The Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers meet in Week 17 in a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship.
The pregame narrative: The outcome of this game doesn’t matter but I’ll still back the Lions to win as road favourites. Prop bets on Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Deebo Samuel round out this +375 wager.
Check out my Lions vs. 49ers same-game parlay predictions for Monday Night Football on Dec. 30.
Lions vs. 49ers same-game parlay predictions
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Parlay: Lions moneyline + Gibbs to score + St Browrn over 59.5 receiving yards + Samuel over 39.5 receiving yards (+375)
Lions moneyline (-190): The schedule makers probably thought this game would be more meaningful but San Francisco is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
Detroit’s bid for the NFC’s No. 1 seed will come down to next week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, regardless of a win or loss on Monday.
Injuries have ravaged both teams but the Lions keep finding ways to win while the Niners unraveled.
- Detroit is 10-1 since its bye week with the only loss coming to the Buffalo Bills in a 48-42 shootout.
- The Lions boast the league’s top scoring offence (32.9 PPG) and are a perfect 7-0 on the road.
- San Francisco has dropped five of its last six and has only scored more than 17 points once in that span (vs. Chicago Bears).
The Lions will score and I simply don’t trust an offence missing Christian McCaffrey, Brandon AIyuk and Trent Williams to keep pace.
Other parlay picks
Gibbs to score (-250): Detroit is down David Montgomery but that only means more opportunities for Gibbs.
And it’s clear the dynamic tailback will be heavily involved with a rushing and receiving total set at a whopping 125.5 yards.
Gibbs turned 27 touches into 154 scrimmage yards and a score last week. He’s found the end zone in three straight games and five of his last six.
The sophomore will have plenty of chances to score on Monday.
St. Brown over 59.5 receiving yards (-215): St. Brown has quietly put together another elite season:
- 101 receptions (T-5)
- 1,126 receiving yards (eighth)
- 11 TDs (T-3)
The fourth-year wideout is averaging 75.0 yards per game and has cleared this teased-down mark in six of his last seven outings.
The 49ers are down a boatload of players on defence, including No. 1 corner Charvarius Ward.
St. Brown caught seven of 11 targets for 87 yards against the Niners in last year’s NFC Championship game.
Samuel over 39.5 receiving yards (-200): Samuel has clearly lost a step this year but I trust him to clear this modest line.
Detroit allows the fewest yards (35.2) and second-fewest receptions (3.73) to tight ends per game, according to CBS Sports.
That should take some looks away from George Kittle in what I expect to be a pass-heavy gamescript.
Samuel fell under this line in five straight games prior to last week’s seven-catch, 96-yard outburst against the Miami Dolphins.
But he still ranks in the 80th percentile for target share (18.4%) among wideouts and is in a good position to produce against a Lions defence allowing the fifth-most passing yards per game (240.4).
Picks made at 10:05 a.m. on 12/30/24.
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.