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Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season concludes with a division matchup on Monday, Sept. 8, as the Minnesota Vikings head to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. The Vikings made the playoffs a season ago but lost in the wild card round to the Los Angeles Rams, while the Bears are hoping new head coach Ben Johnson can revitalize a franchise stuck in mediocrity for the last six seasons. We’ll go through some of our favorite NFL player props for Monday’s contest, with odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
T.J. Hockenson Over 4.5 receptions (+110, Caesars)
We saw the Cowboys take away A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in Thursday’s season opener, which meant more targets for tight end Dallas Goedert. Expect the Bears to employ a similar strategy when it comes to defending star receiver Justin Jefferson. The Vikings will likely force a few throws Jefferson’s way, but Chicago won’t let him get 1-on-1 coverage routinely. Add in the fact this is J.J. McCarthy’s first NFL start comes in a road environment, even though its a homecoming for the second-year quarterback as he played high school football in the Chicagoland area. A reliable tight end offers a nice safety valve for a quarterback who didn’t throw down the field much in college, which means Hockenson is in line for plenty of targets Monday. He should snag at least five receptions.
Aaron Jones Over 49.5 rushing yards (-120, Caesars)
The Bears allowed 136.3 rushing yards per game a year ago, which ranked 28th in the league. Chicago is likely to be without linebacker T.J. Edwards (hamstring) while Jaylon Johnson is considered questionable with calf and groin injuries. Jones is coming off an excellent 2024 campaign where he averaged 66.9 rushing yards per game. McCarthy will be given some chances to showcase his arm, but I expect Minnesota to lean more on the run to help ease him into the game. Even with Jordan Mason likely to get touches, Jones is the more dynamic player and should be able to rip off some chunk plays against a poor Bears rush defense.
Caleb Williams Over 0.5 interceptions (-125, Caesars)
Expectations are high for Williams in Johnson’s offense, especially since the coach oversaw the league’s best scoring unit a year ago while serving as the offensive coordinator for the Lions. The Bears quarterback only threw six interceptions a season ago, so he’s not particularly careless when it comes to throwing the ball. He didn’t throw an interception against Minnesota last year, which is surprising since the Vikings led the league in interceptions in 2024. Williams will likely take some risks in this new offense, and with Minnesota’s aggressive approach on defense under coordinator Brian Flores, I expect the Vikings to come away with at least one interception on Monday night.