Underdog Fantasy Top Plays For Thursday Night Football: Eagles vs. Cowboys
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The NFL season is finally here, as the Dallas Cowboys and last year’s Super Bowl Champion, the Philadelphia Eagles play in the NFL season opener on Thursday Night Football. Here are some of the best bets for the game on Underdog Fantasy.
George Pickens Longest Reception Over 23.5 Yards
The Dallas Cowboys will be featuring a new wide receiver on Thursday night, George Pickens, and the idea of Dak Prescott connecting with him on a deep ball feels likely. Last year for the Pittsburgh Steelers Pickens averaged 15.3 yards per reception. This ranked eighth in the NFL. Also last year, he had a reception of 23.5 yards or higher in 12 of the 14 games he played in. And Dak Prescott, although having a down season last year, finishing in the bottom third for yards per pass attempt, has finished top 10 or higher in that category in two of the last four seasons. This bet seems destined to hit the over.
Saquon Barkley Under 96.5 Rushing Yards
Coming off his best season of his career, totaling 2,005 rushing yards in the regular season, it is easy to click the over on Saquon Barkley’s rushing total. But a deeper dive will tell you the under is the better option and a great bet at that. Barkley, in his career against the Cowboys, has struggled to hit this over. In his 12 appearances against Dallas in his career, he has surpassed 96.5 rushing yards twice. It is a scary bet to make given the talent of Barkley, but in the season opener, the under feels like the right option.
A.J. Brown Over 4.5 Receptions
This reception total feels a bit low for the three-time All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown. Against the Cowboys in six games over his career, Brown has had five or more receptions five times. On top of that, quarterback Jalen Hurts has gone out of his way to make it a point to try to develop chemistry with Brown in season openers. In openers with Philadelphia, Brown has averaged 7.3 receptions per game and 11 targets per game. The over on targets for Brown is also an available bet, listed at 7.5 on Underdog Fantasy, and is another great bet to take the over on in TNF.
CeeDee Lamb Under 71.5 Receiving Yards
Like Barkley, it is easy to take the over on any total regarding the caliber of player he and CeeDee Lamb are, but the under on Lamb’s receiving total is the way to go on TNF. Lamb, over his career, has struggled in covering 71.5 yards against Philadelphia. In nine career games against the Eagles, he has surpassed the total twice. Philadelphia also in 2024 allowed the least passing yards per game out of any team in the NFL, with opponents averaging 174.2 yards per game. And although the Eagles lost a couple of key contributors from their secondary, they should still have one of the better defensive back groups in 2025.
Jake Elliott Over 1.5 Field Goal Makes
It is not the most fun bet to watch, but Jake Elliott looks likely to make his 1.5 FG makes over. In six of his last seven games against the Cowboys, he has hit this over. Also, with both offenses taking the field for the first time, there is a higher chance of mistakes happening. These mistakes could lead to Elliot having a higher chance of logging field goal attempts. In the last two seasons, he has taken two or more FGA’s in the Eagles’ season opener.
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Gray Deyo is a Nashville-based sportswriter who graduated with a sports management bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has covered prep sports, college sports, the WNBA, and the NBA for the past four years. In addition to writing for SI, Gray also currently contributes to Prep Girls Hoops