The first Monday Night Football doubleheader of the 2023 NFL season is here, and we are locked and loaded with a full slate of player prop picks for the NFC South clash between the Saints and Panthers, as well as the AFC North showdown between the Browns and Steelers.
Let's take a look at our top three player props for Saints vs. Panthers and Browns vs. Steelers, including picks for Derek Carr, Bryce Young, and Kenny Pickett to close the Week 2 NFL slate.
Monday Night Football Player Prop Picks
In the table below, you'll find each of our NFL staff's top player prop picks from today's slate of games. Click on any pick or team logo to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Time (ET) | Player Prop |
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| 7:15 p.m. | |
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| 8:15 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NFL Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | |
Saints vs. Panthers
Derek Carr
Over 19.5 Pass Completions (-115)
In a NFC South division with three of four teams slowly rebuilding their rosters through the draft, the Saints are the only squad that appears to be truly committed to moving ahead with their veteran talent. The Saints have the second-oldest roster in the entire league with an average player age of 27 years and two months, behind only the Jets (27 years and four months).
The Saints clearly believe they are ready to win now, and they doubled down on that notion by bringing in quarterback Derek Carr this past offseason. Barring a heavyweight contender emerging from the shadows unexpectedly, they should be able to make a run at the division crown if they can get the wheels churning on offense.
New Orleans scored just 16 points in a win over the Titans in Week 1, which is a bit concerning when it comes to laying points with the Saints. But on the flip side, even though the Saints offense was a hot mess in Week 1, Carr still managed to complete 23-of-33 pass attempts for 305 yards and a touchdown.
The Panthers defense held Desmond Ridder to just 15 completions for 115 yards last week, but the Saints should do far more damage through the air. Carr completed 20+ passes in 10-of-15 starts for the Raiders last season, and now 11 of his last 16 overall including last week’s 23-completion performance.
I’ll back Carr to clear that number again against a Carolina secondary that ranked 22nd in completions allowed per game last season.
Saints vs. Panthers
Bryce Young
Over 0.5 Interception (-125)
The Panthers selected QB Bryce Young with the first overall pick in this year’s draft and immediately inserted him into the starting lineup. Obviously, they expect some growing pains as he continues to develop.
But after seeing Carolina get lit up by Atlanta in Week 1, it’s already starting to look like the Panthers could be in the running for the top pick in the draft yet again.
Young completed just 20-of-38 pass attempts for 146 yards in his NFL debut, and he tacked on a pair of ugly interceptions to bottom out his day. I have no doubt that Young will be an excellent NFL quarterback someday. That’s why the Panthers selected him first overall. But based on what we saw last week, it’s going to be a bumpy ride for Young and company as the development process plays out.
The Saints defense picked off Ryan Tannehill three times last week. I’m backing Young to throw the third interception of his NFL career on Monday night.
Pick: Bryce Young Over 0.5 Interception (-125)
Browns vs. Steelers
Kenny Pickett
Under 205.5 Passing Yards (-113)
The Steelers’ offseason hype train came screeching to a halt in Week 1, as the 49ers waltzed in and spanked Kenny Pickett and company by the score of 30-7, smothering the Pittsburgh offense by holding it to just 239 total yards.
During his rookie season, Pickett stayed under 200 passing yards in eight of his 12 starts. However, Pickett managed to clear the 200-yard passing mark last week thanks to the Steelers letting him sling it 46 times in a blowout — the second-most pass attempts of his 13 career starts. To add fuel to the fire, Diontae Johnson suffered a hamstring injury, sidelining one of Pittsburgh's top pass-catchers for the foreseeable future.
In Week 1, Cleveland’s defense absolutely dominated an offense that most people consider to be borderline elite, as the Browns managed to hold Joe Burrow and the Bengals to just three points and 142 total yards on the way to a commanding 24-3 victory.
Burrow completed just 14-of-31 passes for 82 yards against Cleveland and the Bengals struggled to get the ground game going as well, rushing 20 times for just 70 yards.
Sure, Burrow is becoming notorious for starting slow, but he’s still an elite quarterback. So, if last week’s performance was any sign of what’s to come, the Browns secondary shouldn’t have too much trouble limiting Pickett and the Steelers.
