Dan Johnson breaks down his top player prop bets for Sunday’s Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers game on NFL Week 2.
An AFC showdown in Cincinnati promises fireworks as the Jaguars take on the Bengals. Both teams feature explosive passing games led by former No. 1 overall pick quarterbacks, and the total is set near 49.5 points, signaling a potential shootout. With plenty of offensive talent on the field, two player props in particular offer a significant edge given matchup trends and situational angles.
Here are my favorite player props for this Week 2 NFL game between the Cardinals and the Panthers.
Bryce Young o0.5 interceptions (-110)
After a quiet opener, Bengals star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase shapes as a textbook rebound. He was held to two catches for 26 yards in Week 1, but when he dipped under 45 yards twice last season, the immediate responses were 118 yards with two touchdowns and 264 yards with three—proof of both Cincinnati’s intent to flood him with designed volume and his ability to detonate single coverage. Chase’s underlying profile remains elite: a career average north of 80 receiving yards per game with yards-per-route-run in the two-plus range, and full-time route participation that keeps him live for double-digit targets whenever the Bengals lean pass.
The matchup invites it. Jacksonville’s pass defense sat in the middle of the pack last season by most efficiency measures and now sees a Bengals offense that returns to home turf with top-10 dropback efficiency when Joe Burrow is healthy. With a total hovering near the high 40s and Cincinnati projected around 30 points, this game tilts toward a script that sustains targets via quick screens and intermediate in-breakers early, then vertical shots once safeties squeeze down. Between role, volume, and efficiency markers, Chase has multiple paths to a big yardage line. Over 87.5 remains my preferred position.
James Conner to score a touchdown (-150)
I know the juice is awful. Awful. But the way my math worked out for this prop had it as just too dang valuable not to write up. For that, I’ve provided a third prop. Here’s why Conner at -150 is a value buy today, though.
I’m comfortable downshifting to 0.5u and I set a hard stop at -160; anything pricier and I’ll pass or fold it into an SGP. Why still fire? The probability bump is real. Arizona carries a -6.5 spread and an implied 68.4% win chance, the exact script that funnels short-yardage work to Conner. Their offense owns a positive passing EPA (+0.16), which drives red-zone entries even when the run game is merely serviceable. Inside the five, Arizona’s design (condensed sets, Trey McBride motion, Harrison’s gravity) manufactures light boxes — Conner’s success rate historically spikes in those six-man looks because he’s asked to win leverage, not create explosives. The opponent cooperates.
Carolina’s Week 1 offense coughed up three giveaways and just 255 total yards, handing opponents short fields; Arizona’s defense then played bend-don’t-break ball, allowing 1-for-4 in the red zone, which increases return possessions and green-zone snaps. The QB delta matters: Kyler Murray posted a 109.8 rating when clean and a 0.00% turnover-worthy rate, while Bryce Young sat at 55.6 clean, 39.6 under pressure, and 4.65% turnover-worthy — more negative-script fuel. Arizona also logged a snap edge (68.0 vs 65.0) and can comfortably tilt run late (36.4% run rate overall, but that climbs with a lead). Conner doesn’t need 90 yards; he needs one snap inside the five or a designed screen inside the ten. With role + script + design all aligned, the true ATD price projects north of this number.
Trey McBride to score a touchdown (+135)
If you don’t want to lay wood on Conner, this is the clean, correlated pivot at plus money. DraftKings is hanging +135 on McBride to score, with his TD prices grouped alongside first/last TD on the same market board.
When defenses walk a safety down to help against the run or cheat toward Harrison on condensed splits, Arizona answers with motion and switch releases that free McBride into the flats and seams. That shows up because the Cards are reliably getting to the money area: the passing game is carrying a positive EPA per dropback (+0.16), and Kyler Murray’s 109.8 rating when clean with a 0.00% turnover-worthy rate means those drives aren’t getting thrown away. Carolina’s structure encourages it, too. Their early-season run fits have already cracked on standard downs, which forces extra hats in the box; once that happens inside the 10, the tight end becomes the uncovered man by design. Add the opponent script: the Panthers just put up 255 total yards with three giveaways, which is shorthand for short fields and more red-zone snaps for Arizona.
The macro edges back it up—Cards -6.5 with an implied 68.4% win chance—so second-half four-minute football pulls an extra safety down, and the leak/slide action to McBride pops. He also owns usage that travels across scripts: if Arizona leads, you get the play-action crosser; if a drive stalls into third-and-goal, he’s the trust read. Even if Conner eats the median finish at the 1, McBride’s YAC vs zone profile gives you back-door paths from the 10–15 on seams and slides. Arizona’s snap profile (68.0 vs 65.0 last week) enhances volume at the margins, while the defense’s bend-don’t-break (opponent 1-for-4 in the red zone) creates extra possessions without burning clock. Conner is the chalky hammer; McBride is how they punish the adjustment—and +135 prices that contingency fairly. I’m splitting exposure: smaller chalk on Conner’s ATD, plus the plus-money bite here; if you only want one, McBride is the sharper, risk-adjusted ticket.