Risk-accepting NFL bettors made a killing in Week 3 as a horde of long-odds players found their way past the pylons and into sportsbooks’ reserves.
According to the Covers database, the most unlikely offensive touchdown scorer who found the end zone in Week 3 was Pittsburgh Steelers WR Ben Skowronek (+2,200).
- Skowronek was the only player with odds longer than +2,000 odds to score a touchdown.
- Two defenses and a special teams unit found the end zone.
- Nine of the public’s 10 most popular touchdown picks cashed.
From John Metchie III to Foster Moreau, anytime touchdown parlays are a hot commodity for NFL bettors.
These long-odds tickets offer bettors the chance to turn small risks into massive payouts if players can simply “do their jobs.” And while many of these tickets lose and are completely forgotten, this week belonged to the long shots.
At least six touchdown scorers on Sunday had odds of +1,100 or longer. That includes the darkest dark horse, Skowronek (+2,200), who only had a 4.4% implied chance of putting points on the board for his team. A single $10 wager on Skowronek as an anytime touchdown scorer would’ve paid $230.
There was a close race behind Skowronek for the most profitable touchdown of the weekend. Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Cody White — who scored three touchdowns in three total receptions this season — finished ahead of his competitors at +1,700 odds.
Washington Commanders wide receiver Treylon Burks and Denver Broncos tight end Nate Adkins were both close behind at +1,600 odds. Seattle Seahawks tight end Eric Saubert (+1,400) also caught a pass he then fumbled and recovered in the end zone, while Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper was the sixth and final offensive player with odds in the four-digit range.
An utterly improbable six-leg anytime touchdown parlay on these players at +2153627900 odds would’ve paid the following amounts:
- $1: $21,536,279
- $10: $215,362,790
- $20: $430,725,580
- $50: $1,076,813,950
- $100: $2,153,627,900
In addition to unlikely offensive players, the Commanders’ and Broncos’ defenses and the Minnesota Vikings’ special teams units also scored touchdowns through Kain Medrano, Talanoa Hufanga, and Myles Price, respectively.
One Caesars bettor took the longshot luck to the first touchdown scorer market, winning $10,000 from a $2 wager on:
- Kenyon Sadiq First TD Scorer (+2300)
- Harold Fannin Jr. First TD Scorer (+1300)
- Juwan Johnson First TD Scorer (+1400)
Public still finds the money
Sports are all about excitement, and there’s rarely anything as exciting as watching a player on your favorite team scoring a touchdown when they weren’t even supposed to see the field.
While long shot tickets proved to be extremely valuable over the weekend, public bettors still made out with a killing with player prop bets.
“It was a dream Sunday for Player Prop bettors, as nearly every popular touchdown selection delivered,” said Joey Feazel, Head of Football at Caesars Sportsbook. “Nine of the 10 most-backed players found the end zone, turning touchdown parlays into a steady stream of winning tickets. Jonathan Taylor was the lone star player who missed the party, preventing what would have been a clean sweep for bettors.”
The full list of the public’s favorite touchdown scorers included:
- Kenneth Walker III (-190; Win)
- Derrick Henry (-250; Win)
- Bijan Robinson (-150; Win)
- Jahmyr Gibbs (-275; Win)
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba (+105; Win)
- James Cook (-160; Win)
- Christian McCaffrey (-240; Win)
- Jonathan Taylor (-160; Loss)
- Josh Allen (-130; Win)
- Amon-Ra St. Brown (-140; Win)
A nine-leg ticket with every successful touchdown scorer at these odds would’ve resulted in +6,851 parlay odds and $68.70 for every $1 wagered.
