Thursday Night Football brings an intriguing NFC matchup as the Washington Commanders travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers.
Washington leans on rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who has quickly emerged as a spark for their offense, while veteran wideout Terry McLaurin remains the go-to target in the passing game.
For Green Bay, Romeo Doubs looks to build on his breakout potential and provide consistency alongside a young receiving corps.
With both teams aiming to climb the NFC ladder, my top PrizePicks and Underdog plays focus on Croskey-Merritt, McLaurin, and Doubs in a Thursday Night Football showdown that could have early playoff implications.
NFL PrizePicks, Underdog Plays — Commanders vs Packers
Jacory Croskey-Merritt
More Than 9.5 Rushing Attempts
The preseason hype was palpable for the Commanders' fifth-round draft pick as the departure of Brian Robinson Jr. opened the door for the explosive rookie.
Croskey-Merritt showed off his explosiveness in the season opener against the Giants as he racked up 82 yards on 10 carries.
Forty-two of those yards came on one run, and his ability is certain to create more opportunities this week despite already leading the backfield in carries.
Reports state that Croskey-Merritt is poised to take over the backfield as the season goes along — that should start tonight as he racks up double-digit carries again.
Terry McLaurin
Less Than 4.5 Receptions
The Commanders were just about even in their playcalling split against the Giants as Jayden Daniels dropped back 30 times. However, it was surprising to see the Commanders' top receiver, Terry McLaurin, barely involved.
McLaurin caught 2-of-4 targets for just 27 yards. While he certainly is going to be a big part of Washington's offense this season, it's going to be tough for him to bounce back in Week 2.
The Packers defense is fresh off a statement victory over the Detroit Lions, where they shut down two top wide receivers in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.
We should expect Carrington Valentine to minimize McLaurin's impact, as Valentine was targeted just 8.3 percent of the time in Week 1.
Romeo Doubs
Less Than 3.5 Receptions
For my last pick, I'll switch sides and focus on Romeo Doubs of the Packers. Doubs led the Packers in receiving in Week 1 with 68 yards, but 48 of those came on one of his two receptions.
While Doubs is one of the top targets in the Packers' passing attack, Week 1 showed that there are plenty of mouths to feed — no receiving option got more than five targets.
The Packers used the passing game to be explosive, and we should see more of the same this week against a Commanders secondary that has holes. However, one of those holes is not Marshon Lattimore, who will be matched up with Romeo Doubs quite often.
The former Pro Bowl corner was targeted on just 10% of routes run against him, which means, much like McLaurin, Doubs' opportunity to haul in passes will be minimal.
