NFL against the pass, allowing 234.9 yards per contest through the air on 7.6 yards per attempt.
Sam LaPorta to score a touchdown (+145)
It’s safe to say that the Lions have gotten great value out of a second-round pick used on LaPorta earlier this year. The Iowa product has scored 9 touchdowns to go along with his 776 yards on 74 receptions. He has delivered 5 TDs in the last 5 outings, including 3 at Denver’s expense 2 weeks ago. Dallas owns a solid defense but is nothing special defending tight ends. There is no reason to think LaPorta wil suddenly slow down when presented with this particular matchup.
