NFL Week 16 anytime touchdown scorer predictions and prop bets

NFL playoff spots and fantasy football playoff implications are on the line today, which players will come up big and find their ways to the endzone? Let’s take a look at some of the best touchdown scorer prop bets.

Favored to score – Alexander Mattison, RB, Minnesota Vikings (-110)

Dalvin Cook is sidelined because of healthy and safety protocols, leaving Mattison as RB1 for Minnesota in today’s meeting with the Rams. Los Angeles is giving up fewer than 7 yards per pass attempt and it has allowed the second-fewest passing TDs (14) while making the 5th-most sacks (39). Minnesota will likely have to do most of its damage on the ground in this one. Enter: Mattison. The Boise State product has scored twice in the past 3 weeks and he has already delivered a pair of 100-yard rushing performances on at least 25 carries when Cook has been sidelined. Just 5 teams have allowed more rushing touchdowns than the Rams (16).

Slight underdog – Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (+125)

Bad news: Chase is in a bit of a slump. Good news: he will likely come out of it at the expense of an opponent that he has already torched once before this season. On October 24 against Baltimore, Chase erupted for 201 yards and 1 touchdown on 8 receptions. The rookie out of LSU has recorded 21 TDs in 2021, including 2 against San Francisco earlier this month (even though his yardage total was mediocre in that game, as it has been for the past 2 months). The Ravens are second-to-last in the league in passing defense and only 7 teams have yielded more touchdowns via the airwaves (24).

Bigger underdog – Michael Carter, RB, New York Jets (+150)

Carter is splitting time with Tevin Coleman in the Jets’ backfield, but Carter got 10 more snaps than Coleman in last week’s loss at Miami. That’s at least somewhat encouraging. The rookie out of North Carolina didn’t do much of anything against the Dolphins, but he has a much more favorable matchup on his hands this time around in the form of Jacksonville. Only 3 teams have allowed more rushing touchdowns than the Jaguars (17), and they are playing especially bad and unmotivated football at the moment. Carter has scored 4 touchdowns this year and all 4 have come in the last 8 games. There is no reason why he can’t victimize an opponent that was waived the white flag on this 2021 campaign.

Longshot – Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants (+220)

Barkley has had at least 17 touches in 4 consecutive contests and he scored 2 weeks ago against the Chargers (via reception). Although this is pretty much a lost season for Barkley and the Giants, he is at least starting to look somewhat closer to 100% upon his return from a torn ACL. Up next for the Giants is Philadelphia, which is surrendering 106.1 rushing yards per game and has given up 15 rushing TDs. It’s a decent run defense, but nothing special. The Eagles aren’t completely going to shut down Barkley – especially not when he figures to get a substantial workload with Jake Fromm instead of Daniel Jones under center. It would be wise for New York to especially feature Barkley in the red zone.

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 Tom Brady throws a touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski, wagers placed on Gronkowski as an anytime touchdown scorer will cash. However, those placed on Brady as an anytime touchdown scorer will not. 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 Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, 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.

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