3 best prop bets for Commanders vs Cowboys in Week 4 (Hammer Jahan Dotson)
By Jerry Trotta
The Washington Commanders will play the Dallas Cowboys on the road this weekend. Fans don’t have fond memories of playing at AT&T Stadium, as the Cowboys laid a 56-14 beatdown on Washington in Week 16 of last season.
It’s impossible to understate the importance of this game. Win and your season is suddenly back on track at 2-2 and you pick up a big division win that could loom large in playoff seeding down the road. Lose, and you fall to 1-3 and face an uphill climb just to get back to .500, let alone push for a playoff berth.
As of this writing, the Cowboys are favored by a field goal. We already gave our picks for the moneyline and spread, so let’s highlight some intriguing player prop bets that have our full attention for this NFC East showdown.
Best prop bets for Commanders vs Cowboys in Week 4
*Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
3. Ezekiel Elliott over 54.5 rushing yards (-114)
It’s painfully obvious that Tony Pollard is Dallas’ more explosive back, but rumors of Elliott’s demise were seemingly greatly exaggerated. While the veteran doesn’t have much acceleration at this stage in his career, he’s quietly averaging 4.5 yards per carry, 115 of his 178 rushing yards have come after contact.
Pollard’s starting to eat into Elliott’s workload, but Zeke has 15 rushing attempts in back-to-back games and the Cowboys’ offensive line is starting to figure it out and Jason Peters should only get more snaps after a strong Week 3 debut.
Look for Dallas to try and set the tone in this divisional game by feeding Elliott. The Commanders rank in the bottom third in the league in rushing defense, so 55 rushing yards is more than doable for the three-time Pro Bowler.
2. Jahan Dotson anytime TD scorer (+300)
Dotson hasn’t had a consistent role in the Commanders offense, but that hasn’t stopped him from coming up big in the red zone. In three games, the budding first-round pick has nine receptions for 109 yards and three touchdowns, meaning he’s finding the end zone every three catches. Just an absurd (probably not sustainable) rate.
With that said, we like Dotson to find the end zone again on Sunday after his quiet Week 3 when he had just 2 catches for 10 yards, including an uncharacteristic drop, on eight targets. Don’t expect Dotson to erupt on the box score — Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel will continue to carry the load in that regard — but if the rookie finds himself in a 1-v-1 situation near the goal line chances are he’ll wiggle free.
At +300 odds, you can win $300 by placing a $100 bet.
1. Terry McLaurin over 53.5 receiving yards (-114)
If the Commanders don’t get McLaurin involved early against the Cowboys, it might be time to start asking questions about Scott Turner. Through three games, McLaurin’s managed one catch for nine yards on six targets in the first half.
That’s 90 minutes of football and one catch to show for it for one of the most polished receivers in the game who signed a $70 million extension this summer. That makes Washington’s usage of McLaurin so maddening. They gave him a monster contract and he’s been an afterthought in the first half of games.
Shouldn’t you want to get the ball into the hands of your best offensive players? Curtis Samuel’s emergence aside, it’s time for the Commanders to make McLaurin a focal point. What better time than against polarizing corer Trevon Diggs?
Look for a BIG game from Scary Terry this weekend.
