Banking on a couple of Joes

The NFL saw massive games all over the place yesterday. If you're one to build out a big parlay, chances are some of you hit it big. We had multiple touchdown games and 100+ yard games from a large batch of stars, and we're hoping that magic dust extends to "Monday Night Football" this evening.

MNF Parlay: Building around two players

This should be deemed a lottery ticket, as it's currently +2197 on FanDuel, so don't go overboard on your wager, but yesterday showed us that the data we've collected on NFL teams this year is starting to become reliable. Teams and defenses are what they are, and when we look at Cleveland, they're a defense we can target in multiple ways.

Joe Mixon seems set up for a big game. Heading into Week 8, no team has allowed more touchdowns to running backs than the Browns at 12 total. That's two more than the next closest team. There's not much competition here for volume out of the Cincinnati backfield; Mixon has 148 touches on the year to Samaje Perine's 32, and Mixon has 29 red zone looks while Perine has just four. Last year when Mixon saw Cleveland, he scored twice, marking the second time in the last three meetings against the Browns that Mixon has scored two touchdowns. Mixon has three scores in his last four weeks and should be leaned on plenty tonight.

With Ja'Marr Chase out tonight, the passing work will be split between Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. The Cleveland secondary is a juicy one to target, as they've allowed the seventh-most explosive passing plays in the NFL (20+ yard completions). They also rank inside the top 10 for most opponent's yards per pass attempt. When looking at usage and role, Boyd and Higgins are a near toss-up for a big game tonight. Instead of picking which one will have a big game, why don't we just turn to the guy throwing the football? Joe Burrow is fresh off a 481-yard outing and has averaged 334.7 passing yards/game in his last three against the Browns. We're opting for Burrow to pile up 300+ passing yards tonight against a vulnerable secondary.

The parlay:

• Joe Mixon 2+ touchdowns
• Joe Burrow 300+ passing yards

Together, this combination comes in at +2197 on FanDuel. Here's to our two Joes delivering us a "MNF" winner to cap off a special Week 8.

In the news ...

World Series knotted up, Game 3 tonight — Philadelphia took Game 1 on Friday in comeback fashion while Houston cruised to a Game 2 win on Saturday. The Astros are currently -170 favorites to win the World Series and -130 to win tonight. The series heads to Philly tonight, and it'll be Lance McCullers (HOU) vs. Noah Syndergaard (PHI) on the mound. This is where many have said Houston will take control of the series, as their starter depth trumps what Philly can bring to the table. It's tough to know how long Syndergaard will go tonight, he's thrown only 5.1 IP across three appearances this postseason. Despite this, we like the Phillies to harness the energy of the home faithful and bring home a Game 3 win. McCullers allowed eight hits and three runs in his ALCS start, and these Philadelphia bats seem due for a big game. We grabbed Philly moneyline at +110.

Game of the Year awaits us Saturday in college football — Is it too early to get hyped about what's coming for our college football Saturday this weekend? After Tennessee blew the doors off Kentucky, voters moved them up to a tie for No. 2 in the nation, setting the stage for an epic SEC showdown. It'll be No. 1 Georgia hosting No. 2 Tennessee on Saturday, a massive game for both teams, and an opportunity for the Volunteers to all but stamp their ticket into the College Football Playoff. Odds have opened, and the Bulldogs are 8-point favorites, while you could bet the Volunteers to win at +260. This will be a great one.

Big NFL day includes history from Christian McCaffrey and two surprise teams taking early control of their divisions — The Christian McCaffrey trade paid out some early dividends for San Francisco as the team watched their new running back accomplish something no 49er ever has. McCaffrey caught a touchdown, threw for a touchdown, and rushed in for a score, the first player to achieve the TD trifecta since LaDainian Tomlinson did so in 2005. In other news, not many would have pegged Seattle and Atlanta as teams with much to play for in 2022, yet both NFC squads won on Sunday and sit alone at the top of their divisions. The Falcons are +210 to win the NFC South and the Seahawks are +450 to do so. Even now, no one is giving these teams any respect, it may be time to change that.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll