Dealing studs for a New Year's Eve Eve parlay

Week 17 in the NFL seems like a great time for us to cook up a touchdown parlay, don't you think? We've had success looking into advantageous spots for touchdowns the past few weeks, and Sunday's action is presenting us with some enticing options. We're keeping it relatively simple this weekend, circling three studs in soft matchups.

Jamaal Williams TD

Williams and the Lions will see Chicago this weekend in a must-win game to keep Detroit's playoff hopes alive. The Bears have allowed 18 touchdowns to running backs this season, which is tied for the second-most in the NFL.

Williams is the clear favorite to find the end zone here. He scored against the Bears back in November, and he's the clear red zone back in this offense. Williams has seen 53 red-zone looks, which combines both carries and targets. While D'Andre Swift is a fine option, he's seen 32 looks in the red zone. Williams has been the primary ball carrier for this offense, and it's a spot we want to load him up in. Williams has 14 touchdowns this season.

Travis Etienne TD

We're not overly concerned about Jacksonville resting all their starters; it appears they plan to play this game as they normally would. Now, there's a chance that the Jaguars rest some players should they build up a big lead, and no better choice to be involved in making that lead happen than Travis Etienne.

Since the trade of James Robinson, this has been Etienne's backfield. He's getting the carries and the targets, and there are few better defenses for running backs than the Texans. No team has allowed more touchdowns to the position than Houston, and in fact, its 21 TDs allowed to running backs is three more than the next closest team. Add Etienne to your bet slip with confidence.

Saquon Barkley TD

It's a running back kind of board for us, and we'll wrap this three-leg parlay with Saquon Barkley. The Giants are certainly motivated to get back to winning some football games, and they shouldn't face much resistance against Indianapolis.

The Colts have let up 17 touchdowns to running backs this year, tied for fifth most, and Barkley is the bell cow in New York. Barkley has 10 touchdowns this year and should be in a position to build on that this Sunday.

As of this writing, FanDuel does not have a full menu of touchdown props, so the odds are likely to be better on that book when they open up the board. This trio on DraftKings comes in at a reasonable +465.

Enjoy the penultimate week of the NFL regular season!

In the news ...

Three NFL playoff teams getting good news on the health front — Star edge rusher Joey Bosa has returned to the Chargers. He hasn't seen the field since Week 3, so his return for the playoffs is a massive boost for Los Angeles, as will be the expected return of star safety Derwin James. Suddenly, the Chargers are getting healthy and sit at +1200 to win the AFC. Elsewhere, San Francisco's Deebo Samuel and Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts both returned to practice this week.
 
Suspensions handed down in aftermath of fight between Magic and Pistons — The NBA has handed down suspensions for quite the group of players after there was an on-court brawl between Orlando and Detroit Wednesday night. Killian Hayes (three games) and Moritz Wagner (two games) each received the longest suspensions. A whopping eight players from the Magic have received a suspension, but they'll be serving them on a staggered basis as to give Orlando enough players to field a lineup.
 
Pele, passes away at age 82 — Soccer legend Pele, 82, passed away Thursday after a battle with cancer. Pele will be remembered as one of the best to ever play: the Brazilian won three World Cups and tallied innumerable statistics and accomplishments throughout his 22-year playing career.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll