Redskins vs. Vikings TNF Prediction
The Vikings should improve to 6-2 when Kirk Cousins faces his former team on Thursday Night Football, but is 17 points too much for bettors to lay on Minnesota? Kickoff off this Week 8 matchup between the Vikings and Redskins is set for 8:20 p.m. ET.
Game Snapshot
101 Washington Redskins (+17) at 102 Minnesota Vikings (-17); O/U 42
8:20 p.m. ET, Thursday, October 24, 2019
U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
The spread for tonight’s game went from Vikings -14.5 up to -17 but bettors are still laying the big number while fading the Redskins. According to our NFL Public Betting Chart page, the Vikings are drawing 56% of the betting tickets ahead of Thursday night’s game.
Washington Redskins Fantasy Spin
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that Adrian Peterson (ankle) is expected to suit up Thursday night against the Vikings. Specifically, Pelissero asked Peterson if he’ll tape up the ankle and give it a shot Thursday night, and the future hall-of-fame RB added, “and bite down.” ESPN’s Josina Anderson added that Peterson, “will play tonight … barring any pregame setback.” It sounds like Peterson will suit up for this #RevengeGame, although it’s fair to wonder just how big of a workload he’ll be able to handle on a high-ankle sprain. Treat AP as a low-end RB3 as a +16.5 road underdog against the Vikings’ fearsome front seven.
Minnesota Vikings Fantasy Spin
Adam Thielen (hamstring) is out for Week 8 against the Redskins Thursday night. As expected. The short week was too much to overcome, but Thielen’s strain isn’t believed to be severe. The Vikings promoted WR Davion Davis from the practice squad. Olabisi Johnson and Laquon Treadwell will soak up the snaps behind Stefon Diggs, with Johnson being the bigger beneficiary in an offense that doesn’t run a ton of three-wide sets.
Betting Trends
Washington
The Redskins have failed to cover in five of their last six games overall and are just 2-5 against the number in their last seven games played on Thursday.
Minnesota
The Vikings are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games overall and have also covered the number in four of their last five games played on Thursday.
Thursday Night NFL Prediction
I hate laying double-digit points in a NFL game, especially one that involves two teams coming off a short week of rest and preparation. That said, I cannot back Washington. There’s no firepower offensively (as we saw last week when they were held off the scoreboard, a bad look regardless of the weather conditions) and their defense went from underrated to just plain bad. The Vikings will be without Thielen but the Redskins will likely be without cornerback Josh Norman, so those two injuries essentially cancel each other out. While Minnesota has found its passing game the past few weeks (which was arguably the Vikings’ biggest weakness), Washington hasn’t found much of anything lately. Cousins gets to face his former team and I’m sure we’ll hear plenty of “YOU LIKE THAT, YOU LIKE THAT?’ coming from the signal-caller tonight.
NFL WEEK 8 PREDICTION: Minnesota Vikings -17