Monday Night Football: Raiders-Lions betting preview (odds, lines, best bets) | NFL and NCAA Betting Picks
• TE Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders — over 2.5 receptions: In the last six quarters of football that Mayer and Garoppolo have played together, the Raiders signal-caller has targeted the Notre Dame product seven times across 31 routes for a total of 108 yards.
• Detroit struggling against tight ends: Meanwhile, Detroit has given up the fifth-highest explosive pass play percentage to tight ends this season, with rookie Jack Campbell particularly struggling in coverage.
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Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
GAME OVERVIEW
The Detroit Lions looked like one of the better teams in the league heading into Week 6 but then found themselves on the unfortunate end of a complete beat down at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens.
Lamar Jackson threw down the field as often as he cared to, amassing seven completions that went for at least 20 yards in the first half alone to help the Ravens out to a 28-0 lead. The Lions’ first and only score didn’t come until the fourth quarter in a 38-6 loss.
Detroit will now look to get back on track against a Las Vegas Raiders team that is 3-4 on the season, though five of their seven games have been decided by one score. Despite the consistently close games, the Raiders have a -49 points differential, having been run over by the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 and a Tyson Bagent-led Chicago Bears team in Week 7.
Brian Hoyer‘s turnovers cost them dearly against the Bears, leading to a sizable loss, but starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo returns to action this week having recovered from a back injury.
Some shuffling is required for the Lions along the interior of the offensive line, as center Frank Ragnow (calf) is doubtful, and guard Jonah Jackson (ankle) is already ruled out. Graham Glasgow will fill Ragnow’s role at center, making it the third different position he has started this season, and Kayode Awosika will make his second start of the season, having previously earned a 61.8 PFF Grade on 78 snaps against the Buccaneers.
David Montgomery remains out with a rib injury, so Jahmyr Gibbs will continue to be the feature back after a 20-touch game against the Ravens. Amon-Ra St. Brown was added to the injury report with the flu on Sunday, and he is questionable to play, which could make a huge difference to the efficiency of this offense.
TE Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders: Over 2.5 Receptions (-106 FanDuel) & Over 21.5 Receiving Yards (-113 FanDuel)
Michael Mayer has become one of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s favorite targets over the last couple of weeks, thanks in large part to his big-play ability over the middle of the field,
In the last six quarters of football that Mayer and Garoppolo have played together, the Raiders signal-caller has targeted the Notre Dame product seven times across 31 routes for 108 yards. Meanwhile, Detroit has given up the fifth-highest explosive pass play percentage to tight ends this season, with rookie Jack Campbell particularly struggling in coverage.
Las Vegas is a 7.5-point underdog for this game, so the game script is likely to involve plenty of passing for a Raiders team that has struggled to run the ball with any consistency all year. Look for Mayer to be targeted early and often and for him to get past this prop.
