Monday Night Football rolls into Soldier Field with the 2-0 Philadelphia Eagles taking their unbeaten record into Chicago to face a Bears team that just lost its starting quarterback. Kickoff is 8:15 PM ET on ESPN/ABC, and with Caleb Williams sidelined by a hamstring injury, Case Keenum — a 38-year-old journeyman who hasn’t started an NFL game since 2023 — is set to run Chicago’s offense. That’s a massive get-out-of-jail-free card for an Eagles defense and a green light for Philly to lean on its ground-and-pound identity all night.
With Philadelphia favored somewhere in the -3.5 to -4.5 range and the total sitting around 41.5 to 43.5, this shapes up as a game where the Eagles control tempo, chew clock, and feed their best offensive weapons early and often. We dug through the board and found three props — all Eagles-heavy, all backed by real usage trends — that give you the best mix of value for Monday night.
DeVonta Smith Has Been Unstoppable Through the Air
DeVonta Smith is coming off one of his best performances of the season, torching Tennessee for 117 yards on 10 catches in Week 3. That outburst pushed his season line to 13 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown through three games, and it’s part of a larger pattern — Smith has cleared 72.5 receiving yards in 34 of his last 92 career games, a rate that speaks to just how involved he is in this Eagles passing attack when the ball needs to move.
The matchup could not be more favorable. Chicago’s secondary has been shredded early this season, allowing 480 passing yards and posting a putrid 97.2 opposing quarterback rating through their first two games. Even with a backup quarterback under center for Philly’s opponent doesn’t matter here — it’s the Eagles throwing the ball, and Smith is both fully healthy (no injury designation heading into Monday after working through a minor hamstring issue in practice) and squarely the top read in this passing game.
Take DeVonta Smith OVER 72.5 receiving yards at FanDuel (-114) or the slightly more favorable 71.5 at DraftKings (-112) — check today’s FanDuel promo code before locking it in. Either number is beatable against a Bears defense that has been a sieve through the air.
Saquon Barkley Profiles as the Workhorse Against a Leaky Run Defense
Saquon Barkley has quietly piled up 92 rushing yards already this season and leads the Eagles in touchdowns, cementing his spot as the engine of this Philadelphia offense. He did deal with a scary-looking stinger against Tennessee that limited his snaps for a stretch, so it’s worth watching the final injury report Monday — but as of this week, Barkley has no injury designation and is fully cleared to play, wearing a modified neck collar for extra mobility.
The matchup sets up beautifully for him. Chicago’s run defense has been gouged for 212.5 rushing yards allowed per game through the young season, and with Case Keenum under center for the Bears keeping Chicago’s offense conservative and unlikely to force shootout-style possessions, expect the Eagles to lean on Barkley early and often to control the clock and the game script. When healthy, the ball goes through him in this offense against exactly this kind of vulnerable front.
Back Saquon Barkley OVER on his rushing yardage — FanDuel has it at 71.5 (-114), while DraftKings promo code offers boosted odds around the 73.5 (-114/-110) mark. Either way, this is squarely in his range against a defense built to be run on. Worth monitoring Tank Bigsby as a change-of-pace option if Barkley’s workload gets capped, since Bigsby carries real goal-line and touchdown equity as the primary backup.
Dontayvion Wicks Quietly Becoming a Reliable No. 2
While Smith headlines the receiving corps, Dontayvion Wicks has carved out a real role as Philadelphia’s clear second option. He posted 74 receiving yards on 5 catches last week, showing he’s more than capable of eating into whatever coverage attention Smith doesn’t draw. Against a Bears secondary that’s been torched for nearly 500 yards through the air in two games, there’s plenty of production to go around.
With Chicago’s linebackers and safeties likely to shade extra attention toward Smith and tight end production underneath, Wicks projects as a beneficiary of single coverage on the outside. This is exactly the type of spot where a No. 2 receiver on a run-heavy, ball-control offense still finds enough targets to clear a modest number.
Dontayvion Wicks OVER 41.5 receiving yards is priced at -118 and has shown up as a “best bet” on BetUS this week — a number that looks very gettable given his recent workload and the matchup on the other side of the ball.
The Best Bets for Monday Night in Chicago
With the Bears down to their third different quarterback situation of the season and the Eagles rolling in at 2-0, this game profiles as exactly the kind of script where Philadelphia’s top skill-position weapons get fed all night. Here’s how we’re stacking the board:
- DeVonta Smith OVER 72.5 receiving yards (FanDuel -114) / 71.5 (DraftKings -112)
- Saquon Barkley OVER 71.5 rushing yards (FanDuel -114) / 73.5 (DraftKings -114/-110)
- Dontayvion Wicks OVER 41.5 receiving yards (-118)
All three lean into the same core thesis: Philadelphia is going to dictate pace and target its best players against a Chicago team that just lost its franchise quarterback, making this trio our favorite mix of props on the board for Monday night.
The smartest 5 minutes in betting
Get the week's best offers, line moves, and data-driven picks — straight to your inbox. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Join 240,000+ subscribers. 21+ only.