While the fantasy football season is in the rearview, there is plenty of real NFL football remaining. BettingPros will have you covered through the NFL Playoffs with game picks, player props predictions, and more! Here are our top NFL picks and predictions for Wild Card Weekend: Rams vs. Panthers.
NFL Wild Card Weekend Picks & Predictions: Rams vs. Panthers
Here are a few of our top picks from Andrew Erickson’s Betting Primer.
NFL Wild Card Weekend Picks
Trends:
- The Panthers have covered the spread in each of their last 10 games following a loss (covered 13 straight as underdogs following a loss).
- The Rams are 7-1 toward the over/under on the road this season.
- The Rams have won each of their last six games against opponents on a losing streak.
- Each of the Rams’ last six games has gone over the total points line.
- The Panthers have lost the first half in 16 of their last 18 games against teams that held a winning record.
- In each of the Rams’ last five road games, their opponents have scored last.
- In four of the Rams’ last five games, the first score has been an opponent touchdown.
- The Panthers are 13-7 over/under after a loss since 2024.
- Eleven of the Panthers’ last 15 games at Bank of America Stadium have gone over the total points line.
- Seven of the Panthers’ last 11 games at home as underdogs have gone over the total points line.
- The Rams have covered the spread in each of their last six games when playing with a rest disadvantage.
- The Rams have the best record since 2023 as a road favorite (11-3 ATS).
- The Rams have covered the spread in seven of their last eight road games against teams that held a losing record.
- Each of the Rams’ last seven road games against NFC opponents has gone over the total points line.
Overall:
I’m not going to sit here and tell you Carolina is the better team — they’re not. Los Angeles has the superior quarterback, the superior head coach and the cleaner overall roster.
But from a betting-process standpoint, I’m drawn to the home playoff underdog catching double digits. That’s a number that can get you paid even if the Rams control the game, because all it takes is a couple of Panthers chunk plays, a backdoor touchdown or one weird Matthew Stafford turnover to keep it inside the number.
The weather forecast is calling for rain, which favors the home team that plays outdoors.
Carolina won the first matchup back in Week 13, 31-28, due in part largely to Rams turnovers (two Stafford interceptions and a sack-fumble). Los Angeles punted once on eight offensive drives. The game went over the 45-point total, which I had as a Week 13 best bet.
Bryce Young also tossed three touchdowns of 30+ yards (two of which came on fourth down). It wasn’t a high-volume passing game for Young in the first matchup versus the Rams, as he attempted just 20 passes, but he completed 15 of them for 206 yards and three touchdowns.
The Panthers quarterback was pressured on just 29.2% of his dropbacks (third-lowest mark this season) and completed 13-of-16 passes for 183 yards and all three scores from a clean pocket. Young finished with his second-most fantasy points on the season (22.5), and the +14.7 dropback expected points added (EPA) he generated was his best mark since Week 18 of last year, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
Erickson’s Pick: Panthers +10.5 (Lean game total over 46.5 points)
Check out the full Betting Primer for Rams vs. Panthers
NFL Wild Card Weekend Player Props & Bets
Pat Fitzmaurice shares one of his favorite NFL player props for this week’s game.
Davante Adams Under 53.5 Receiving Yards
Davante Adams has been a prolific touchdown scorer this season, but he hasn’t exactly been a yardage machine.
Adams had 14 touchdowns in 14 regular-season games, but he averaged a modest 56.4 receiving yards per game and finished with 789 receiving yards for the year. Fellow receiver Puka Nacua did the heavy lifting as a pass-catcher, while Adams averaged 4.3 catches a game.
In a Week 13 meeting with the Panthers, Adams had the sort of game that has defined his season, with a modest four catches for 58 yards… and two touchdowns. But the Panthers didn’t have their best cornerback, Jaycee Horn, for that game. They’ll have Horn this week, and he’ll probably cover Adams quite a bit.
Adams is coming back from a hamstring injury, so it’s possible he won’t play a full complement of snaps – particularly if the Rams (10.5-point favorites as of this writing) take firm control of the game.
I think the under is a sound percentage play here.
And check out all of Fitz’s NFL player props for Rams vs. Panthers
Here are even more of our favorite NFL player props via our NFL Prop Bet Cheat Sheet.
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