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NFL rookie head-to-head bets: More sacks between Will Anderson and Tyree Wilson

By Griffin Carroll | Last updated 6/9/23

We've touched on a few rookie head-to-head bets available to us, and one more statistical category you can bet on is sacks. We have just two choices, and it's the top two edge rushers taken in this year's NFL Draft: Will Anderson and Tyree Wilson.

Will Anderson vs. Tyree Wilson

Will Anderson was taken third by the Houston Texans and figures to slot in immediately as an every-down player in DeMeco Ryans' defense. The Texans shipped out quite a bit of assets to move up and select Anderson, so an immediate impact role is certainly the expectation.

The one potential downside here is the lack of playmakers around him on this defensive line, which may allow offensive lines to double-team Anderson out the gates and force someone else to beat them.

Houston had the 13th-fewest sacks last year, and the next best sack artist on this team is likely Jerry Hughes, who will be 35 when the season begins. The need and fit for Anderson in Houston is clear, and he's likely to elevate the entire group.

As for Tyree Wilson, he was drafted seventh by the Raiders, a team even more devoid of sacks in 2022, finishing with the third-fewest as a defense.

There's a benefit for Wilson here: he will work more in a rotation with Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones, which should give him plenty of one-on-one matchups and the less snaps may actually help keep his motor higher when he does hit the field.

The most sacks ever recorded by a rookie came from Jevon Kearse in 1999, finishing with 14.5. More recently, Micah Parsons tallied 13.0 sacks in 2021, and Joey Bosa, Maxx Crosby, Josh Allen and Bradley Chubb all crossed the 10.0-sack threshold in their first seasons in the league.

The odds favor Anderson by quite a bit. The Texans rookie is priced at -265 to beat out Wilson in sacks this year, with the Raiders first round pick set at +210.

Curiously, over the past two seasons, both Anderson and Wilson compiled 27.5 sacks for their respective schools.

Given the potential for less focus against him, we'll take a chance on Wilson at this price.

The bet: Tyree Wilson to have more sacks than Will Anderson (+210 DK)

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