Cowboys vs. Eagles Player Props: Best Prop Bets For NFC East Showdown

The NFL is back with a must-see Week 1 curtain-raiser between NFC East rivals Dallas and Philadelphia.

The Eagles are unsurprisingly heavily favored. But the good news is that even if this game ends up being as one-sided as oddsmakers expect, there will be plenty of intriguing angles, especially in terms of player props.

Between Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia is loaded with tempting options, and the Cowboys boast a couple of stars of their own.

Remember, while Dallas struggled in 2024, especially after Dak Prescott went out for the year, this team averaged a league-leading 29.9 points per game with Prescott healthy in 2023.

Now, without further ado, let’s dive into the best Cowboys vs. Eagles player prop bets.

G. Pickens o4.5 Receptions (+130 at FD)

Stake: 1 unit

Last year in Pittsburgh, George Pickens caught passes from Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. He was the Steelers’ clear top receiver ahead of Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson.

Pickens now has a much better supporting cast, including superstar CeeDee Lamb, tight end Jake Ferguson and three-time Pro Bowler Dak Prescott.

Despite far-from-ideal conditions for a No. 1 receiver last year (with all due respect to Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, Austin and Jefferson), Pickens hauled in 59 receptions in 14 games, for an average of 4.2 catches per game. He cleared this prop (5 or more catches) in just six of 14 games.

But it’s worth noting that Pickens drew 7 targets or more in 10-of-14 games in his final season as a Steeler. His catch rate (receptions divided by targets) for the year was just 57.3 percent, though.

In 2023, Prescott’s last healthy season, his top four targets posted catch rates of 74.6 percent on 181 targets (Lamb), 69.6 percent on 102 targets (Ferguson), 66.7 percent on 81 targets (WR Brandin Cooks) and 82.1 percent on 67 targets (RB Tony Pollard).

You can credit Lamb’s absurd catch rate to his incredible ability to get open. Still, there’s no denying that Prescott’s ability to reliably complete passes to all of his top targets bodes well for Pickens in Week 1 and beyond.

Pickens also projects to have a matchup that he can exploit tonight. With second-year Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell likely battling Lamb, that should leave Pickens in a battle with Adoree’ Jackson. The former first-round pick back in 2017 joined Philly on a one-year deal this offseason, and he enters the 2025 campaign as one of his new team’s biggest question marks.

For what it’s worth, Yahoo Fantasy projects Pickens to have 4.9 catches on 9 targets tonight, while ESPN projects him to have 5 catches on 8 targets.

The other reason to like Pickens to have a big night is the high likelihood that Dallas, which is getting 8.5 points on the spread, will be playing from behind (and airing it out).

Pickens Longest Rec. o22.5 Yards (-110 at DK)

Stake: 1 unit

Obviously, there are plenty of other quality options to choose from in this matchup, but I’m sticking with Pickens for my second prop of this game.

Saquon Barkley, for example, was a machine last year, but will the Cowboys dare Philly to make someone else beat them?

And Jalen Hurts is always a great ATTD bet inside the red zone, but at prices like -150 (DK), he’s easy to resist in favor of alternatives that are available at even-money or longer odds.

So, let’s stick with Pickens, who had a long reception of at least 27 yards in 12 of 14 games last year. In fact, Pickens’ longest catch in a game went for less than 30 yards just three times last year. Though he’ll suffer from not being his team’s only downfield threat, he’ll also face a lot more single-coverage.

With that in mind, not only he is a safe bet to record at least one reception of over 22.5 yards, but he’s also worth a small 🪜 play, like a half-unit, at +185 (bet365) to have a longest reception of 30 yards or more tonight.

Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through any links in this article. See the sportsbook operator’s terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.