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Morning Coffee: A player prop to target for NFL Championship Sunday
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The Baltimore Ravens could be found as high as 28-to-1 to win the Super Bowl at FanDuel back in April.
At the time, 11 NFL teams had shorter odds to win it all.
Nine months later, Lamar Jackson is the overwhelming favourite to win NFL regular season MVP, and the Ravens are preparing to host the AFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history as one of four teams still standing in pursuit of a Super Bowl ring.
Baltimore is the second choice to win it all at +175 odds.
The San Francisco 49ers are the betting favourite at +145.
Despite a statement win on the road in San Francisco back in Week 16, the Ravens remain the second choice to win the Super Bowl based largely on their match-up for Championship Sunday.
Baltimore is one win away from the biggest stage.
In order to get there, Jackson and the Ravens will need to get past Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The entire city of Baltimore is counting down to the most highly anticipated showdown of the NFL season.
Everything has been building to this one game, and for Jackson in particular, it’s the ultimate opportunity for him to showcase his remarkable skill set.
The Ravens will need every bit of magic that Jackson can offer to beat the Chiefs and get to the Super Bowl.
That’s the inspiration for my first FanDuel Best Bet for NFL Championship Sunday.
This is the Morning Coffee for Tuesday January 23rd, 2024.
A Player Prop To Target For NFL Championship Sunday
In their Divisional Round win over the Houston Texans, Jackson threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 100 yards and two touchdowns.
It marked the third time that Jackson has rushed for at least 100 yards in a playoff game – the most by any quarterback in NFL history.
It was also the fourth time that Jackson has led Baltimore in rushing yards in a playoff game.
While a lot has been made about the improved weapons in the passing game with the additions of rookie Zay Flowers and veteran Odell Beckham Jr., the reality is that the Ravens offence is at its best when Jackson is making plays with his legs via designed runs and scrambles.
I expect to see plenty of both against the Chiefs this weekend.
In Sunday’s 27-24 win over the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City’s defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo did everything possible to take away the deep ball.
Josh Allen didn’t have a completion of more than 15 yards.
He did run for 72 yards and two touchdowns in a loss.
If Spagnuolo takes the same approach versus Baltimore, I don’t think Jackson will hesitate to use his legs even more than he did against the Texans and run for as many yards as possible when the middle of the field is open.
Jackson is coming off a 100-yard rushing performance in a lopsided win over Houston.
He’s rushed for 70 or more yards in three of his past five games dating back to the regular season.
The last time he played the Chiefs, Jackson ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns in Week 2 of the 2021 season.
This Sunday against Kansas City, Jackson will need to make plays with his legs in order to give the Ravens a chance to win this game at home.
I’ll lock in Jackson 60+ rushing yard at -130 as a FanDuel Best Bet for the NFL Championship Sunday.
Embiid Scores 70 In Win Over Spurs
On the anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors, the betting favourite to win NBA regular season MVP at FanDuel nearly matched that production in a 133-123 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
Joel Embiid scored 70 points with 18 rebounds and five assists in the win over San Antonio.
Embiid became the first player in NBA history with at least 70 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a game.
He also played the fewest minutes (36:38) of any player to ever produce a 70-point game.
Embiid is down to +130 to win NBA regular season MVP at FanDuel this morning.
The All-Star centre could be found as high as +800 to win that award earlier this month.
In fact, that was just 11 days ago.
At the time, Embiid was sidelined with a knee injury that some were concerned could ultimately hamper his chances of winning MVP.
The new collective bargaining agreement states that a player must play at least 65 out of 82 games to be eligible for the major individual awards.
Embiid has already missed 10 games this season.
That means if Embiid were to miss eight or more games the rest of the way, he would no longer be eligible for the MVP award, regardless of how many more 70-point games he produces.
As it stands, Embiid is the favourite at +130 odds at FanDuel, followed by Nikola Jokic as the second choice at +250 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at +360.
There is still a long way to go for voters to decide who deserves to be named NBA regular season MVP.
Considering the circumstances, it should be a fascinating race to watch unfold for the remainder of the season.
Oilers The Biggest Favourite On The Board At FanDuel
The Edmonton Oilers have won 13 straight games.
It should be no surprise that the traders at FanDuel expect that win streak to continue tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Edmonton is currently -360 on the moneyline.
The Oilers are the biggest favourite on the board at FanDuel, narrowly edging out the New York Rangers, which are a -320 moneyline favourite on the road against the San Jose Sharks.
Edmonton could be found as high as +1800 to win the Stanley Cup at FanDuel back in late November.
The Oilers are currently the second choice to win it all at +950, behind only the Colorado Avalanche at +800.
There’s still a lot of hockey left to play.
They just added veteran winger Corey Perry.
If they can add one or two more quality complimentary pieces before the trade deadline and stay healthy the rest of the way, Edmonton will go from outside of a playoff position early in the year to a top Stanley Cup contender.
That’s an impressive turnaround for a franchise with some lofty expectations this season.