1st TD scorer odds: Buy Evans, sell Brady
The betting market is expecting roughly seven touchdowns to be scored in Super Bowl LV between the Chiefs and Buccaneers. The first one is arguably the most important.
Betting on the first touchdown scorer has become more commonplace for prime-time games, but it's a staple for the Super Bowl.
Here, we'll go over who you should buy or sell come the big game.
Odds to score 1st TD in Super Bowl LV
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Travis Kelce (KC) | +600 |
| Tyreek Hill (KC) | +600 |
| Leonard Fournette (TB) | +1000 |
| Mike Evans (TB) | +1200 |
| Chris Godwin (TB) | +1300 |
| Darrel Williams (KC) | +1600 |
| Mecole Hardman (KC) | +1700 |
| Clyde Edwards-Helaire (KC) | +1700 |
| Ronald Jones (TB) | +1800 |
| Antonio Brown (TB) | +1800 |
| Field (all others not listed) | +1800 |
| Sammy Watkins (KC) | +2000 |
| Patrick Mahomes (KC) | +2200 |
| Demarcus Robinson (KC) | +2200 |
| Rob Gronkowski (TB) | +2200 |
| Cameron Brate (TB) | +2200 |
| Byron Pringle (KC) | +3000 |
| Le'Veon Bell (KC) | +3300 |
| Tom Brady (TB) | +3500 |
| Scotty Miller (KC) | +3500 |
| LeSean McCoy (TB) | +6500 |
| Tyler Johnson (TB) | +7000 |
| Darwin Thompson (KC) | +7500 |
| Tanner Hudson (KC) | +7500 |
| Justin Watson (TB) | +7500 |
| Marcus Kemp (KC) | +8000 |
| Nick Keizer (KC) | +8000 |
| Blaine Gabbert (TB) | +8500 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr. (TB) | +10000 |
| Antonio Hamilton (KC) | +10000 |
| Chad Henne (KC) | +10000 |
| Chris Jones (KC) | +10000 |
| Daniel Sorensen (KC) | +10000 |
| Devin White (TB) | +10000 |
| Ndamukong Suh (TB) | +10000 |
| Ricky Seals-Jones (KC) | +10000 |
| Sean Murphy-Bunting (TB) | +10000 |
| Tyrann Mathieu (KC) | +10000 |
| Jason Pierre-Paul (TB) | +25000 |
| No TD | +50000 |
Buy: Mike Evans (+1200)
The name of the game is scoring touchdowns, and Evans has a bunch this season - 13, in fact. He opened the year with at least one in each of his first five contests and is back on the wagon, hauling in TDs in back-to-back postseason games.
Evans is a huge target at 6-foot-5, and quarterback Tom Brady's thrown the second-most touchdowns inside the 10-yard line this season. Kansas City's defense is by far the worst red-zone unit in football, allowing opponents to score TDs on 74.07% of their trips inside the 20.
The duo hooked up for two receiving touchdowns in the last meeting between the teams and could be poised for more - potentially right out of the gate.
Fade: Darwin Thompson (+7500)
You couldn't offer me a blank check to bet on Thompson to score first.
The second-year tailback only has two career touchdowns - one last season, and another this year in Week 17. Thompson's only seen more than 15 snaps in a game once, which makes this an easy fade.
Play: Tyreek Hill (+600)
Hill owned the Buccaneers' defense in Week 12, catching a dozen passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns. Both he and fellow pass-catcher Travis Kelce share the top spot in the odds at 6-1, but I favor Hill here.
Not only has he proved to be a matchup nightmare for this secondary, Hill leads the team in red-zone targets (23) and catches (16).
So much for just a deep threat.
Fade: Tom Brady (+3500)
The Buccaneers have multiple freaks at wide receiver, two huge tight ends, and a couple bulldozers in the backfield. Would Tampa Bay really risk a sneak so early in the game?
Brady has four touchdowns on the year, but they were all gimmes. Given how horrendous Kansas City's been in the red zone, the Buccaneers don't need to keep the ball in TB12's hands.
Fade the GOAT.
(Odds source: theScore Bet)
Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.