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Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season concludes on Monday, Sept. 8 with the Minnesota Vikings taking on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. There’s plenty of buzz around both teams but for different reasons. The Vikings won 14 games a year ago with Sam Darnold under center, but decided to let him walk in free agency and turn things over to second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The Bears hired Ben Johnson to be their head coach in the offseason, and he comes to Chicago after serving as the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. Johnson is hoping to spark something for Caleb Williams, who is attempting to be the first quarterback in Bears history to throw for 4,000 yards in a single season. McCarthy and Williams will carry much of the spotlight this season for their respective teams, and here’s a look at some of their top player props ahead of the Monday contest.
Be sure to check out our NFL betting guide now that Week 1 is almost in the books.
We’ll be using odds from DraftKings Sportsbook to look at each quarterback’s player props. Take a look at the SportsLine Projection Model’s forecast for the Vikings-Bears game, including player props.
Passing yards props
J.J. McCarthy: 219.5 (Over -111, Under -113)
Caleb Williams: 217.5 (Over -113, Under -111)
Top pick: Caleb Williams Under 217.5 pass yards
Williams’ prop is 214.5 according to the consensus odds in the SportsLine Projection Model, but we’re getting some extra cushion at DraftKings for this market. The Bears starter did throw for 340 yards in the first meeting against Minnesota last season but finished under 200 yards in the second encounter. The elements and crowd should not be a factor on Monday, but Minnesota’s defense is aggressive and led the league in interceptions a year ago. I do expect Johnson to lean into the ground game, which was a huge part of Detroit’s success. Williams will have to make throws when necessary, but I like the Under on his passing yards prop.Â
Passing touchdowns props
J.J. McCarthy: 1.5 (Over +117, Under -149)
Caleb Williams: 1.5 (Over +123, Under -157)
Top pick: J.J. McCarthy Under 1.5 passing touchdowns
McCarthy doesn’t profile as someone who will throw the ball all over the yard, even though this is a homecoming for the LaGrange product. I expect the Vikings to lean on the ground game and give McCarthy easier throws to start things off, and unless the game script goes totally against them, that’ll be what McCarthy’s role looks like. The Bears have not been able to stop Aaron Jones at any point in the running back’s career, as he’s topped 1,200 yards and punched in 13 total touchdowns across 15 career games against Chicago. Feeding Jones should take enough off McCarthy’s plate to keep him Under 1.5 passing touchdowns on Monday night.