Three player props to add to your Week 2 bankroll

We’ve been on a roll with our player props after cashing two of three in the Thursday night game. Here are three of our favorite plays at BetMGM ahead of the Sunday matchup between the division rival Packers and Bears:

Justin Fields longest completion Under 32.5 yards (-115)

Fields cleared this total with ease on a 51-yard touchdown pass last week in a win over the 49ers, aided by the monsoon-like conditions at Soldier Field. I don’t expect such good fortune for the developing Bears passer in this one.

That one throw accounted for 42.1 percent of Fields’ total passing yardage (121) last Sunday, which is more indicative of what we’ve come to expect from the former Ohio State star. He simply hasn’t had the confidence — nor the weapons, nor the protection — to prove himself as a downfield passer to this point in his career. He completed a pass of at least 30 yards in just three of 12 games a year ago, and that 51-yard throw last week was his only completion longer than 22 yards in the entire game.

The Packers’ defense was shredded last week in Kevin O’Connell’s head-coaching debut with the Vikings, which doubled as a showcase for two-time All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson. With respect to rising star Darnell Mooney, who had just one catch last week, there are simply no “Jeffersons” on this Bears receiving corps — which will make it tough for Fields to score a big play on Sunday.

Aaron Jones receiving yards Over 31.5 (-115)

After his cast of unproven receivers let him down in a big way in Week 1, Aaron Rodgers needs a go-to target in this key divisional clash. I expect that to be Jones, who is blurring the lines between rusher and receiver in this Green Bay offense.

The 5-foot-9 back has long been an underutilized weapon in the passing game, as we saw with his 129-yard outburst in the postseason last year, and we’re already seeing his role shift just one game into the season. His five rushes last week were tied for his fewest in a game since 2018, when he left a game early after playing just 10 percent of the snaps, yet his Week 1 snap share (61 percent) was his second-highest since Week 9 of last season.

Clearly, the Packers see value in having Jones on the field. He finished with 27 receiving yards in the loss last week, and with A.J. Dillon assuming a larger role in the run game, Green Bay will surely find creative ways to get the ball into their best playmaker’s hands in a game it simply can’t afford to lose.

A.J. Dillon to score a touchdown (-115)

Speaking of Dillon, the third-year back has seemingly wrestled away the lead back role in Green Bay, which should pay massive dividends for his scoring potential this week and beyond.

Betting on the NFL?

We highlighted Dillon as a sleeper pick to lead the league in rushing touchdowns before the season, and he’s already responsible for the Packers’ only touchdown of the season thus far. That shouldn’t come as a surprise: Dillon led this team in rushing touchdowns (five) in 2021 and was tied for the 11th-most red-zone carries (39) across the entire league, which also led the team.

He was one of nine players last week with multiple carries inside the 5-yard line and was the only Packer to tote the rock in that spot, further cementing him as Matt LaFleur’s choice near the goal line.

That’s a fruitful role for an offense that ranked fifth in red-zone drives per game (4.1) a season ago and should see plenty of scoring opportunities in this one.