We asked our Props analyst, Justin Bales, to come up with his best NFL ladder bets for Week 5’s main slate.
If you’re not familiar with this kind of play, a ladder bet is essentially betting on a prop at multiple lines with the odds getting progressively larger the further up the ladder you go.
Don’t Look Down – NFL Week 5 Main Slate Ladder Bets
We’ve done the research for you here and below we’ll dive into all of the rationale for our best NFL ladder bets for Week 5.
Joe Burrow Passing Yards Ladder
Burrow hasn’t quite looked like himself this season, but the upside is still there. He’s thrown for 978 yards with 7 touchdowns and 1 interception through 4 games. He also topped out at 324 passing yards against the Washington Commanders.
Last season, Burrow posted 250+ yards in 5 of his 10 starts. He also completed the ladder in a pair of those starts. Those were matchups against the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans, throwing for nearly 350 yards in both games.
Burrow gets an outstanding matchup against the Baltimore Ravens this weekend. They’re allowing the third-most passing yards (282.0) per game to opposing quarterbacks this season. The Ravens are also allowing the eighth-highest yards per attempt (7.6).
We’ve seen other quarterbacks find success against them, including Patrick Mahomes (291 yards), Gardner Minshew (276), and Dak Prescott (379). The Cincinnati Bengals are currently 2.5-point underdogs, meaning Burrow could be throwing from the start to the finish of this game.
What to Play: Joe Burrow 250+ passing yards through 325+ passing yards
Derrick Henry Rushing Yard Ladder
The Baltimore Ravens didn’t seem to know how to use Derrick Henry early in the season, but they quickly remedied that. He’s run for 480 yards and 5 touchdowns through 4 games. He’s also posted 150+ rushing yards in each of his last two games.
Henry saw only 13 carries in his first start with Baltimore. He followed that up with 18, 25, and 24 carries in the next three games. Clearly, they want to heavily feature him, and that’s their best chance of winning.
Henry gets a solid matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, who are allowing the eighth-most rushing yards (114.3) per game to opposing running backs. They’re also giving up nearly 4.5 yards per carry.
Lamar Jackson’s threat as a runner may be the key to Henry’s success in Baltimore. He’s always been an elite yards-after-contact specialist, but that hasn’t been overly necessary this season. He’s recorded 55.6% of his yards after contact in 2024, and that percentage was a ridiculous 79.7% in 2023.
The Ravens are favored to win this game, and I’m expecting them to rely heavily on their bruising running back once again.
What to Play: Derrick Henry 90+ rushing yards through 120+ rushing yards
Dontayvion Wicks Receiving Yards Ladder
I don’t have any idea what exactly is happening in Green Bay, but I know it’s good for Wicks. He’s seen somewhat of limited routes this season, posting 8 receptions for 104 yards and 3 touchdowns on 22 targets.
Wicks has left a ton of yards on the field with a trio of drops in 2024. That wasn’t a problem last season, as he ended the entire season with only 2 drops, and I don’t expect it to continue to be an issue moving forward.
Wicks ran 45 routes last week because of the injury to Christian Watson. He posted 5 receptions for 78 yards and 2 touchdowns on 13 targets. These targets are what’s most important, as it’s clear Jordan Love is going to go to him when he’s on the field.
Wicks gets a plus matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. They’re giving up 152.3 yards per game to opposing wide receivers. The Rams are also giving up a league-high 9.1 yards per attempt.
It looks like the Packers will be without Watson and Romeo Doubs in this game, clearing the way for Wicks to run a significant number of routes once again. I do have some concerns that Green Bay is going to lean heavily on the run, but their targets should be somewhat condensed a bit more between Jayden Reed and Wicks.
We could see a massive breakout for the young receiver.
What to Play: Dontayvion Wicks 60+ receiving yards through 120+ receiving yards
