3 best Detroit Lions bets for Week 14 vs. Minnesota Vikings

Heading into Sunday’s slate of NFL action, here are three best bets for the Detroit Lions against the Minnesota Vikings.

Before getting into Week 14’s best bets for the Detroit Lions, let’s look at how Week 13’s bets did (odds as of when post was published, and may have changed).

WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Over 6.5 receptions (-150, DraftKings; -158, FanDuel): 11 receptions
WR DJ Chark, Anytime touchdown (+310, FanDuel; +240, DraftKings): No touchdown
QB Jared Goff, 250-plus passing yards (+102, FanDuel): 340 passing yards

In Week 14 the 5-7 Lions face the 10-2 Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit is posted as a narrow favorite. Head coach Dan Campbell was open about how the Lions’ 28-24 Week 3 loss to the Vikings has impacted him.

Minnesota can clinch the NFC North with a win or a tie on Sunday, and a loss to drop to 5-8 would hurt the Lions’ playoffs odds.

Via the sportsbook as noted, here are three best bets for the Lions against the Vikings in Week 14.

3 best bets for Detroit Lions vs. Vikings Week 14

RB D’Andre Swift best bets

Over 63.5 total yards (-114, FanDuel, -115, DraftKings)
Over 3.5 receptions (+116, FanDuel; +115, DraftKings)
Anytime touchdown (-120, DraftKings; -110, FanDuel)

I’m tripling down and going all-in on Swift this week. He re-emerged on Wednesday’s practice report with an ankle injury, but he has no injury designation for the game Sunday.

The Vikings have allowed the sixth-most receptions to running backs this season (73, 6.1 per game). As the Lions’ pass-catching back to the almost total exclusion of Jamaal Williams, giving Swift a 3.5 reception over/under at plus-money begs for over bets that’ll take profit. Over their last three games, four running backs have had at least five catches against Minnesota.

In three straight games, an opposing running back has put up over 100 total yards against the Vikings (Tony Pollard, Rhamondre Stevenson, Zonovan Knight). All three had at least five receptions, and two (Pollard and Stevenson) topped 75 receiving yards.

Swift has scored one way or the other in six of his nine games this season, and he’s had close calls where he almost scored a couple other times.

A build-your-own parlay is in play here, for those who want to get a little aggressive. But what amounts to four catches, 64 total yards and a touchdown of some sort, separately or together, feel like solid bets for Swift this week.

Note: Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.