Published: December 19, 2024, 4:35 am ET

Week 16 of the NFL regular season is off to a slow start. On Thursday Night Football, the Denver Broncos travel to Los Angeles to face the Chargers (-2.5) in an all-AFC West showdown at SoFi Stadium. Justin Herbert was limited in practice all week due to the ankle injury he suffered in Week 15, but should be good to go. On the Broncos’ side, cornerback Pat Surtain returned to full practice this week, while DT Jonathan Franklin-Myers has yet to practice.

Both teams are fighting for wild card spots in the AFC as the Chiefs won the division. However, this will impact the overall standings as the Broncos are 9-5 and the Chargers are 8-6; The Chargers won the Week 6 game in Denver 23-16 and can overtake the Broncos with a win. With a lot at stake, let’s take a look at my best Broncos vs. Chargers player bet for TNF, while you can also check out ours NFL picks for EVERY Week 16 matchup.

Read our full Denver Broncos vs. LA Chargers predictions for TNF – our expert predicts a 21-11-2 run!

Javonte Williams (DEN) over 54.5 rush+receiving yards (-114)

Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publication.

We’re buying Javonte Williams at the lowest price in Los Angeles this week. The Denver committee’s veteran running back has struggled a lot lately. His last three run and reception combinations were 4, 4 and 23 yards; yes, you read that correctly. There is reason for hope with Jaleel McLaughlin out with a quadriceps injury. That leaves Williams and rookie Audric Estime for most of the snaps.

Since his breakthrough, Bo Nix has completed 74.2% of his passes (fourth-highest), while recording a passer rating of 106.7 (fourth-highest) and 12 touchdowns (third-highest) against zone, according to NFL Pro. This fits well with a redemption story against the Chargers, who have utilized zone coverage at the highest rate in the league. As for Williams, he is second on the team in target share, targets and receptions against zone coverage since Week 5. While the Chargers defend well against the run, only two teams allow opposing running backs more targets than the Chargers (Bills and Falcons). I like that Williams is doing his part to shut down the Broncos offense. 1u

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