NFL training camp has officially opened for nine teams across the league, and with only a week until all teams report, the window to place your NFL futures bets is closing fast. Last week, I covered a few pre-training camp futures, but I wasn’t satisfied with that list alone. There are still SO MANY juicy props available for you to wager on across various sportsbooks, so I thought, “why not run it back”? There are more articles coming out daily in our Fantasy Football Draft Guide, and like a scene from “The Big Lebowski” so eloquently phrased, “I’ve got information, man.” Although I won’t be covering any of the lines on the running backs who could hold out like Saquon Barkley or Josh Jacobs, there’s plenty else to get into. Let’s touch on some of these props before the futures close for good on the 2023 NFL season. 

 

Running Back Props

David Montgomery, Detroit Lions: Over 5.5 Rushing Touchdowns -150 (FanDuel Sportsbook)

Look, I’m not saying David Montgomery is the second coming of Jamaal Williams, but we can’t overlook what he did in that offense last season. Montgomery got a fairly hefty contract in running back terms, and it seems that the Lions have a plan for him alongside rookie Jahmyr Gibbs. Even on a Chicago Bears team with one of the worst offensive lines in football AND a rushing quarterback, Montgomery still had six touchdowns last year, and that was a career-low. With a better offensive line, a knee-cap biting coach, and an immobile quarterback, Montgomery will shoulder much of the load in the red zone and should easily hit this line.

Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers: Over 7.5 Rushing Touchdowns -118 (FanDuel Sportsbook)

This has to be a joke, right? After getting 13 rushing touchdowns last year and 12 the year before, the line is cut down to just eight? Sure, former Dallas Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is now calling the shots, but both Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott hit over that mark splitting carries in the Cowboys’ offense in 2022. Ekeler is THE back in this offense, seeing 62% of the running back snaps, and there’s no reason to think that he won’t retain that role unless the Chargers sign one of the many running backs available in free agency right now. Even then, the regression is built into the line. Ekeler wants to be involved in this offense and show his worth, and a three-peat is well within the range of outcomes for the 2023 season. 

Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers: Over 7.5 Rushing Touchdowns +125 (DraftKings Sportsbook)

Everyone likes to pick on Najee due to his high fantasy draft capital and subpar season last year, but they tend to forget that he played the first quarter of the season with a metal plate in his shoe behind an offensive line that ranked middle of the pack in run-blocking. After he got healthy, and I mean, truly healthy, he put his foot on the gas, with six of his seven rushing touchdowns coming in the final eight games. He’s entering the 2023 season as the Steelers’ bell-cow back once again, and with an improved offensive line with rookie Broderick Jones and Isaac Suemalo, as well as Kenny Pickett entering his second season, Harris should benefit from a much-improved offense. 7.5 rushing touchdowns seems incredibly low, and at plus odds, I’m more than willing to lay some skin on it.

 

Wide Receiver Props

CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys: Over 6.5 Receiving Touchdowns -135 (Caesar’s Sportsbook)

Yes, I know I did a CeeDee Lamb prop in the last article, but this one was also too good to pass up. Even playing without Dak Prescott for five games last year, Lamb still finished the season with nine touchdowns. Dalton Schultz, who was a favorite target of Prescott’s, is now in Houston with the Texans, so even though the Cowboys added Brandin Cooks, Lamb’s volume should remain the same, if not better. Even with Amari Cooper in the mix as the number one wide receiver, Lamb finished with 11 combined touchdowns in 2020 and 2021, and he has firmly asserted himself as a dominant number one receiver in this league. Seven touchdowns should be child’s play for this little Lamb.

Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns: Over 6.5 Receiving Touchdowns +100 (FanDuel Sportsbook)

Speaking of Amari Cooper, he also makes an appearance on this list with a line of 6.5 receiving touchdowns. True, the Cleveland Browns did add Elijah Moore and rookie Cedric Tillman, but even with backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett and a rusty Deshaun Watson, Cooper hit nine receiving touchdowns last year. By all indications, Cleveland intends to go much more up-tempo with more emphasis on the pass this year, and as the number one receiver and one of the best route runners in the entire NFL, Cooper will find his way into the end zone plenty of times. This is another prop with plus odds that I’m smashing like a swamp mosquito.

Allen Lazard, New York Jets: Over 4.5 Receiving Touchdowns -110 (DraftKings Sportsbook)

In a game of “follow the leader,” Allen Lazard now finds himself as a member of Gang Green with old buddy Aaron Rodgers. Yes, he’ll likely be behind Garrett Wilson as the wide receiver two on the team’s depth chart, but that has never stopped him from scoring touchdowns. Even behind Davante Adams in 2021, Lazard ranked 16th in the league in red zone targets and 13th in total touchdowns (8). As the primary receiver in Green Bay’s offense last year, Lazard increased those numbers to 12th in red zone targets, and even though he fell off to 20th in total touchdowns (6), he still exceeded the current line. It may actually benefit him to be the number two option in this offense because while defenders are focused on Wilson, Lazard can call on the connection with his old buddy. 

 

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