Miles Sanders Super Bowl Player Props: Target First Half Rushing Total
Pictured: Miles Sanders. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
Miles Sanders First-Half Rushing Yards
| Prop | Miles Sanders Over 26.5 First Half Rushing Yards (-125) |
| Matchup | Chiefs vs. Eagles |
| Time | Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET |
| Best Book | DraftKings |
Miles Sanders is clearly one of the most popular players to bet on this weekend. His line for rushing yards opened at 54.5 and has since moved to 61.5 at most sportsbooks. While I lean to the over, I'll pivot to a similar angle that is less dependent on game script.
The Eagles' lead running back ran for an average of 28.3 yards in 17 first halves during the regular season. Despite being in a crowded backfield, it's clear that Sanders gets priority when it matters most. Sanders cashed this prop in 10 of the 11 games where he tallied at least six carries in the first half.
Sanders' utilization in the playoffs makes me believe he will continue to be heavily involved. In both of the Eagles' wins, Sanders ran the ball at least 11 times before halftime. In the NFC Championship Game, Sanders saw 13 of the 18 Eagles running back touches (carries and targets) in the first half before the game got out of hand against the 49ers.
The Chiefs allowed the fewest running back rush attempts this season, but that stat is very misleading. Not counting the Bengals, who were missing three starting offensive linemen in the playoffs, the Chiefs have only played three games against teams with a top-10 rush offense, according to Football Outsiders.
Here's a look at how those three rush offenses fared in the first halves: Samaje Perine had seven attempts for 37 yards for Cincinnati; Buffalo's Devin Singletary had nine attempts for 78 rush yards; and Christian McCaffrey had five attempts for 38 yards for the 49ers.
The Eagles' strength has always been running the ball as they rank No. 1 in Football Outsiders' Rush DVOA. Philadelphia should lean on the ground game and establish the run to prevent Patrick Mahomes from being on the field.
In a must-win game, the Eagles should depend on their lead back to carry the workload early. I confidently see Sanders getting at least six or seven opportunities to carry the ball before halftime.
I would bet this prop up to 28.5 and am putting 1.5 units on it.
You can find this prop under Rush/Rec Props on DraftKings' game page. You’ll have to scroll down pretty far to find it, but it’s worth your time.
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