NFL Week 2 Prop Bets: Tee Higgins, Deshaun Watson, and Those Lions

In Week 1, defenses looked better than the offenses for the most part. Many teams came out rusty, and it’s unclear who’s good and who’s not after the first week. With that, let’s analyze the three best player/team prop bets for Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season.

The Cincinnati Bengals would probably like a mulligan after last week’s 24-3 loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Bengals had a measly 67 total passing yards for the contest. Perhaps the worst of the bunch was wide receiver Tee Higgins. In a contract year, The fourth-year pro drew eight targets, but failed to haul in a single one of them. 

Higgins’ over/under receiving total for Cincinnati’s matchup with the Baltimore Ravens is 59.5 with -137 odds in either direction at Underdog Fantasy. We suggest taking the over. Higgins is one of the premier receivers in football. He’s had over 1,000 the past two seasons. One goose-egg shouldn’t cause much concern. 

The Ravens pass defense fared well last week, but that was against a rookie quarterback. The Bengals will be on their home turf for the first time this season. Expect them to feature Higgins early and often, leading to a much better day than the opener.

2022 was a tumultuous season for the Browns, and their pro-bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson. This year, the Browns are off to an impressive start. Their quarterback wasn’t perfect, but it could be argued that had more to do with the weather. In the end, Watson made the plays to win with two touchdowns.

Watson’s best days may or may not be behind him, however his over/under of 206.5 passing yards is too good to pass up. You can find it at Underdog Fantasy at -137 odds to bet the over. 

Cleveland has a supposedly tough matchup on Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers were projected to have one of the best defenses this season, but were shredded last week against the San Francisco 49ers 30-7. Pittsburgh gave up 20 points in the first half and nearly 400 yards of offense. 

More importantly, the damage was mostly done in the air in the opening 30 minutes. Brock Purdy tossed two touchdowns in the half and had a game total of 220 yards. Keep in mind, San Fran led for the majority of the game. Purdy could’ve had a much higher total had the contest not been so one-sided. 

The Steelers showed early cracks in their armor in Week 1. The Browns should feel good about themselves. Watson has a prime opportunity to prove he’s still the same player he was back in 2020. He should have no trouble surpassing 206.5 passing yards for the game.

Well done, Detroit. Coach Dan Campbell’s squad defeated the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs last week. The Lions are living up to the hype–so far. In theory, a home-date with the Seattle Seahawks should be an easier matchup for the Lions. Seattle gave up 30 points last week against the L.A. Rams — a team that did not have All-Pro receiver Cooper Kupp available. However, we’re not buying into them just yet.

Detroit’s team over/under total is 27.5 with even odds at Fanduel Sportsbook to be the under. This is a bet we love. The Lions have the potential to be an explosive offense, but we don’t quite understand this total given how they played last week.

Against the Chiefs, the Lions scored 21 points, which by itself is an okay total for an offense. But, one of those touchdowns came courtesy of a pick-six by Brian Branch. Detroit’s offense only mustered 14 points against a Kansas City defense that was 16th in the league in scoring last season. 

Of course, it’s a new year, but 14 points for an offense is still not great. If Detroit can score another defensive touchdown, then it should surpass 27.5 points. However, we’re betting that doesn’t happen. The Lions will probably score 20ish points against the Seahawks, but 27.5 is too high of a line. Bet the under with confidence.