NFL Week 13 Tips: Tom Collins identifies three enticing anytime touchdown bets

After consistently hitting the back of the net or crossbar with the recommended accumulators since the start of the season, it’s fair to say that last week’s NFL selections were a disaster.

The New Orleans Saints dominated possession and had more yards than the Atlanta Falcons yet succumbed to another loss, while Houston Texans’ kicker Matt Ammendola hit the crossbar on his game-tying field goal attempt with seconds left and subsequently lost his job. Oh, and to top it off the Bills and Eagles played out an absolute doozy when we wanted the ‘under’. 

Bouncing back is the priority, but I’m going with a slightly different ploy this week with a handful of anytime touchdown scorer tips. No accumulator advised, just three juicy singles with profit being the main goal.

Indianapolis Colts (-1) @ Tennessee Titans (+1)

Kick-off: 6pm Sunday BST

The Jacksonville Jaguars have forged two games clear in the AFC South standings, but a playoff berth is still in sight for the Indianapolis Colts after they secured important wins against Carolina, New England and Tampa Bay in their last three match-ups. They will need to keep their foot firmly on the pedal, though, and a win against the languishing Tennessee Titans this Sunday is crucial.

With star running back Jonathan Taylor nursing a thumb injury and questionable to play, the game plan will be to feed young wide receivers Josh Downs and Michael Pittman, who have come up clutch in key situations this season. Both players were targeted 13 times last week, though it is Pittman who generally gets a greater share of the ball when the Colts enter the redzone.

The fourth-year pro has 11 targets inside the opponent’s 20-yard-line since week six (second-most in the league) and 17 on the season (fourth-most). Surprisingly, only one of those targets has resulted in a touchdown and he’s proved more likely to score on deeper routes, but he’s ever dangerous and will have a great chance of adding to his tally against a Titans team that has allowed Calvin Ridley, Mike Evans and Diontae Johnson to dominate in recent weeks.

Prediction: Michael Pitman anytime touchdown @ 11/8

Arizona Cardinals (+5.5) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (-5.5)

Kick-off: 6pm Sunday BST

Although Kyler Murray’s return lit a small fire on offence against the Falcons and Texans, the flame was completely extinguished last week when the Cardinals lost 37-14 to the Rams. With a 0-6 record away from home, I don’t expect Arizona to make amends against the Steelers just seven days on.

The Rams proved that the Cardinals still cannot defend the run. Kyren Williams carried the ball 16 times for 143 yards (8.9 yards per carry) while Royce Freeman almost matched it with 13 carries for 77 yards (5.9 ypc) and a touchdown, so what chance do they have against an inspired tag team of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren this week?

Although Harris gets goalline carries, I’m way more interested in Jaylen Warren in the anytime touchdown market. The Oklahoma State product has wowed with his performances over the last month and has breakaway speed, unflappable balance, and the ability to force defenders to miss tackles. He is almost matching Harris for touches now and is dangerous in the passing game, too. 

Prediction: Jaylen Warren anytime touchdown @ 6/5

Cleveland Browns (+3.5) @ Los Angeles Rams (-3.5)

Kick-off: 9.25pm Sunday BST

Season-ending injuries to DeShaun Watson and Nick Chubb have stopped the Cleveland Browns becoming a juggernaut this year and their offence now ranks 29th out of 32 teams in the National Football League. The positive is that their defence continues to play lights out which regularly makes them hard to beat.

This will be a tight game - there might not be many touchdowns scored on either side - but the Rams have given up 60 yards and 0.45 touchdowns per game to tight ends this season (fourth-most in the league) and David Njoku has become a popular target for both back-up quarterbacks PJ Walker and Dorian Thompson-Robinson in recent weeks.

The big-bodied Njoku has 13 redzone targets since week six, which is the most for a tight end by a considerable margin, and a whopping 19 catches in his last three games. In a totally random stat, he also has three touchdowns in three games played in Los Angeles in his career. Make of that what you will!

Prediction: David Njoku anytime touchdown @ 2/1

NFL Week 13 Tips

Colts @ Titans: Michael Pittman anytime touchdown @ 11/8
Cardinals @ Steelers: Jaylen Warren anytime touchdown @ 6/5
Brown @ Rams: David Njoku anytime touchdown @ 2/1