Our Best Bets went 2-2 yesterday and stand at 3-4 for the week. Tonight, we have a Monday Night Football game between the Saints and the Packers. I’ll be honest, I cannot wait for Week 16 to be over. It has been a tough slate, and we have had some bad beats along the way. However, we can get back to .500 as we head into a week absolutely full of football. Let’s end Week 16 on a high note and let it launch us into a run during the holiday week. Let’s make this money!

Best Bet

Tucker Kraft Receiving Yards o32.5 (-110) FanDuel

Saints @ Packers

The 5-9 Saints are traveling to Green Bay to take on the 10-4 Packers. The Saints’ season is effectively over, and they are now in the position to play spoiler. They will once again be without their starting quarterback and will be trotting out Spencer Rattler. Meanwhile, the Packers are in the thick of the playoff race and need to keep pace with the rest of the NFC. If they win this game tonight, they will be locked into the playoffs. The weather is forecasted to be under 30 degrees with a possibility of some rain/snow. There is potential for a classic Lambeau field game tonight. The Packers are favored in this game by 14.5 points and the point total is set at 43.5.

Saints Offense

The Saints offense was once touted as the best in the NFL. Then week 4 rolled around and they came crashing back down to earth. With Derek Carr being injured, injuries to several receivers, and a head coaching change, the Saints have struggled to put any kind of consistent production out on the field. They are averaging 22.1 points per game, which is 18th in the league. The pass offense has been struggling, which makes sense given the injuries and the fact that they are rotating two rookie quarterbacks. By averaging 210 yards per game, their pass game is ranked 20th in the league. The run game has been much more effective behind Alvin Kamara

Saints Defense

The Saints defense has been getting run over left and right. They may be letting up only the 13th most points in the league (22.3 per game) but they have not been playing the best talent and they let up a ton of yards while doing it. Against the run, they are allowing 134 yards per game, which is 27th in the league. They are even worse against the pass. They are allowing 242 yards per game, which is 28th in the league. The matchup tonight heavily favors the Packers so I would expect New Orleans to struggle against this high-powered Green Bay offense.

Packers Offense

The Packers are clicking on all cylinders on offense. They are 7th in scoring, averaging 27.1 points per game. Led by Jordan Love and a slew of receivers, their pass game is 11th in the league averaging 231 yards per game. While Jayden Reed leads the team in receiving, the Packers can attack you in so many different ways through the air. It makes it difficult to defend an offense when they have 4 to 5 viable receivers. To round out the offense, running back Josh Jacobs is leading the charge on the ground. This is a new element for the Packers as they have not had a talent like Jacobs coming out of the backfield in a long time. He is the reason that they are ranked 4th in rushing yards, averaging 144 yards per game. The Packers should be licking their chops going against a weak Saints defense tonight.

Packers Defense

The Packers defense has steadily improved throughout the season. It took some time to gel together with the new defensive coordinator, but Jeff Hafley’s squad is playing lights out. They are 8th in points allowed, allowing an average of 20.5 points per game. They are the 9th best run defense allowing 105 yards per game and the 15th ranked pass defense, allowing 215 yards per game. If the Saints want to attack this defense, they will need to throw the ball. However, they will need to be careful as the Packers are +10 in takeaway difference, which is 5th in the league. I expect the Packers defense to effectively shut down the Saints offense tonight.

Best Bet Background – Tucker Kraft Rec Yds over 32.5

Tucker Kraft has been averaging 39.6 yards per game this year. He is second on the team in receptions at 41, which is a 2.9 per game average. Given the weather and the fact that the Packers are heavily favorited tonight, I would expect the Packers to be running the ball a decent amount. However, they will need to pass it at some point, and they can pass it off of the play action. This type of gameplay favors the tight end position. I would expect Kraft to play his usual part in the pass game. I also like him because he has the capability of the big play. He has7 catches this ear for 20+ yards. One of those has gone for 67 yards.