The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins kick off Week 2 with a showdown in South Beach.
The pregame narrative: Tua Tagovailoa led the league in passing last week and should put up more gaudy numbers at home. On Buffalo’s side, I’m backing rookie Keon Coleman to clear his receptions total.
Check out my Bills vs. Dolphins prop picks for Sept. 12.
Bills vs. Dolphins prop picks
Full NFL Week 2 betting markets: Click Here
Best Bet: Coleman over 3.5 receptions (-117)
Buffalo’s win over the Arizona Cardinals was anything but pretty.
The Bills went down 17-3 early and needed a second-half outburst to eke out a victory. But a slow start probably should have been expected for a team with a revamped receiving corps.
Coleman slots alongside Khalil Shakir and Mack Hollins, which is a complete overhaul from the Stefon Diggs/Gabriel Davis tandem Bills fans were used to seeing.
That said, the rookie out of Florida State had himself a solid debut. He led Buffalo in targets (five), receptions (four), and yards (51) while participating in 73% of snaps.
It’s hard not to like that.
Joe Brady and Josh Allen clearly trust the 21-year-old and he should factor heavily into Thursday’s game plan.
The Dolphins are capable of putting up points which means Buffalo will be throwing the ball often. Also, Jalen Ramsey has been battling a hamstring injury and isn’t at 100%.
That secondary looked sharp against the Jacksonville Jaguars, holding Trevor Lawrence to 162 yards on 12 completions, but I still like Coleman to clear this modest total.
Key stat: Coleman’s 22 routes ran were the most of any Bill in Week 1, per BuffaloRumblings.com.
Quick picks
Tagovailoa over 267.5 passing yards (-114): The Dolphins offence picked up where it left off as Tagovailoa threw for 338 yards in a 20-17 victory.
The quarterback attempted 37 passes on Sunday and one of those connected with Tyreek Hill for an 80-yard bomb.
Mike McDaniel isn’t afraid to let it fly and he might not have a choice.
Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane both missed practices on Monday and Tuesday. If those two don’t play, Miami will need to re-adjust its game plan to be more pass-heavy.
That’s nothing new to Tua, though, who led the league in passing last year (4,624) and ranked fourth among starters in average EPA per play (0.187), per RBSDM.com.
He cleared this line in eight of 17 starts including once against the Bills.
Taron Johnson, Buffalo’s starting nickel corner, is out.
Picks made at 11:28 a.m. ET 09/08/2024.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.