JuJu Smith-Schuster caught a measly 15 balls in five games last season, but going from Ben Roethlisberger to Patrick Mahomes changes a lot of things.
And because Mahomes is throwing him the ball instead of Roethlisberger, we’re going Smith-Schuster’s way for our Thursday Night Football anytime touchdown prop bet between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers.
Smith-Schuster already looks rejuvenated after one game, catching six passes on eight targets. We just need him to catch one and bring it to the end zone to cash on Thursday.
JuJu Smith-Schuster Anytime Touchdown (+130, DraftKings)
Betting JuJu Smith Schuster to find the end zone tonight is an excellent choice at +130. This Chargers defense will be without their best cornerback once again tonight in J.C. Jackson. That bumps corner Michael Davis into CB2.
Since 2017, Davis has been a lackluster corner at best. In Week 1 he allowed a passer rating of over 100 on just three targets. Asante Samuel Jr. also struggled and allowed a passer rating of 95.1 giving up nine catches on 12 targets, ranking him as one of the worst CB1’s in the NFL.
Another factor in Smith-Schuster’s favor it that he should avoid Bryce Callahan, who was the Chargers top-rated corner in Week 1. Callahan primarily covered the slot, while Smith-Schuster took 28 of his 35 routes out wide.
With the total set at 54 this is projected to be the highest-scoring game in Week 2, pairing that with the Chiefs team total set to 29.5 points, Smith-Schuster has an excellent spot here as the Chiefs WR1.
Smith-Schuster was targeted in the red zone just once in Week 1 despite seeing over 20% of the team’s targets. Bet on Mahomes to change that in Week 2 and get his new weapon a welcome touchdown in the Chiefs home opener.
As always, one catch for glory.
