Raiders vs. Rams predictions: Four prop bets for Thursday Night Football

If the Los Angeles Rams had played a Thursday Night Football game as recently as a month ago, we would’ve seen notable names like Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson III on the props board.

Now? Aside from running back Cam Akers, the list of players on the Los Angeles side of Thursday night’s Raiders vs. Rams props sheet is a veritable “Who’s that?”

Stafford (neck/spine), Kupp (ankle) and Robinson (ankle) all are on injured reserve. Adding (more) injury to insult, multiple players who backup that trio are questionable with their own ailments.

At quarterback alone, it’s uncertain who will get the nod for L.A.: John Wolford (Stafford’s primary backup who is dealing with a neck injury); Baker Mayfield (who is expected to be active after he was claimed off waivers from Carolina on Tuesday); or third-stringer Bryce Perkins.

How does all this impact our four pack of Raiders vs. Rams player props? It means we’re zeroing in on a bunch of guys wearing silver and black.

Note: Odds updated as of 11 a.m. ET on Dec. 7.

Prediction: Over

This number seems short. And we say that knowing Carr shouldn’t have to put the ball in the air a lot to get a ‘W’ for his team in Los Angeles.

But as we’ll detail shortly, the Rams’ pass defense ranks in the bottom-third of the NFL. That’s after giving up 320 and 348 passing yards the last two weeks to the Chiefs and Seahawks, respectively.

And, of course, L.A.’s pass rush is severely hampered without defensive tackle Aaron Donald on the field. (The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year will sit out his second straight game with an ankle injury.)

No Donald means more time for Carr to throw. As it stands, the ninth-year pro has only been sacked 21 times in 12 games. To put that in context, Stafford hit the dirt 29 times in nine starts.

Carr has been in range of this prop number virtually the entire season. He’s passed for at least 241 yards in 10 of 12 games, including 250-plus seven times.

Since a dreadful 101-yard passing performance in a 24-0 loss at New Orleans on Oct. 30, Carr has put up yardage totals of 259, 248, 307, 295 and 250.

Of course, he chucked the ball between 30 and 38 times in each of those games — which, again, he shouldn’t need to do Thursday. Still, Carr figures to have at least a few big-play opportunities against the Rams’ poor secondary, so a 250-yard passing night should come pretty easily.

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Call this one a low-risk/high-reward prop. We may not hit it, but if we do, the payoff will be quite nice.

It’s certainly worth the dice roll. Because whether Las Vegas has the ball in the red zone or on its side of the field, Carr is constantly looking to get Adams the ball either in or on the way to the end zone.

Adams has seen double-digit targets eight times in 12 games, including the last five in a row. In those five contests, the ball has come Adams’ way a whopping 67 times.

The former Packer has turned those 67 targets into 41 catches and seven touchdowns. That includes two-touchdown games against the Jaguars in Week 9, the Broncos in Week 11 and the Chargers on Sunday.

On Thursday, Adams faces a Rams secondary that ranks 22nd against the pass overall and has allowed 18 touchdown passes. And even though Adams probably will be shadowed by “shutdown” cornerback Jalen Ramsey most of the night, that might not be a bad thing: Ramsey has allowed six of those 18 TDs.

Grab the juicy plus money on this Raiders vs. Rams prop at Caesars Sportsbook.

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Jacobs has been a workhorse all season for the Raiders, who are riding the former Alabama star hard in his “walk” year. In the last four weeks alone, Jacobs has carried the pigskin 104 times, with at least 21 totes in each contest.

However, this seems like the week that Las Vegas coach Josh McDaniels gives his banged-up tailback a breather.

Jacobs has spent the last several weeks on the injury report with quad and calf injuries. And while it would be a minor miracle if the Raiders went from 2-7 to the playoffs, if they’re going to pull it off, they need Jacobs as healthy as possible down the stretch.

Also, the Rams’ run defense has been terrific. L.A. is one of just four teams yielding less than 100 yards per game on the ground, and it has given up more than 93 rushing yards just three times in 12 contests.

Obviously, without Donald clogging the middle, the Rams could be vulnerable up the middle. But L.A. held the Seahawks to 90 rushing yards with Donald in street clothes last week.

Besides, this prop isn’t about yards; it’s about carries. Jacobs may bust a couple of big runs and may cross the goal line. We just think he’ll see less of a workload on a short week — especially if the Raiders have a big lead (which we expect).

Play the Under at BetMGM.

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Healthy and seemingly out of coach Sean McVey’s doghouse, Akers recently has breathed some life in the Rams’ otherwise comatose backfield.

Over the past three weeks, Akers has compiled 158 rushing yards on 39 carries. That includes 61 yards at New Orleans in Week 11 (tying a season high) and 60 last week at Seattle.

But we’re betting that Akers takes a step back Thursday against a solid Raiders run defense that ranks in the middle of the pack (14th) in the NFL. Since getting bulldozed by the Jaguars and Colts for 168 yards and 207 yards in consecutive weeks, Las Vegas has held its last three opponents under 95 yards (average of 77 per game).

With Los Angeles dealing with all the aforementioned injuries, Akers is really the biggest weapon the Raiders’ defense has to worry about. So expect the defensive game plan to be scripted accordingly.

As for this prop number, 46 rushing yards might not seem like a big hurdle for Akers to clear. Except he hasn’t done so in back-to-back games all season.

In fact, you have to go back to his rookie season in 2020 for the last time Akers topped 40 rushing yards in consecutive games. (He went for 84, 72, 171 and 63 in four straight weeks late in the season.)

Yes, the former Florida State standout missed all of 2021 with an injury. Still, aside from that four-game stretch when he ran wild, Akers has rushed for 45-plus yards just four other times in 20 games.

Bet the Under on this Raiders vs. Rams prop at BetMGM.

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