Keagan Smith details his top Ricky Pearsall player props for 49ers vs. Panthers on Monday Night Football in NFL Week 12.
On Week 12’s edition of Monday Night Football, the San Francisco 49ers welcome the Carolina Panthers to the Bay Area. These NFC teams are both above .500 and seeking playoff spots — thankfully for the Niners, they’re back at nearly full strength on offense as wideout Ricky Pearsall returned from injury last week. The second-year receiver brings a dynamic element to this offense, so could he be positioned to produce in primetime this evening?
Here are the best Ricky Pearsall prop bets for 49ers vs. Panthers on Monday Night Football in Week 12.
Best Ricky Pearsall prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
The 49ers selected Ricky Pearsall at the end of the first round last year, and while his rookie campaign was marred by recovery from a gunshot wound as well as soft-tissue injuries, he showed promise to close the season. Now in his second NFL campaign, the former Florida Gator got off to a hot start with two outings of 100+ receiving yards in his first four games before yet another injury left him sidelined. Now healthy, Pearsall returned to the field last week in an unimpressive showing with just one catch, but finds himself with the chance to get back into a rhythm beginning with tonight’s game.
The Panthers’ secondary is headlined by Jaycee Horn, one of the better cornerbacks in the NFC. However, the remainder of the unit isn’t as impressive. Carolina sits middle-of-the-pack in most defensive metrics against the pass at 16th in opponent passing yards per game and completion percentage as well as 23rd in yards per pass allowed. The Panthers have allowed the fifth-fewest passing touchdowns, but actually rank 28th in defensive EPA/pass as well.
The 49ers saw quarterback Brock Purdy make his own return last week, and he played quite well in that outing with a 73.1% completion rate, 200 yards and three touchdowns. While Pearsall didn’t command a high target share with just two looks, that was also a blowout game in which he was coming off an injury. In what should be a more competitive affair tonight, bettors can expect more opportunities for the shifty wideout.
DraftKings Sportsbook lists Pearsall’s prop bet lines at O/U 3.5 receptions and 43.5 receiving yards with a longest catch of 20.5 yards. His odds to score an anytime touchdown come in at +230.
Out of those options, I like Pearsall’s prop line on receiving yards. He’s a freak athlete and truly excels both after the catch and as a deep threat with the ability to create long gains out of thin air. He racked up at least 46 yards in all four of his appearances to start the campaign, putting him at an 80% hit rate with the one miss coming last week in the blowout. Pearsall also logged a longest reception of at least 15 yards in all four of those games, including a 31-yard gain or better in three outings. He may not command excessive target share with Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Jauan Jennings all on the field, but those guys may actually help the outlook for Pearsall as well. If the defense keys too much on any of the above, Pearsall could get open in the deep game or even house a checkdown with his after-the-catch ability.
Best Bet: Ricky Pearsall over 43.5 receiving yards (-115)
Click the odds of this bet to tail!
