Seahawks vs. Eagles: Wilson will run over Philadelphia on MNF

Monday Night Football sees a clash of two Division leaders – although that only paints half the picture. The Seahawks are 7-3 and went into the weekend on top of a red-hot NFC West, whereas the Eagles are 3-6-1 and somehow that was good enough to top a woeful NFC East at the start of Week 12.

Since coming off the bye in Week 9, the Eagles lost twice on the road to the Giants and the Browns, and Carson Wentz has thrown as many touchdowns as interceptions (14) on the season. The Seahawks, on the other hand, are coming off a win over the Cardinals and their only defeats this year have come against playoff chasing teams in the Cardinals, Bills, and Rams.

Here are the four best prop bets for Monday Night Football as we head to Philly.

Travis Fulgham receiving yards

I may sound like I’m on the next train to Crazy Town, but I’m willing to give Fulgham one more chance – and here’s why you should hop on board.

Yes, Wentz is a hindrance at QB, and yes Fulgham has only caught two passes in the last two weeks for a combined total of 16 yards. But there is reason to be positive.

Fulgham still leads the team in targets through those two weeks so the volume is there, plus the matchup couldn’t be any better. Teams throw to the receivers against the Seahawks more than any other team in the league, and on average receivers have racked up 259.7 yards per game against the Seahawks. That is a massive number.

Wentz may not be reliable, but that is a lot of yardage to be giving up per game to wide receivers, and given Fulgham’s target share this is set up to be a bounce-back week.

Pick: Over 50.5 receiving yards (-115)

Russell Wilson rushing yards

The line for Wilson’s passing yards (288.5) looks too hard to call, but there is value in what he can do with his dancing feet. Wilson threw just 28 times in Week 11 against the Cardinals, his lowest number of attempts since Week 2. The Seahawks seem happier to run rather than go through the air, particularly now their backs are healthy, but that goes for Wilson as well.

Wilson ran 23 times in five weeks before the bye, and in the five weeks since that number has jumped to 32, including 18 attempts in his last two games. In four of his last six games, Wilson has gone for at least 42 yards rushing, and now he gets to take off against Philly.

The Eagles have allowed 6.4 yards per carry to quarterbacks, which leads the NFL, and QBs have racked up a total of 322 yards against them this season rushing. That bodes well for Wilson, who could use his legs five or six times here easily, making this line too low.

Pick: Over 27.5 rushing yards (-110)

Miles Sanders rushing yards

Here is the list of players who have run for more than 65 yards against the Seahawks this season. Wait for it. Here it is…

Alexander Mattison and Kyler Murray.

Yup, that’s it. The Seahawks have allowed just 91.2 rushing yards against them per game this season – the third lowest in the NFL behind Tampa Bay and the Saints. Seattle has allowed just 3.7 yards per carry, which is one of the lowest in the league, and doesn’t inspire confidence in Sanders, especially as Doug Pederson has indicated he wants a committee in the backfield.

Pick: Under 64.5 rushing yards (-115)

Will Dissly receiving yards

Dissly has only been targeted 17 times this season, but has caught 14 of those targets for 163 yards, making the most of the opportunities that have come his way. With Greg Olsen on the shelf, Dissly’s role should increase in the Seahawks offence – a point he hammered home when playing 43 of the 66 snaps in Week 11.

The Eagles have allowed 7.4 yards per target to tight ends this year, and although Dissly has only seen more than two targets once this year (Week 7 at Arizona) his workload should be on the up.

While we’ve outlined how Seattle may look to run more in this game, Russell Wilson is still projected to throw for around 280 yards, and with Dissly playing such a high percentage of the snaps it makes sense that he could see four targets or more.

Pick: Over 22.5 receiving yards (-115)