Best Early Super Bowl LVI Player Prop Bets (2022)
The Super Bowl is the biggest betting handle annually for American sportsbooks. While that is no surprise, a bigger handle means more betting options across the board. The Super Bowl is an extremely fun event to gamble on as you can place a wager on virtually anything – including the coin toss and the o/u on the length of the national anthem.
While those are fun bets, they can be distracting from the real money-making opportunities this game presents. While some people will wager on how long the final note of our national anthem will be held, I will be focusing on sharp angles to attack in the player prop market.
Follow me on Twitter to get all of my plays.
Bet $5, Win $280 for Rams or Bengals to Win Super Bowl LVI >>
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Joe Mixon OVER 95.5 Rushing + Receiving Yards (-115)
Joe Mixon has been undoubtedly one of the most important pieces to the Bengals offense this season, however, It feels like his name has been overshadowed all year by Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. Cincinnati’s halfback has been vital in this playoff run, and I think his play will further be in the spotlight in the season’s biggest game.
In the three playoff games that Cincinnati has played this year, Mixon has gotten 74.3% of all of the Bengals’ rush attempts. While he has been their featured back, he has also been one of Burrow’s favorite targets on screens out of the backfield.
Out of all of Burrow’s completions this postseason, 17.3% of them have been caught by Joe Mixon. Playing a featured role in both the rushing and passing game, Mixon is averaging 98.7 rushing + receiving yards per game this postseason.
This average has gone up each week as we have gone deeper into the playoffs as the Bengals have relied on Mixon more during crucial situations. Mixon has gone over this 95.5 line in both of the last two rounds.
While the Rams do have a terrific defense, they have allowed opposing dual-threat running backs to hurt them. Last round against the 49ers, the Rams allowed Deebo Samuel to reach 98 rushing + receiving yards. The round before that against the Buccaneers, the Rams allowed Leonard Fournette to get 107 rushing + receiving yards.
Van Jefferson Anytime Touchdown Scorer (+245)
I think this number is just too long for a guy who has the second-most receiving touchdowns on the team this season. While It is true Odell is now on the team and gets a ton of targets, Jefferson still gets his looks as the third option as he had five targets against the 49ers in the championship round.
With all of the secondary’s primary attention on Kupp and Odell, I think that Jefferson could definitely slip past the secondary for one score. Jefferson’s targets could go up even more if starting tight end Tyler Higbee is unable to play, though I still like the play either way.
We have seen the Bengals give up touchdowns to wideouts Mecole Hardman and Zay Jones this postseason, two guys who play similar receiving roles to Van Jefferson.
Most Rushing Yards – Joe Mixon (+110)
We are getting incredible value in this number, as Mixon is by far the best halfback playing in this game. Like I said earlier, this postseason Mixon is getting 74.3% of the Bengals’ rushing attempts and is averaging 63.3 rush yards per game.
By comparison, the Rams’ starting halfback Cam Akers is getting just 55.7% of their rushing attempts in the postseason. Over their three playoff games, Akers is averaging 50.3 rush yards per game.
On top of this discrepancy between the starting halfbacks, there is no question that Mixon will get the majority of the carries for Cincinnati while the Rams may go in the direction of running-back-by-committee. Akers got banged up last game against San Francisco and fumbled twice in crucial situations against Tampa Bay.
We could see Sony Michel steal some carries from Akers as he averages eight carries per game during these playoffs. With that being said, we are getting amazing value in Mixon to be the game’s leading rusher at plus money.
Join the BettingPros Discord Chat for Live Betting Advice >>
Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our Sports Betting Strategy and Advice page is for you. You can get started with our 101 section — including 10 Sports Betting Tips for Beginners — or head to more advanced strategy — like Key Numbers When Betting Against the Spread — to learn more.
Tony Sartori is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Tony, check out his archive and follow him@tony_sartori.