Cowboys vs. Vikings: The best player prop bets for SNF

The Dallas Cowboys are on a five-game winning streak and fresh off a bye week as they arrive in Minnesota trying to keep that ball rolling on Halloween against the Vikings. Nothing is scarier than a low-scoring affair on primetime, but luckily that shouldn’t be the case at U.S. Bank Stadium, as the total is currently at 52.

The Vikings are 3-3 on the season, but their three losses have been by a combined 11 points, and their three wins by a combined 21. Whichever way it goes, this is set to be another close contest, and here are the three best player props ahead of the big game.

Dalvin Cook: Over/Under 85.5 Rushing Yards

Let’s not beat around the bush – Dalvin Cook is one of the best running backs in the NFL. He’s a 5'10", 210-pound monster who just obliterated the Carolina Panthers, as he ran 29 times for a whopping 140 yards in his return from a small ankle injury. Now that he’s had a week’s rest on the bye, he will no doubt be champing at the bit to face the Cowboys, but Dallas might be up to the task.

Dallas has allowed an average of just 66 yards per game to running backs this season, which is the sixth-strongest run defense in the NFL. Part of that, of course, is based on the opposition, but the Cowboys have stifled the likes of Austin Ekeler, and only allowed one running back to rack up more than 57 yards so far.

Cook’s games have varied a lot this season. The monster game against the Panthers in Week 6 came after a similarly huge game against the Cardinals in Week 2, when he ran 22 times for 131 yards. That’s a combined 271 yards on 51 carries (5.3 yards per attempt). But those games were against run defenses ranked 18th and 15th in the league, respectively.

Against the Browns (ranked fifth) and Bengals (third), he managed a combined 95 yards on 29 carries – just 3.28 yards per attempt. Dallas’ run defense is up there with Cleveland and Cincinnati.

No doubt Cook will be fed plenty of opportunities on Sunday, and his last two games against the Cowboys read 26 carries for 97 yards and 27 carries for 115 yards. But this line is high, and I’d rather be on the Under, despite Cook’s talent.

Pick: Under 85.5 Rushing Yards (-117)

Kirk Cousins: Over/Under 284.5 Passing Yards

He may not have the same big game appeal as Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, or Tom Brady, but Kirk Cousins is having a very good season. His productivity through the air is another reason to think the Vikings may rely less on Cook in this one.

The Cowboys have allowed the third-most passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks this year (311.2), behind only the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens. Brady, Justin Herbert, and Jalen Hurts have all thrown for more than 300 yards against Dallas, and it would be no surprise if Cousins added his name to that list as this tilt has the highest total of any NFL game this weekend.

Cousins has already had monster games against the Seahawks (323 yards), Bengals (351 yards), and Panthers (373 yards), and in total this season is averaging 294.8 yards per game, which is the eighth-most in the league. He ranks second among quarterbacks in completions per game (27.7) and fourth in attempts per game (39.8), so he clearly isn’t afraid to keep throwing.

In fact, he’s attempting more passes per game on average than he has in any other season, and his yards per game average is the best it’s been since 2016, when he was with Washington. This is all set up to be another game where Cousins is throwing a ton, and he is in the kind of form where another 300+ yard game is very doable.

Pick: Over 284.5 Passing Yards (-114)