The LA Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders square off in primetime in what might be the least impactful primetime game of the entire season. Both teams are 5-8 heading into Week 15 and while they have not been officially eliminated from the playoffs, both teams have given up on their playoff dreams.
Justin Herbert is out for the season and the Chargers' tanking has commenced with Keenan Allen being ruled out of Thursday's game. Las Vegas also has a long list of questionable players as it too looks to potentially get a better draft pick.
There are not any stakes for this game as far as the playoffs are concerned but the game can still be a good betting opportunity. Knowing what we know about the Chargers, let's dive into the prop bets we would target for this game.
Best prop bets for Chargers-Raiders on Thursday Night Football:
All odds are via FanDuel Sportsbook.
1. Josh Palmers over 35.5 receiving yards (-110)
Easton Stick is making his first career start and is going to treat these final four weeks as an audition to be a long-term backup in the NFL. Unfortunately for Stick, his first career start will come without the Chargers' most reliable option in the passing game, Keenan Allen.
Stick and the Chargers offense is getting Josh Palmer back from a knee injury and his receiving total is way too low. Yes, Stick is under center and that is concerning, but Palmer is someone who can create quick separation and be the first read for Stick in the offense. His receiving yards may not reach huge numbers, but he will likely haul in 5+ catches in this game, making the 36-yard mark an obtainable one.
The Chargers still do not have a run game and Stick is going to be forced to throw at times. Expect Palmer to be his No. 1 target; 35.5 yards is way too low for a No. 1 target.
2. Aidan O'Connell over 195.5 passing yards (-110)
There were some mumblings that the Raiders would make a quarterback change for this game but it has since been reported that Aidan O'Connell is expected to start. O'Connell put together an awful game against the Chargers in his first career start and is going to look for revenge.
Josh Jacobs' health is a big question mark heading into this game so the Raiders may not be able to run the ball much. That is going to force O'Connell to throw, giving him plenty of chances to get over 195.5 passing yards.
This Chargers secondary has been bad all year and with Deane Leonard still out, the Raiders will have chances to throw. Davante Adams (if he plays) and Jakobi Meyers are simply too much for the Chargers to deal with.
O'Connell has hit the over on this passing total in four of his six starts, including his first start against the Bolts.
3. Easton Stick anytime TD scorer (+470)
The one thing that Easton Stick has going for him is his great athleticism. The Chargers didn't use much of that in the second half last week as Stick being in the game was more of a shock than anything.
With a few days to game plan, expect the Chargers to use Stick's legs more in the offense out of sheer necessity. More importantly for this bet, expect the Chargers to use Stick's legs down near the red zone on read options or even with a quarterback power play.
If there is one flier prop bet to make with high odds it is this one. If you want to be crazy, you could parlay these three props on FanDuel at +1429 odds.
Odds update periodically and are subject to change.