NFL Week 2 Preseason Best Bets and Player Props: Bengals at Commanders

The one Monday Night Football preseason game always feels bigger than the rest, no?

It'll be a warmup for Joe Buck and Troy Aikman just like many of the Cincinnati Bengals' and Washington Commanders' starters tonight. Cincinnati gave Joe Burrow a couple of series last week, and this game became of much more importance for the Commanders this week.

Using the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as a guide, here are the best bets for the Week 2 preseason matchup between the Bengals and Commanders.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook. Lines may change after this article is published.

NFL Week 2 Preseason Betting Picks for Bengals vs. Commanders

Over 23.5 Points in First Half (-128)

With the expectation that the Bengals and Commanders will play starters well into the second quarter, we should see fireworks similar to these teams' 71-point effort on a Monday during last year's regular season.

Cincinnati's defense could be historically awful as their Trey Hendrickson issues persist. They gave up 24 points to Tanner McKee and the Philadelphia Eagles' reserves last week and will be tasked with Jayden Daniels today.

However, the Stripes' offense kept pace. Joe Burrow was sharp as a tack, completing 90.0% of his passes and tossing a pair of scores. Though Philadelphia also was playing backups on that side, Washington's D -- which was numberFire's 20th-ranked schedule-adjusted pass defense a year ago -- isn't particularly scary for Joe Shiesty, either.

This is the largest preseason total so far because, in addition to the Bengals' general tenor, Washington's joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens was canceled earlier this week. These will be the best live reps that the team gets until the Ravens and Commanders meet in next week's preseason affair, so the starters should get more burn.

Washington Commanders to Record 125+ Rushing Yards (-110)
Washington Commanders to Score 2+ Rushing Touchdowns (+136)

I don't know if Hendrickson was even going to play before Sunday's resurgence of divorce rumors, but the Bengals' rush defense just isn't good with or without him.

They ceded 133 yards on the ground last week to Philadelphia's reserves after ranking 26th on a schedule-adjusted basis against the run last year.

There are plenty of paths for the Commanders to put up points on the ground. Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota will scramble plenty at quarterback, but the star of the show might be seventh-round pick Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Croskey-Merritt, who goes by "Bill", has been a star at Commies camp and might get more than last week's seven carries in a much better matchup since the team is reportedly shopping starting running back Brian Robinson. Croskey-Merritt is looking like one of the best fantasy football sleepers this season.

While a three-point spread in the Bengals' favor might have suppressed these props despite the excellent matchup, I'm not sure how much faith I want to put in oddsmakers' evaluation of how the second half plays out. The first-half spread is less than two points.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.