The 5-1 Minnesota Vikings visit the struggling Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football.
The pregame narrative: Running backs have had a field day with the Rams’ defence this season. With that in mind, the over on Aaron Jones’ yards prop is my best bet. I’m also fading Kyren Williams against a tough defensive unit.
Check out my Vikings vs. Rams prop picks for Thursday Night Football on Oct. 24.
Vikings vs. Rams prop picks
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Best Bet: Jones over 66.5 rushing yards (-115)
The Vikings’ tailback has been efficient this season, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. He’s coming off a monsterous performance where ran for 93 yards on 14 attempts (6.6 YPC).
Los Angeles allows the third-most rushing yards per game (151.7). All six opposing starting running backs have cleared this line against the Rams.
Last week, Alexander Mattison tallied 93 yards on the ground despite his offence failing to find much success (15 points, no touchdowns).
Jones was a limited participant in practice to start the week, but if he’s healthy, he should get his usual share of touches.
Backup Ty Chandler has been far less effective (3.4 YPC) and only got two carries this past Sunday.
Key stat: Jones has surpassed this total in all four games in which he received 10-plus rush attempts.
Quick pick
Williams under 73.5 rushing yards (-114): Williams has been the one constant force in the Rams’ offence, but now it’s time to fade him.
Minnesota’s defence allows the second-fewest rushing yards per game (80.0).
Jahmyr Gibbs exploded for 116 yards last week against the Vikings, but he and the Lions tend to run the ball effectively against everyone. So I’m not putting much stock into that when comparing to Williams.
Only one other tailback has cleared this hefty line against Minnesota (Jordan Mason in Week 2), and there’s no doubt that the Rams have a worse offensive line than both the Lions and 49ers.
Running backs who’ve been kept in check include Josh Jacobs (51 yards) and Breece Hall (23 yards).
Cooper Kupp is also expected to return to the lineup, and Williams averaged just 37.5 rushing yards per game in the two matchups with Kupp active. The receiver is the focal point of the offence whenever he’s on the field.
Picks made at 3:40 p.m. ET 10/23/2024.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.