From Evan McPherson to Matt Stafford, our panel provides the player props they're targeting for Super Bowl LVI.
Much has been made of the matchups that will determine Super Bowl LVI on Sunday between the Rams and Bengals.
Will Jalen Ramsey follow and limit Ja’Marr Chase? Will Cincinnati’s secondary have any answer for Cooper Kupp? Will Los Angeles’ terrifying defense get to Joe Burrow? And how about Bengals' rookie kicker Evan McPherson? Can he keep up his perfect postseason (12 for 12) on the game's biggest stage?
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How those matchups pan out will all, of course, help decide the Super Bowl winner. But they also affect how our writers bet their favorite prop bets ahead.
I polled our staff to see what everyone’s best bet and the answers were all over the place. The one commonality that everyone seems to be in on? McPherson.
SI Fantasy and Betting’s Bill Enright:
In the biggest game of the year, I’m banking on the best player in the game. Cooper Kupp became just the third wide receiver to win the Offensive Player of the Year award thanks to his dominant “triple-crown” season in which he led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. When it comes to his longest receptions on SI Sportsbook, the line of 28.5 yards is an absolute lock! He’s exceeded this mark in five of his last six games and 13 times this season. The Bengals' defense allowed the seventh-most passing yards in 2021. Eli Apple and Cincinnati’s secondary is going to get burnt like the bread left in the toaster too long. Three words to remember for your Super Bowl props…BANK ON KUPP!
BET: Cooper Kupp longest reception over 28.5 Yards (-118)
SI.com's Jimmy Traina:
Evan McPherson has been money all season. The Rams' defense should be good enough to stop some drives, giving McPherson some opportunities to do his thing.
BET: Evan McPherson over 1.5 field goals (-154)
SI Fantasy’s Craig Ellenport:
There’s a reason why Matthew Stafford is listed at -250 to throw more than 1.5 touchdown passes in Super Bowl LVI: I’s about as sure a bet as you can make in this game. Stafford has thrown at least two TD passes in five straight games, nine of his last 10 and 16 of 20 this season. The Bengals, meanwhile, gave up three touchdown passes in the Chiefs’ first three possessions in the AFC title game, and would have given up more if Patrick Mahomes didn’t fall off a cliff. Cincinnati has given up at least two touchdown passes in six of its last nine games. Over the course of the season, they’ve allowed at least two touchdown passes in a game to the likes of Jimmy Garoppolo, Case Keenum, Josh Johnson and Mike White. Whether the Rams win or lose, Stafford is good to beat this number. If you want a slightly less obvious prop, take the under on Cam Akers’ total of 64.5 rushing yards. Akers hasn’t hit that number since coming off the injured list in Week 18. More importantly, he got banged up in the NFC title game and Darrell Henderson Jr. is trending toward playing in this game after getting hurt in Week 16. Look for Akers, Henderson and Sony Michel to share the workload Sunday, which would make 64.5 a tough number for any of them to hit.
BETS: Matthew Stafford over 1.5 touchdown passes (-250); Cam Akers under 64.5 rushing yards (-188)
SI Betting and Fantasy’s Jen Piacenti:
The Bengals have scored 72 points in the postseason: 40 have been scored by McPherson. The rookie kicker has four field goals in each postseason game so far for a total of 12. If the Rams' defense comes to play—and I expect they will,—McPherson will have the opportunity to shine again under the big lights—at least twice.
BET: Evan McPherson over 1.5 field goals (-154)
SI Betting’s Matt Ehalt:
I know he's been outstanding this postseason, but I'm fading Ja'Marr Chase against the Rams and, more specifically, Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey is arguably the best corner in football, and I'd assume the Rams will have him line up against Chase a ton. Davante Adams has had success when playing the Rams, but that's because they move him around so much. With Tyler Boyd in the slot, the Bengals will have a harder time getting Chase open. This 80.5 total is higher than I'm willing to go with Chase, and I believe this is a Boyd/Tee Higgins game.
BET: Ja'Marr Chase under 80.5 receiving yards (-110)
SI Betting and Fantasy’s Kyle Wood:
The Super Bowl is supposed to be about high-scoring fun between two of the best teams in the league. As we saw a few years ago, the last time the Rams made it to this stage and lost 13-3, that wasn’t necessarily the case. The truth is, sometimes boring bets win and there’s few things more boring than betting on field goals instead of touchdowns and yards, though ‘Money Mac’ might take exception to that statement. Bengals rookie kicker Evan McPherson has hit four field goals in each of Cincinnati’s three games this postseason. He’s also 4-4 on extra points. He has 40 points scored in those games, good for an average of 13.3 kicking points per game. Up against a stout Rams defense, the Bengals will likely have to keep relying on McPherson’s leg of gold. He’s been good from as long as 58 this season. I trust Joe Burrow and the Bengals to get the offense in range for McPherson to work his magic.
BET: Evan McPherson over 7.5 Kicking Points (-125)
SI Fantasy’s Matt De Lima:
Matthew Stafford has passed for more than 300 yards in all but one contest during this postseason. The only reason he didn't in the wild card round against the Cardinals is because the game was well in hand by halftime (Rams led 28-0 before the Cardinals finally found the scoreboard late in the third quarter). Thrust under those daunting Super Bowl lights, I foresee a bit of a slow start for both teams . From there, I expect both teams to find their stride by the second quarter with the scoring to follow. The Bengals allowed the seventh-most passing yards during the regular season, including 65 pass plays of 20-plus yards. Stafford will comfortably clear the over of 279.5 pass yards with ease.
BET: Matthew Stafford over 279.5 passing yards (-120)
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