Ask and ye shall receive ... Super Bowl props

We know the Super Bowl isn't until Sunday, but we need to start digging into the board together. We'll give our betting thoughts on the winner tomorrow; today is all about player props.

Catch these receiving props

JuJu Smith-Schuster under 3.5 receptions (-111 Caesars)

We begin our prop looks with an under of all things! There's plenty of merit behind fading JuJu Smith-Schuster's receptions. The most prominent is a simple look at his offensive involvement of late.

Smith-Schuster has gone under this 3.5 total in five straight games and eight of his last 10. Not only is he not catching the football, but he's barely seeing the ball. Over his past five games, Smith-Schuster is averaging just 2.4 targets per game. Hear us out: it is really hard to catch four balls when you're only getting thrown to 2.4 times per game. Trust us on that one.

Naturally, you may think that the injury to Mecole Hardman will open up more looks for Smith-Schuster, and we thought so too. Then we looked at his game log with Hardman out of the lineup, and he's under 3.5 catches in seven of the nine Hardman-less games this season.

Factor in that Philly has two elite corners and yielded the eight-fewest receptions to WRs this season, and we don't see how Smith-Schuster hits this number.

DeVonta Smith over 5.5 receptions (+102 FanDuel)

On the flip side, we do love us some Eagles completions in this game, and the value on DeVonta Smith is too good to pass up. Kansas City is the inverse of Philly's defense, they allowed the eighth-most receptions to wide receivers this year.

That should aid Smith here as he looks to get to six catches, a total he has hit in four of his last five games. Smith is leading the Eagles in targets over the past 10, seeing 9.2 per game from Jalen Hurts. Volume is the name of the game with a prop like this, and we're encouraged by how often he sees the ball. Smith works all levels of the field and is sure to be a focal point of the Philadelphia game plan on Sunday. While we wouldn't recommend putting too much stock into the Eagles-Chiefs game from 2021, we will note here that Smith had himself quite the game, recording seven catches for 122 yards.

Betting on tight end touchdowns

Travis Kelce (-114 Caesars)

Our analysis here is incredibly simple. Travis Kelce is Patrick Mahomes' best weapon and it isn't close. Kelce has six touchdowns in his last five playoff games and has found the end zone 15 times in 17 postseason games. He's sure to find targets and we're confident he makes a play or two in this one.

Dallas Goedert (+175 FanDuel)

Why not bet on both stud tight ends to score? Make no mistake, Dallas Goedert is a great TE. We're not saying he's on Travis Kelce's level, but he's shown to be a reliable target in this offense who can make tough contested catches or break off big gains.

He's seen four red-zone targets this postseason compared to AJ Brown and Smith's two total between them. When they're in close, expect Hurts to look Goedert's way, and in a game that has an over/under at 51 points, there's an expectation that touchdowns are coming. This price is a solid grab.

In the news ...

Kevin Durant traded to Phoenix — In a blockbuster late-night trade, the Phoenix Suns have acquired Kevin Durant from Brooklyn in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and four first-round picks. Durant is one of the best players we can remember being moved at the deadline, and while he's nursing a knee injury, he's expected to return to the court soon. Durant's addition skyrocketed Phoenix to the top of the futures board in the West. The Suns are now the favorites to win the conference at +230 and their title odds are second only to Boston, currently +425.

Three-team trade sees D'Angelo Russell return to the Lakers, Russell Westbrook to Jazz — The big news out of the NBA world Wednesday (prior to the Durant trade) was a three-team trade headlined by Minnesota sending guard D'Angelo Russell to the Lakers. Russell Westbrook was moved to Utah in the deal, but expect him to be bought out before finding himself a contender to join. Mike Conley was dealt to Minnesota from the Jazz to round out the main three pieces of a big trade. The Lakers are currently +2500 to win the West and two games back from the No. 10 seed.

Waste Management Open tees off today — One of the more memorable PGA tournaments of the season teed off this morning in Phoenix, mostly thanks to the rambunctious crowd awaiting the field. The course breakdowns we've read suggest the course favors those with great drives, and Tom Kim is a name we're seeing make its rounds through the golfing community. Kim ranks second in the PGA this season in strokes gained from tee to green, and he's fresh off a T-6 performance in the American Express. Kim has four top-10 finishes in seven events this year, and we'll be backing him to place inside the top 10 again at +275 on DK. Sure, we'll sprinkle on him winning it all at +2800 too.

Potential suitor emerges for Derek Carr — Since being benched at the tail end of this season, it's been clear that Derek Carr's time as a Raider is finished. According to Ian Rapoport, we have ourselves a front-runner to land the 31-year-old Pro Bowl quarterback: New Orleans. Carr has a no-trade clause and three years remaining in his contract, and if he isn't moved by Feb. 15, Las Vegas is likely to release him rather than guarantee the next portion of his salary. Keep an eye on the Saints.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll