Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season opens with Thursday Night Football featuring the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Chargers on October 23. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on Prime Video.
Our player props for the Thursday Night Football game target Oronde Gadsden, Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen and T.J. Hockenson.
Let's dive into my Vikings vs Chargers player props for Thursday Night Football.
Vikings vs Chargers Player Props
- Oronde Gadsden Over 40.5 Receiving Yards (-120; Fanatics)
- Justin Herbert Over 252.5 Passing Yards (-113; DraftKings)
- Keenan Allen Anytime Touchdown (+165; Hard Rock)
- TJ Hockenson Anytime Touchdown (+275; Hard Rock)
Vikings vs Chargers Prop Picks, Preview
Oronde Gadsden Over 40.5 Receiving Yards (-120)
The Vikings have been fairly strong against tight ends this season, but despite that, we’re going to take Oronde Gadsden to go over 40.5 receiving yards.
The rookie was drafted in the fifth round of this year’s NFL Draft from Syracuse and has exploded onto the scene in recent weeks. Despite not playing in the first two games of the season, Gadsden has worked his way into being a key part of Chargers offense and has overtaken veterans Will Dissly and Tyler Conklin.
Gadsden's averaged 61.6 receiving yards per game this season and has gone over 40.5 receiving yards in three of five games so far.
What’s really stood out has been the volume he’s been getting, with seven or more targets in three of five games, including the previous two games, in which he’s had a total of 14 catches on 17 targets for 232 yards.
Gadsden's not going to rack up 164 yards like he did against the Colts, but he’s still going to get the volume necessary to cover.
Pick: Oronde Gadsden Over 40.5 Receiving Yards (-120; Fanatics)
Justin Herbert Over 252.5 Passing Yards (-113)
Justin Herbert has covered this line in four of seven games this season, including the previous two games. The Chargers offense really struggled on the ground last week, which isn’t a surprise with Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris sidelined.
Kimani Vidal is the Chargers' de-facto RB1 right now, but he was really poor against the Colts, rushing for just 20 yards on nine carries and managing fewer rushing yards than Herbert.
With the passing game showing real signs of success, the Chargers will likely to lean on it again, especially when you factor in that the Vikings defense has shown real signs of improvement in recent weeks. They held the Eagles to just 45 rushing yards on Sunday and will be hoping to lock down Vidal, which will leave them open to the Chargers' passing game.
Pick: Justin Herbert Over 252.5 Passing Yards (-113; DraftKings)
Keenan Allen Anytime Touchdown (+165)
It’s been great seeing Keenan Allen back in a Chargers uniform, and he’s returned the faith that the team put in him by finding the end zone four times in the first seven weeks of the season.
We’re backing him to find the end zone once more on Thursday Night Football, and not just because he’s entering this game following a season-high 14 targets and 119 yards.
The reason to back Allen is simple. At this point of the season, he is tied for second in the NFL — alongside Amon-Ra St Brown — for the most red-zone targets.
Allen's had a generous 12 targets in seven games, but caught just five of those and has yet to score a touchdown from any of them.
We’re due to see some positive regression from Allen in the red zone.
Pick: Keenan Allen Anytime Touchdown (+165; Hard Rock)
T.J. Hockenson Anytime Touchdown (+275)
We’re going for a second anytime touchdown scorer in this game, but this time it’s on the other sideline, with T.J. Hockenson offering real value at big odds to score.
The Vikings' big tight end has only registered one touchdown this season, but we should see that number rise. The Chargers have given up four touchdowns in seven games to tight ends, including one to Tyler Warren of the Colts last week.
Hockenson's averaging a red-zone target per game for the Vikings and is level with teammate Justin Jefferson in targets this season.
Hockenson's the big-bodied pass-catcher that the team looks for when they’re inside the 20, and given the Chargers' weakness defending the position, he’s the value play to score.
Pick: TJ Hockenson Anytime Touchdown (+275)
Vikings vs Chargers Prop Bets
- Oronde Gadsden Over 40.5 Receiving Yards (-120; Fanatics)
- Justin Herbert Over 252.5 Passing Yards (-113; DraftKings)
- Keenan Allen Anytime Touchdown (+165; Hard Rock)
- TJ Hockenson Anytime Touchdown (+275; Hard Rock)
