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On Tuesday, Bovada released stat predictions and prop bets for a few players from each team. We’ll be looking at one player each day from now until the start of the season.
Our first man, naturally, is Carson Wentz.
Average Passing Yards Per Start in the 2016 Regular Season: 235
The Eagles are making Wentz their starting quarterback because they have faith in him being able to move the ball against NFL defenses.
That said, considering the team’s lackluster wide receiving corps and the fact that Wentz is still a rookie, there are bound to be games this season when the passing game just isn’t there.
And yet Sam Bradford managed to average 266 yards per start last year, even with all those check downs. I’m going to take the OVER, because I’m high on Wentz, but I think it’ll be very close.
Total Starts in the 2016 Regular Season: 12.5
Bovada likely posed this question because of Wentz’s preseason debut, when he suffered a hairline fracture in his ribs.
He missed three preseason games because of the preseason injury. Also, during his senior year at North Dakota State, Wentz broke his wrist and missed a good chunk of the season. Some have taken to calling Wentz injury-prone. Personally, I don’t see how these two injuries connect to form any sort of a pattern.
But this is the NFL, and the Eagles’ offensive line, while not abysmal, is certainly a middle-of-the-pack unit. I’ll cautiously take the OVER on this one, because Wentz seems tough. Hopefully I didn’t just jinx his health forever. (If I did, I will step down post haste.)