NFL Week 7 is coming to an end tonight as the San Francisco 49ers get ready to take on the Minnesota Vikings. Bettors will be looking to pad a profitable week or perhaps lighten some losses they took over the weekend.
What are the best bets tonight? Let’s take a look at a few notable ones in this San Francisco 49ers vs. Minnesota Vikings matchup.
San Francisco 49ers (-7)
The 49ers are coming off of a devastating road loss to the Cleveland Browns last week. It was also their first loss of the season.
Last year, San Francisco had a 3-1 record against the spread in games following losses.
Admittedly, they are still dealing with some injuries. The most notable is WR Deebo Samuel, who has been ruled out for the next two weeks with a hairline fracture in his shoulder.
The good news for 49ers fans is that they are expected to get RB Christian McCaffrey back for tonight’s game. He suffered an oblique injury during last week’s game against the Browns.
McCaffrey will be a big addition, considering he has 553 rushing yards and nine touchdowns through six games this season. Because of this, the 49ers rank second in rushing yards per game (148.3), while the Vikings rank 30th in the NFL (75) in this category.
If that was not enough, these two teams are worlds apart when it comes to turnover differential. The 49ers lead this category (+8), while the Vikings are next to last (-7).
I expect the 49ers to bounce back from last week’s loss tonight and cover the spread doing so.
Under 43
Going into this game, these two teams have completely opposite trends with Over/Unders. The San Francisco 49ers are 4-2 on Overs this season, while the Minnesota Vikings are 5-1 on Unders.
With that said, I expect this game to go under for a few reasons.
The turnover differential mentioned above is likely to come into play. With there being that big of a differential, expect a Vikings turnover or two to keep points off of the board.
Then, there is the time of possession factor. San Francisco ranks fourth in the NFL in average time of possession (32:46). It only helps their cause that they are getting McCaffrey back to contribute to this.
Also, the Vikings are dealing with a significant injury of their own. WR Justin Jefferson is suffering from a hamstring injury. He missed Minnesota’s game last week against the Chicago Bears and will not play tonight.
Last week, Jefferson’s absence was notable despite the fact the Vikings won the game. QB Kirk Cousins only threw one touchdown pass and had just 181 passing yards. It was the first time all seasons Cousins had fewer than two touchdown passes in a game, and just the second time he threw under 200 passing yards in a game.
Now, Minnesota goes up against a much more difficult San Francisco defense. The 49ers are third in the NFL in total yards allowed per game (278).
I expect the 49ers to kill the clock offensively, and I think the Vikings are really going to miss Justin Jefferson in this game. For those reasons, I like this game to go Under the projected point total.
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