We asked our Props analyst, Justin Bales, to come up with his best NFL ladder bets for Week 3’s main slate.
If you’re not familiar with this kind of play, don’t worry. We’ll break it down. 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 3 Main Slate Ladder Bets
We’ve done the research for you here and below we’ll dive into all of the rationale for these NFL ladder bets for Week 3.
Sam Darnold Passing Yards Ladder
Darnold’s quietly looked outstanding through two games with the Minnesota Vikings. He’s thrown for 476 yards with 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions on 50 pass attempts. He also wasn’t needed late in the game against the New York Giants, limiting his numbers in that contest.
Darnold gets a good matchup against the Houston Texans this week. They’re only allowing 193.0 passing yards per game this season, but that doesn’t tell the entire story. The Texans struggled last season, allowing the eighth-most passing yards (253.6) per game.
Houston’s played two favorable matchups this season, holding Anthony Ricardson and Caleb Williams to 212 and 174 yards, respectively. Richardson averaged 11.2 yards per attempt, though, and we know Williams is dealing with usual rookie struggles.
Darnold’s averaging a healthy 9.5 yards per attempt this season, and he’s coming off of a game with 268 yards against the San Francisco 49ers. I expect this matchup to be easier than that, and I still believe Minnesota is likely to have to throw for all four quarters.
This isn’t the same Sam Darnold as old, and he comes with 300+ passing yard upside.
Sam Darnold 250+ passing yards through 300+ passing yards
D’Andre Swift Rushing Yards Ladder
Swift’s looked awful early this season for the Chicago Bears, posting 48 yards on 24 carries. It isn’t his fault, though, as he has 49 yards after contact, which is incredible to think about. Essentially, he’s getting hit as soon as he touches the ball basically every play.
Although the Chicago line isn’t magically going to become elite, they do get a great matchup against the Indianapolis Colts this week. They’re allowing a league-high 175 rushing yards per game. The Colts also allowed the sixth-most rushing yards (103.9) per game last season.
Joe Mixon torched the Colts for 159 yards on the ground in Week 1. That was followed up by 151 yards by Josh Jacobs in Week 2. Those two backs received 30 and 32 carries, though.
Swift isn’t going to get the same workload as Mixon or Jacobs, but we could see Chicago focus more on the run if they can keep this game close. The veteran running back had 14 carries last week, and he could see 15-20 carries in this game.
We’re getting slightly too good of odds for the matchup.
D’Andre Swift 60+ rushing yards through 110+ rushing yards
Rashid Shaheed Receiving Yards Ladder
This feels a bit like chasing, but I believe Shaheed is a good player. He’s dominated this season, posting 7 receptions for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns on 9 targets. He’s only run 36 routes because of blowouts as well.
Shaheed is still a deep threat for the New Orleans Saints, and that’s his best attribute. That isn’t the only part of his game, though, as he’s found success in all zones early this season. He does own an 18.0 aDOT, though, to go along with 65 yards after the catch.
Shaheed gets a plus matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. They’re a team known for jumping routes and allowing big plays, giving a major edge to the speedster’s upside. The Eagles are allowing the third-most receiving yards (192.5) per game to wide receivers in 2024, and they allowed the second-most (183.8) in that category last season.
The Packers had three players with 19+ yard catches in Week 1 against Philadelphia. The Falcons followed that up with a trio of players recording 18+ yard catches against them last week.
The Saints offense is playing as well as anyone in the NFL, and Shaheed should continue to play a massive role for them.
Rashid Shaheed 50+ receiving yards through 110+ receiving yards