NFL Week 3: Anytime TD Scorer Parlay
Stephen Rodriguez analyzes which four stars will deliver touchdowns this week:
Bengals @ Bills, CBS, 1:00 PM ET
Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
This decision to choose Bengals running back Joe Mixon against a stout Buffalo Bills defense might sound crazy, but I believe he will find the endzone for the first time this season in Week 3.
Mixon’s season stats read as follows: 17 carries for 27 yards, 5 catches for 17 yards through two games.
Yes, Mixon has been hampered with small nagging injuries and, yes, the Bengals’ offensive line has been one of the worst so far. But if healthy, Mixon is easily one of the best running backs in all of football, and if he gets the volume he will produce.
Mixon will score either a rushing or receiving touchdown in this football game.
Falcons @ Colts, CBS, 1:00 PM ET
Marlon Mack, RB, Indianapolis Colts
Trivia question: Which running back leads the NFL in rushing attempts through two games?
Answer: Marlon Mack of the Indianapolis Colts.
Mack has 45 carries for 225 rushing yards and one touchdown. The lone score came in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers, when he had 25 rushes for 174 yards.
Last week against the Tennessee Titans, Mack had 20 more carries for only 51 yards.
With that said, Mack is running behind one of the better offensive lines in all of football, and against an average defense in the Atlanta Falcons, I expect him to have a field day at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Panthers @ Cardinals, FOX, 4:05 PM ET
David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals
David Johnson was a non-factor in Arizona’s Week 2 defeat. He only had seven carries for 14 yards in the 23-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
In a Week 1 tie with the Detroit Lions, Johnson had 18 carries for 82 yards, good enough for 4.6 yards per attempt, and he had six catches for 55 yards and one touchdown.
Johnson, who is coming off an injury-riddled season, will look to regain his form from three years ago when he was arguably the best running back in all of football.
It will most certainly help that No. 1 overall draft pick Kyler Murray is a dual threat at quarterback.
Murray, along with first-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury, give the Cardinals a more dynamic offense, and I expect Johnson to succeed in a big way.
Steelers @ 49ers, CBS, 4:25 PM ET
George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
Through two games, All-Pro caliber tight end George Kittle has yet to find the end zone.
Kittle, however, has been productive.
In Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kittle had eight catches for 54 yards and he had three, yes THREE, touchdowns called back due to penalties. If only ONE of them didn’t get called back, you could consider that a great game.
He followed that up with three catches for 54 yards against the Bengals in a Week 2 win.
The San Francisco 49ers are rolling on offense with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and head coach Kyle Shanahan, and I believe both will do whatever it takes in Week 3 to get their superstar tight end more involved in the offense.
Last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers allowed Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and tight end Will Dissly to connect for five catches, 50 yards and two touchdowns.
Expect the Niners to attack the same way.