Best anytime touchdown scorer bets today for Jets vs. Vikings in London

Could Mike Williams score his first Jets touchdown this week?

The NFL’s first London game of the 2024 season gets going on Sunday when the New York Jets square off against the undefeated Minnesota Vikings. The game will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET. The Vikings are -2.5 favorites against the spread while the over/under is set at 40.5 total points at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Just a few weeks ago, the Jets probably would have been favored in this game, but their lackluster start and an especially poor performance by the offense in last week’s loss to the Broncos has put a damper on their preseason optimism. That offense faces an even stiffer test this week against a stout Vikings defense that is currently No. 1 in both DVOA and EPA. 

Meanwhile, former Jets first-round pick Sam Darnold is having a resurgent season and has vaulted from a +30000 long shot to win MVP before the season to now having the fifth-best odds (+1400) in the MVP futures market. Darnold leads the league with 11 passing touchdowns and is 1st in passer rating (118.9) and 3rd in QBR (73.5). 

Could one of Darnold’s pass catchers like Justin Jefferson be a good bet to get in the endzone this week? Let’s discuss the best anytime touchdown prop bets in this game based on the current betting odds. The odds listed below were the best odds across all of the best online sportsbooks at the time of publication, but it’s worth double checking the odds before placing any bets as they could change. 

Aaron Jones (+105, BetMGM)

Our favorite touchdown scorer bet in this matchup is on Vikings running back Aaron Jones. The longtime Packers standout is off to an excellent start with his new team. Jones is currently 8th in the league in rushing (321 yards) and is averaging career highs in both rushing yards (80.3) and receiving yards (35.8) per game. He has also scored two touchdowns so far this season. 

Jones has had a nose for the endzone throughout his career. He scored 56 touchdowns over five seasons in Green Bay (2018-22) before scoring just three in an injury-plagued season in 2023. He looks as good so far this season as he did during his prime Packers years, and another double digit touchdown campaign is very attainable for him this season.

In addition to Jones’ hot start to the season, the main reason we like this bet so much is the Jets’ struggling run defense. New York is allowing 128.5 rushing yards per game on 4.6 yards per carry (both 20th in the league) and is currently ranked 27th in both DVOA and success rate against the run. They are much better against the pass (2nd in yards allowed, 12th in DVOA, and 2nd in success rate), which means the Vikings could be looking to run the ball heavily in this matchup.

If the Vikings are playing with a lead, which is expected, then that is just another reason to expect a heavy workload for Jones in this game. Given the favorable matchup, that expected workload gives Jones a great chance to score a touchdown in this game. This bet is currently priced at around even odds at many sportsbooks, with BetMGM giving +105 odds on a Jones anytime TD.

Jordan Addison (+290, DraftKings)

The Vikings player with the best odds of scoring a touchdown in this game is unsurprisingly Justin Jefferson (+110, FanDuel). But we don’t love betting on “Jettas” this week considering he’ll most likely be shadowed by Jets All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner. Jefferson of course is capable of beating a player of Gardner’s ability, and he very well could find the endzone, but the value simply is not there on that bet. 

The Jets’ other outside cornerback D.J. Reed is also excellent, but he is not quite the shutdown corner that Gardner is. That means that Darnold might have more success looking for Jordan Addison in this matchup. Addison scored 10 touchdowns as a rookie and is coming off a two-touchdown game last week against the Packers, including one on the ground. He caught five of his 10 touchdowns last season inside the red zone, including two inside the 5-yard line, showing that he is not just a big play threat. 

This bet is a bit more of a long shot considering how good the Jets’ pass defense is, but if we’re going to bet on any Vikings pass catcher to score a touchdown this week, then Addison is the best option. We would much rather get the +290 odds on an Addison anytime touchdown at DraftKings than take basically even money to bet on Jefferson.

Mike Williams (+380, FanDuel)

Let’s look to the other side of this matchup for our final anytime touchdown pick in this game. The Vikings have one of the best run defenses in the NFL this season – 2nd in yards allowed (75 per game), 3rd in yards per carry allowed (3.8), and 1st in DVOA. They have also allowed only one rushing touchdown. 

On the other hand, the Vikings are dead last in passing defense (274.3 yards per game allowed), but that number is a bit misleading given how often Minnesota has been playing with a lead. They have held a lead on a league-high 85% of their offensive snaps, which has led to them facing 4.5 more pass attempts per game than any other team. On a per play basis, the Vikings are also one of the best pass defenses in the league (No. 1 in DVOA), but the point remains that they are much more likely to give up yards and touchdowns through the air than on the ground.

Considering the Vikings’ recent performance and the expectation that the Jets will likely be playing from behind in this game, we are focused on their passing attack for the best anytime touchdown pick. We could make a good argument for Allen Lazard (+295, DraftKings) or Tyler Conklin (+460, FanDuel), but Mike Williams is our favorite pick on the Jets. 

Williams has been steadily getting more involved in the Jets’ offense as he continues his recovery from an ACL injury last year. He had his best game so far last week with four catches on five targets for 67 yards. Williams is a big-bodied receiver and a natural red zone target with big play ability. He may not be the most likely player on the Jets to score a touchdown this week, but the value you can get with his +380 odds at FanDuel make him the best player to bet on.