Target these four player props for Saturday’s AFC wild-card matchup between the Jaguars and Chargers.
The Chargers (10-7) head to Jacksonville to face off with the the AFC South champion Jaguars (9-8) for Saturday night’s wild-card matchup.
These two teams met in Los Angeles in Week 3 with Jacksonville pulling off the 38-10 upset win. Jacksonville enters this contest on a five-game win-streak, while the Chargers are coming off a close loss to the Broncos.
The game total is set at 47.5 at SI Sportsbook and the Chargers are favored by only 1.5 in what could end up being a very close game.
If you don’t want to pick a winner between these two teams that are fairly evenly matched, why not target some player props instead? I’ve identified a few props that are presenting early value at SI Sportsbook for your consideration.
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This prop is less about Justin Herbert’s mobility, and more about the fact that the Jaguars have allowed an average of 36.7 rushing yards per game to quarterbacks across the last four contests. Those quarterbacks included Dak Prescott, Joshua Dobbs, Davis Mills and Chris Streveler. Sure, Herbert has only gone over this number six times this year, but this game feels like a game where nerves will be in play and he may have to scramble. Herbert ran for seven yards in the Week 3 matchup, but I’ll bet he logs a few more this time around.
Could this matchup for Travis Etienne Jr. be much juicer? The Chargers have allowed a league-leading 5.59 yards per attempt this year to running backs and 127 yards per game. Jacksonville would be wise to work the run game as the Chargers have been very tough versus the pass as of late. Etienne has gone over this number in three of the last four games, and he’s been carrying the ball an average of 15 times per game since taking over the starting job in Week 8 after James Robinson was traded to the Jets. In their Week 3 matchup, Robinson and Etienne combined for 145 yards and I don’t see any reason why Doug Pederson would change that winning game plan.
Austin Ekeler is a stud but let’s face it—it’s not because he’s the best runner in the league. He’s yet to eclipse more than 915 rushing yards in a single season. He is, however, a major receiving threat and a goal line monster. The Jaguars have allowed the second-most receiving yards to running backs this year, for an average of 48 per game. Forty-eight yards is exactly what Ekeler logged in Week 3, and though Keenan Allen has been taking come of Ekeler’s targets lately, running backs have been targeted a league-leading 140 times this year for an average of 5.82 yards per target versus the Jaguars. I’ll bet Brandon Staley knows that too.
Allen has averaged more than 10 targets and 84 receiving yards per game since returning in Week 11. When the Chargers got upset by the Jaguars in Week 3, Allen was not on the field. The Chargers are slightly favored in this one on the road, and Allen could be the difference-maker versus a Jaguars’ defense that has allowed the fifth-most passing yards to quarterbacks this season.
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