The NFL Week 17 Christmas Day slate concludes with Thursday Night Football featuring the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs on December 25. Kickoff from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium is set for 8:15 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on Amazon Prime.
Our player props for this Thursday Night Football game target RJ Harvey, Chris Oladokun, Isiah Pacheco and Travis Kelce.
Let's dive into my Broncos vs Chiefs player props for Thursday Night Football on Christmas Day.
Broncos vs Chiefs Player Props
- RJ Harvey Over 49.5 Rushing Yards (-110 at BetMGM)
- Chris Oladokun Over 147.5 Passing Yards (-114 at BetRivers)
- Isiah Pacheco Under 37.5 Rushing Yards (-113 at Caesars)
- Travis Kelce Anytime Touchdown (+450 at Hard Rock)
Broncos vs Chiefs Prop Picks, Preview
RJ Harvey Over 49.5 Rushing Yards (-110)
The Broncos might have lost to the Jags last week with RJ Harvey only having seven carries, but he still had a strong performance.
Harvey broke off some big plays and ended up with an average of 7.1 yards per carry. The Chiefs are middle of the pack against the run, but it seems likely that Harvey will get a lot of work.
The Broncos are big favorites (-13.5 on the spread), and if they build up a lead, then we’re going to see them lean on the ground game to eat the clock.
With Harvey getting 36 carries in the two weeks before the Jags game, he’s likely to get a heavy workload. Given he’s averaging four yards per carry this season, he should be able to convert carries into enough yards to cover.
Pick: RJ Harvey Over 49.5 Rushing Yards (-110)
Chris Oladokun Over 147.5 Passing Yards (-114)
Make no mistake, this isn’t a vote of confidence in Chris Oladokun, but more a vote in the Broncos' strong rush defense.
The Broncos have given up just 90.2 rushing yards per game, the second fewest in the NFL — and with none of the Chiefs’ running backs looking that impressive this season, we will see them struggle.
With the ground game struggling and the Chiefs likely to be playing from behind, it’s going to mean that Oladokun will be given every chance to succeed and cover what is a very low passing yards line in this one.
Pick: Chris Oladokun Over 147.5 Passing Yards (-114)
Isiah Pacheco Under 37.5 Rushing Yards (-113)
Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen Isiah Pacheco lead the Chiefs backfield in carries, but he’s been largely unimpressive. This is still a two-headed backfield and Kareem Hunt still feels like the most reliable running back in the end zone.
With the Broncos' formidable run defense, we’re going to see either Chiefs running back struggle and therefore a greater chance of Andy Reid giving both guys a shot.
Pacheco has only had 38 or more rushing yards in four games this season and averaged just 35.8 across the year, so what gives us any confidence that he’d break that line against such a good defense?
Pick: Isiah Pacheco Under 37.5 Rushing Yards (-113)
Travis Kelce Anytime Touchdown (+450)
Rashee Rice is questionable for this game, meaning that Oladokun will be without his best pass-catcher.
That’s surely going to mean more targets for Travis Kelce, who, despite his decline, is still a dangerous threat in the red zone. The future Hall of Famer has five touchdowns on the season and is second on the Chiefs in red-zone targets.
It's worth noting this might well be Kelce’s final game at Arrowhead. With injuries racking up and a backup quarterback in action, could Reid feed Kelce the ball enough to get him one final touchdown in front of the home fans?
At those odds, I’m keen to test the theory.
Pick: Travis Kelce Anytime Touchdown (+450)
Editor's Note: A parlay of these props is not the author's formal recommendation. These picks have value as straight bets.
Broncos vs Chiefs Player Prop Bets
- RJ Harvey Over 49.5 Rushing Yards (-110 at BetMGM)
- Chris Oladokun Over 147.5 Passing Yards (-114 at BetRivers)
- Isiah Pacheco Under 37.5 Rushing Yards (-113 at Caesars)
- Travis Kelce Anytime Touchdown (+450 at Hard Rock)
