We’re putting a lid on NFL Week 16 with this Monday Night Football matchup between the San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts. The 49ers are listed as 5.5-point favorites, while the total is currently at 46.5 points.
Both teams still have roads to the playoffs, but for the Colts, it’s put-up or shut-up time. Going into this week’s slate, Indianapolis was already on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, making tonight’s game a must-win.
In this article, I have identified three players that bring an enormous amount of value into this matchup. We’ve got a little bit of a tight-end theme here, as George Kittle and Tyler Warren both find themselves in great spots to make a difference, and Philip Rivers should have some statistical success in one aspect chucking the rock around tonight.
Without further ado, let’s dive into these three best bets for the 49ers at Colts matchup tonight on Monday Night Football!
Philip Rivers: Over 17.5 Completions (-125)
We all know that Rivers doesn’t have a cannon of an arm, but he will likely be asked to throw quite a bit tonight since the Colts are 5.5-point underdogs. Last week against the Seahawks, Rivers had 18 completions against a very strong defensive unit — and that was with 4-5 days to prepare!
The 49ers are allowing the fourth-most completions (23.6), and they have allowed 11 of 14 starting QBs to complete 18+ passes this season. All of those misnomers had 16 or 17 completions. This will be a great spot for the aging Rivers to finally get some rhythm, and the heightened sense of urgency should be all we need to get over the mark here tonight.
George Kittle: Over 63.5 Receiving Yards (-115)
This number opened at 59.5 for Kittle, so that big of an increase usually means we’re barking up the right tree. The opportunities should certainly be there for the physically-imposing TE, considering he’s seen 9+ targets in three of his last five games.
Indy has been torched by opposing TEs this season, allowing the fifth-most receiving yards per game (66.3), and sixth-most receptions (6.1) and targets (8.6) to the position. It’s all setting up nicely for Kittle, who has notched 67+ receiving yards in each of his last five games.
Tyler Warren: Anytime Touchdown (+265)
Warren’s six targets led the Colts last week, and you could see that one coming a mile away. As we all know, Rivers has never had a cannon for an arm, and it ain’t getting any stronger here at 44 years of age.
San Fran has allowed nine TDs (fourth-most in the NFL) and 18 red zone targets (seven-most) to the TE position this season. No matter who is playing QB, Warren has now been targeted six times in five of the last six games, so I imagine he’ll get a ton of looks again – and maybe even a drawn-up play for him into the end zone. We can only hope!
Related Posts
