Lions vs. Chiefs best anytime touchdown scorer picks (Who to bet on if Travis Kelce is out)

Giving out the top three touchdown scorer bets for Opening Night of the NFL season between the Lions and Chiefs.
Aug 26, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon (1)
Aug 26, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon (1) / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

The 2023 NFL season is FINALLY here!

The defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, will open up the 2023 campaign with a game against the Detroit Lions.

If you want to find out my best bet for every game, including this one, check out the Week 1 edition of the "Road to 272 Bets", which you can find here.

In this article, we're going to talk some prop bets. More specifically, I'm going to break down three players I'm going to bet on to score a touchdown on Thursday night.

Before the game kicks off, I'd highly recommend signing up for an account at FanDuel Sportsbook. If you click the link below and bet just $5 on any game (including this one), then you will receive $200 in bonus bets AND $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket. It's the perfect deal for the start of the season!

Now, let's jump into it.

Anytime TD bets for Lions vs. Chiefs

  • Jerick McKinnon +200
  • Patrick Mahomes +300
  • Marquez Valdes-Scantling +200

Jerick McKinnon +200

Jerick McKinnon was a touchdown machine for the Chiefs last season, finding the end zone 10 total times. Nine of those 10 touchdowns were receiving touchdowns, so if Kelce has to sit out of the game, Mahomes is going to look for more unconventional options in the passing game. McKinnon out of the backfield is a perfect example of exactly that.

Isiah Pacheco will be getting the majority of carries, just like last season, but he had five fewers touchdowns than McKinnon in 2022.

Patrick Mahomes +300

Travis Kelce is Mahomes' favorite target in the red zone, which means Mahomes may turn to his legs when the ball gets close to the goalline if he doesn't have his usual big target. He ran for four touchdowns last season, which was his career high in rushing touchdowns. At +300, I like those odds on opening night.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling +200

Marquez Valdes-Scantling seems to once again be the Chiefs deep threat this season. He may not rack up a ton of receptions, but there's a very real chance one of his catches is a 50-yard touchdown. If the Chiefs attack the Lions deep, MVS could certainly be on the receiving end.


Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!