Best NFL Wide Receiver Prop Bets for the 2018 Season

Dave Golokhov

August 20th, 2018

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Quick Tips:

• Bet on Larry Fitzgerald under 1,050.5 receiving yards at -120 at William Hill.
• Bet on Jimmy Graham over 9.5 receiving TDS at +110 at William Hill.
• Bet on Austin Hooper under 60.5 receptions at -350 at William Hill.
• Bet on Cooper Kupp over 60.5 receptions at -175 at William Hill.

The 2018 NFL season is rapidly approaching. With the regular season is less than three weeks away. That makes now the ideal time for NFL betting fans to start perusing prop bets, as well as regular-season win totals, odds to win the divisions and Super Bowl futures. We took some time to sift through the betting lines at William Hill, focusing on the best wide receiver props on the board. Here’s a look at our four favorites:

Larry Fitzgerald Regular Season Receiving Yards

Fitzgerald is bound for the Hall of Fame one day, but before we get to his post-career accolades, let’s deal with what he might accomplish in one more season.

Fitzgerald turns 35 on August 31 but returned to the Arizona Cardinals to play for one more season. To add to the fun, bookmakers at William Hill has posted a betting line where gamblers can pick whether or not he’ll surpass 1050.5 receiving yards.

Fitzgerald has hit at least 1,000 yards receiving eight of his last 11 seasons. Remember that he’s played with some shoddy quarterbacks (Kevin Kolb, anyone?).

He somehow managed 1,156 receiving yards last season with Drew Stanton and Blaine Gabbert throwing the majority of passes his way. But 2018 might be his biggest test to date.

The Cardinals will start the season with Sam Bradford as their starting quarterback, and while he’s quite accurate, he’s also quite injury prone. And with first-round pick Josh Rosen waiting in the wings, it might not be long before Fitzgerald has to deal with a rookie.

The other issue is there should be more mouths to feed. With David Johnson back, Christian Kirk emerging and Brice Butler signed, we’ll bet that Fitzgerald falls just short of 1,050 receiving yards at -120.

Jimmy Graham Regular Season Touchdowns

The Green Bay Packers have had some issues in the red zone in recent years. Part of it is because quarterback Aaron Rodgers has really missed having a big tight end to work with.

Last year, the Packers signed Martellus Bennett and Lance Kendricks. but that didn’t work out. The tandem combined for just one touchdown. In 2016, the Packers had high hopes for Jared Cook and Richard Rodgers, but they only combined for three TDs.

Other than Richard Rodgers eight touchdown receptions in 2014, it’s really been a while since Rodgers has had a tight end he trusted. It seems like that has changed, though.

After a couple of bad seasons in Seattle, where Graham was never the right fit, the Packers were able to bring in the former stud for a pennies on the dollar. And we’ve already gotten a glimpse of what that bond looks like with Graham catching a jump-ball touchdown in his first preseason game.

Remember that Graham scored 10 touchdowns with the Seahawks last year in an offense in which he was never really comfortable.

Hopping over the 9.5 over/under that William Hill has posted with a more accurate quarterback in a more dangerous offense shouldn’t be too tall an order for Graham.

Bet Jimmy Graham to get over 9.5 receiving touchdowns at +110.

Austin Hooper Regular Season Receptions

One of the more surprising betting lines that you’ll see on the board at William Hill is a prop facing Atlanta Falcons tight end, Austin Hooper. The question is whether or not he’ll reach 61 receptions this season.

The reason it’s a bit bizarre is because this is a third-year player who isn’t necessarily expected to be much better than he’s been so far. He had 19 catches in 2016 and 49 in 2017. He only had a total of 65 targets last year.

Could things change for him in 2018? Of course. However, this is not a player that’s really viewed as an integral part of the offense. He’s an outlet that’s used from time-to-time when Julio Jones, Mohammed Sanu Jr. and Devonta Freeman are covered. And don’t forget that the Falcons spent a first-round pick on receiver Calvin Ridley.

Bet on Hooper to fall short of 61 receptions at -350.

Cooper Kupp Regular Season Receptions

One player who is a far better bet to get over 60.5 receptions is Los Angeles Rams slot receiver Cooper Kupp. This is a young player who is on the rise and is a perfect fit for the Rams offense.

He has great chemistry with quarterback Jared Goff, which we saw it right off the bat last season. That’s what led to him reaching 62 receptions in just 15 games.

As a second-year player, all we’ve heard is how he’s improved in the offseason and how his bond with Goff has strengthened.

When you add in that the Rams picked up Brandin Cooks, one has to imagine that it will be very difficult for opposing defenses to hone in on any one receiver in this explosive unit. That means Kupp will have mismatches to exploit from the slot all season long.

As Goff’s favorite target, bet on Cooper Kupp to easily cross 61 receptions at -175.