The 2019 NFL season is in full swing, and we're here with a betting preview for Thursday night's game between the undefeated San Francisco 49ers and the 3-4-1 Arizona Cardinals.
ESPN betting analyst Joe Fortenbaugh and fantasy's Mike Clay combine to offer their best bets for the matchup of NFC West rivals.
Note: Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook, unless otherwise noted. Odds as of Wednesday.
San Francisco 49ers (-10, 43) at Arizona Cardinals
Deebo Samuel under 33.5 receiving yards (-110)
Clay: Samuel has totaled 40 receiving yards on 11 targets over his past three games. The rookie has seen five or fewer targets in five of his six games while operating in the league's most run-heavy offense (straight up and game-script adjusted). Samuel was on the field for only 64% of the 49ers' pass plays last week, and the team will have Marquise Goodwin back this week. Samuel's usage could dip with Goodwin, Emmanuel Sanders, Dante Pettis, Kendrick Bourne and Richie James Jr. in the mix for targets. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are allowing 12.0 yards per reception to wide receivers, which is sixth-lowest in the league. Samuel's projection comes in at 22.4 yards this week.
49ers -2.5 (-118) over Cardinals in 3rd quarter (FanDuel)
Fortenbaugh: Kyle Shanahan's undefeated 49ers rank first in the NFL in third-quarter scoring (10.3 pts/3Q) and tied for sixth in third-quarter scoring defense (3.4 pts/3Q surrendered). Coming out of halftime this season, San Francisco has scored a touchdown on its first possession of the third quarter in six of eight contests, with one of its misses coming in Washington during a Week 7 monsoon. Here's a closer look at how this team has performed during the third quarter this season:
Week 1 at Tampa Bay: 14-7 win
Week 2 at Cincinnati: 10-0 win
Week 3 vs. Pittsburgh: 14-7 win
Week 5 vs. Cleveland: 7-0 win
Week 6 at Los Angeles Rams: 10-0 win
Week 7 at Washington: 3-0 win
Week 8 vs. Carolina: 14-10 win
In the third quarter, the 49ers have outscored every opponent with a 72-24 overall edge.