Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III is drawing significant attention in prop betting markets as the team prepares to face the New England Patriots in Sunday’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas. Bettors are placing heavy wagers on Walker’s receiving and rushing yard totals, reflecting the growing excitement around his performance potential in the game.
Strong Interest in Walker’s Yardage Totals
BetMGM Sportsbook reports a large volume of bets on Kenneth Walker III to exceed 20½ receiving yards while staying under 72½ rushing yards. These lines have shifted over time, with the rushing yards prop initially set at 78½ yards. Walker has exceeded the receiving yard mark in both playoff appearances and in four of his last five games during the regular season, while he reached the rushing yard total in three of those contests.
John Ewing, BetMGM’s PR media insights manager, highlighted the unusual betting patterns surrounding Walker’s rushing yards, saying,
“That is the most-bet under for any prop across the board,”
and noted,
“Usually, players tend to want to wager on positive outcomes, but this is one situation where the rushing yard prop has come down quite a bit.”
Touchdown Odds and Popular Player Bets
In addition to yardage bets, Kenneth Walker III is a popular choice at DraftKings Sportsbook, where he is listed at +350 to score the game’s first touchdown and -195 to score at any point. The excitement around touchdown props extends beyond Walker, with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba favored at +550 for the first touchdown and -110 to score anytime, while teammate Cooper Kupp is offered at 14-1 for the opening score.
Johnny Avello, director of race and sportsbook operations at DraftKings, remarked on the popularity of touchdown-related wagers:
“That’s one prop that’s taking a lot of action,”
adding,
“And it usually does take a lot of action during the year. It doesn’t surprise me that’s probably going to be the biggest prop of anything for the Super Bowl.”
Wide Variety of Prop Betting Options Available
Super Bowl bettors have numerous prop options to choose from, including bets on unusual outcomes like whether the game will include a safety, if it will extend into overtime, or which player will be named MVP. Sportsbooks often offer upwards of 1,000 proposition bets, many of which are variations on core categories. For example, different quarterbacks will have distinct odds for passing yards milestones such as 200, 250, or 300 yards.
Craig Mucklow, vice president of trading at Caesars Sportsbook, pointed to the rich diversity of props on offer:
“Caesars helped ignite the Super Bowl prop betting craze back in the 1980s,”
he said.
“This is our most comprehensive and diverse prop menu ever.”
Johnny Avello explained that offering extensive prop bets is routine:
“It’s because we do it every Sunday on every single game,”
he said.
“We have our model and we just plug in the teams that are new to the players and everything to do with that particular game. We’ve had a lot of these props up since Sunday night two Sundays ago.”
Variations in State Betting Regulations
Not all U.S. states allow the full range of prop bets offered by sportsbooks. Several restrict wagers on certain novelty propositions such as the outcome of the coin toss or the color of the Gatorade poured on the winning coach. Only a few states permit these types of bets.
John Ewing explained BetMGM’s focus on straightforward, on-field events:
“What BetMGM is focused on are props that happen on the field, so that takes away any of the ambiguity,”
he said.
“That’s why most props are ones most bettors are used to.”
In contrast, offshore sportsbooks and prediction markets can offer a wider range of subjective prop bets, including things like the duration of the national anthem. Such wagers are not permitted in the United States due to the difficulty in defining clear start and end points and the potential for insider information.
Bettors Favor Seattle Seahawks in Game Outcome Wagers
On traditional bets regarding the Super Bowl winner, the Seattle Seahawks are established as 4½-point favorites. This line has attracted the majority of the betting action so far.
John Ewing commented on this distribution of wagers:
“Right now, we have a majority of the action on the Seahawks’ spread, which is the most-bet market,”
he said. He also noted,
“The Seahawks on the future market is our only liability remaining, so we are going to be cheering for the Patriots to maybe pull the upset or at least keep it close.”
