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NFL player prop of the day: Russell Wilson and the joy of cooking

You can count on one hand the number of quarterbacks in the NFL who are better than Russell Wilson. Even if you're a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

The Seahawks quarterback was 2020's early frontrunner for MVP, shredding the league for 2,541 passing yards and 28 touchdowns in the first half of the season. Russ was cooking. Then Pete Carroll interrupted the dinner service like Gordon Ramsay in an episode of "Kitchen Nightmares."

Wilson still ended up throwing for 4,212 yards and 40 touchdowns. His passing yards prop for 2021 is listed on BetMGM at 4,300.5 passing yards. Factoring in the new addition of a 17th game, that's an average of 253 passing yards per game — a number Wilson exceeded each of the past two seasons under offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. With new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron bringing an uptempo offense to Seattle, I like the over.

Russell Wilson was an early front-runner for MVP in 2020. (James Lang/USA TODAY Sports)
Russell Wilson was an early front-runner for MVP in 2020. (James Lang/USA TODAY Sports)

Turn it up

Waldron most recently served as the passing game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams from 2017 to 2020. He had a bevy of tools to work with in receivers Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, and will get even better ones in Seattle with Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf.

He'll also be joined by a familiar face after the Seahawks gave former Rams tight end Gerald Everett a one-year, $6 million contract. Everett will provide Seattle a considerable upgrade from last season's tight end melange of Greg Olsen, Jacob Hollister, and Will Dissly.

David Moore is gone, but he's replaced by second-round draft pick Dee Eskridge, a speed demon similar to Lockett who can take the top off the defense but also do work in the middle of the field.

Seattle has most of their money invested in their offense and lost their top corner in free agency when Shaquill Griffin signed with the Jaguars, so we should expect the same porous defense we witnessed last season.

After passing on 61% of plays in 2020, the Seahawks brought in a new offensive coordinator to speed up the tempo, upgraded Wilson's arsenal and the defense is still bad. Sign me up for over 4,300.5 passing yards and let Russ cook.