49ers vs Giants Best Anytime TD Scorer: 2 Player Prop Picks for TNF

Last Thursday, we hit two of our three touchdown bets. Let’s continue that Thursday Night Football success!

Here is a look at the NFL betting lines to get things rolling in Week 3. The weather in Santa Clara looks perfect on Thursday night, so these offenses shouldn’t be limited. The current NFL odds for Week 3 have the total for this showdown at 44½ points.

The Giants’ season looked completely lost heading into halftime in Week 2 as they were held scoreless through the first six quarters of football. They came out at halftime and looked like a Super Bowl contender against Arizona. Extremely strange, and uncertainty abounds, especially with running back Saquon Barkley ruled out for Thursday night.

The Giants could be in trouble in Week 3 as they come into Thursday night’s matchup as 10½-point underdogs on a short week. Without Barkley, there is no telling who will step up against this tough 49ers defense. Tight end Darren Waller comes to mind right away, but San Francisco’s defense has been the best in the NFL defending tight ends for the past few seasons.

The Giants’ team total is set at a lowly 17 points, and even as a fan of Big Blue, I have to lean to the under.

If you are new here, you’ll need to know that I will always play this game smart. We’re not going to shoot blindly and throw noodles at the wall to see if they stick just because a player’s odds are long to score. The research I’ve done will always back up the reasoning behind my touchdown scorer picks and NFL game predictions.

I’ve narrowed down the best options for anytime touchdown scorers for you here on Thursday Night Football. Let’s get to the best anytime touchdown picks for the San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Giants. Best of luck if you tail!

49ers vs Giants Best Anytime TD Scorer Bets

• George Kittle +150

There’s an alternate timeline where this ball tips off of George Kittle and Young gets an easy fumble recovery.

Watching the film just reminded me that SF got every bounce in this game to go their way. pic.twitter.com/67GAM77NCp

— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) September 20, 2023

The Giants’ defense has struggled so far in 2023. The biggest worry is they are starting two rookies at cornerback, Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins III. They have allowed the second most throws to first reads (76.8%) and have been picked apart in the middle areas. Kittle has yet to be utilized much, but we expect that to change in Week 3.

Brandon Aiyuk is banged up and, at the time of writing, is questionable to suit up on Thursday night. Deebo Samuel and, if healthy, Aiyuk can take advantage of the rookies on the perimeter but there’s little value in their odds. The Giants allowed Cardinals tight ends to reel in eight catches for 88 yards last week, and if Jake Ferguson didn’t drop a walk-in score in Week 1, our perspective of the Giants defending tight ends might look even worse.

Last season, the Giants were bottom-10 in receptions and yards allowed to opposing tight ends. Kittle scored in four of six regular-season games with Purdy under center. Purdy had thrown multiple touchdowns in every regular season-start since he took the reins of the 49ers offense until his donut last week against the Rams.

It also doesn’t hurt that Kittle has had some big Thursday night games, scoring in three of his last four games on TNF.

• Elijah Mitchell +200

Mitchell hasn’t had many opportunities through the first two weeks. The most significant reason I like Mitchell on Thursday night is because it is a short week. Christian McCaffery has dominated opportunities, and head coach Kyle Shanahan has leaned heavily on the run in the Niners two victories.

CMC leads the NFL with 42 carries, so we should expect to see more of Mitchell on the short week. McCaffery currently has the lowest odds of any player over the last few seasons to score a touchdown at -200. He’s +150 to score twice, so betting this number on Mitchell feels much better.

The Giants’ defense leads the league in explosive run percentage allowed, and we can expect Mitchell to receive his most work yet on the season. As 10½-point favorites, if it does become a blowout in favor of San Fran, Mitchell will likely see opportunities in garbage time.

49ers vs Giants Best Anytime TD Scorer Bets

• George Kittle +150

• Elijah Mitchell +200