Waiting got us a +4 instead of 3.5, although I probably wouldn't have played +3.5. Clearly not going to get +4.5. The Bolts are thin at linebacker with Denzel Perryman out and Daiyan Henley a late add as questionable with an illness (he is active). Raiders star TE Brock Bowers will play despite missing all week injured. NFL home dogs of 3-6 points in Week 2 have covered at a 59% rate dating to 2003. Pete Carroll teams are 6-2-1 ATS vs. Jim Harbaugh teams in the NFL.

No doubt the Raiders have already shown improvement in Year 1 under Pete Carroll, but replicating their success against a much tougher Chargers team with a much better coach (Jim Harbaugh) than their Week 1 opponent is a tall task. Los Angeles is a tough, stout team with a playmaking quarterback who should have no problem shredding the Las Vegas secondary. The Chargers are more complete and consistent – especially up front, which can combat the Maxx Crosby and Raiders DL. Plus, there's not much home-field advantage in Vegas. LA is 7-0 ATS vs. AFC West teams under Harbaugh, 11-2 ATS as favorites in the same span. With 3.5s on the board, I’m willing to pay (and up my wager accordingly) for the better line.

Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh hinted at an increased workload for Harris in Week 2. This is a number that the former Alabama standout should eclipse if he sees five carries against the Raiders on MNF.

Johnston had a huge Week 1, going for 5 Rec/79 Yards/2 TD. While I don’t expect that kind of output every week for LA’s developing wideout, I do think Johnston has a strong chance to find the end zone again in Week 2. I was shocked to find out that Johnston led all wide receivers last season with his 8 TD grabs against zone coverage. Raiders HC Pete Carroll has always used a zone-heavy approach on defense, giving Johnston an ideal matchup. The Chargers played the Raiders in Week 18 last season, and Johnston exploded for 13 catches on 14 targets for an absurd 186 receiving yards. I like his chances to score against the Raiders tonight.

The Raiders already look substantially better under Pete Carroll, but I still really like the Chargers here. Justin Herbert was outstanding in Week 1, and if he can continue playing like that, the Chargers will win comfortably on Monday Night Football.

Geno Smith's teams have gone Over their team totals 13 of 15 times when playing in a dome. The highly accurate veteran completed 24 of 34 passes in Week 1. The Raiders are 3.5-point home underdogs, so it's possible Smith is playing from behind Monday. I like the Chargers in a higher-scoring game, and I also bet Smith to record at least 23 completions.

DraftKings. I’m in “prove-it” mode when it comes to Ashton Jeanty. After an underwhelming preseason in which the rookie only mustered 3.1 yards per carry and a 2-yard catch, Jeanty only had 40 yards on 21 touches in his regular season debut. Coach Pete Carroll acknowledged that Jeanty missed some holes and was too amped up. While I’m sure better days are ahead, this is a tough matchup against the Chargers front seven that held Chiefs running backs to 54 yards on 14 touches in Week 1. I’d bet this down to under 86.5 combined yards.

We applaud the Chargers tonight for reportedly wear their new powder-blue pants that we first saw in the HOF game on July 31 vs. the Lions. Fashion aside, this has become an unexpected showdown for top spot in the AFC West, irrespective of how early it might be in the season. The Raiders have a different bite with new HC Pete Carroll, indicated by last week's win at ew England. Geno Smith has temporarily solved QB issues that slowed the Raider progress last fall, and Boise State rookie Ashton Jeanty is already making an impact for this offense with his bruising TD run at Gillette Stadium. lastly, this rivalry is often played within tight margins and the 3.5 price is not insignificant tonight. Play Raiders

We like this new buzz with the Raiders, who have an energetic new HC (Pete Carroll), a very capable new QB (Geno Smith), and a new and electric RB (Ashton Jeanty). Add it up and there's more firepower than alst year with an offense better able to play from behind. We note that the Chargers have been involved in various higher-scoring games since last December; indeed, their last five regular-season games have all cleared tonight 46.5 on the totals side, as the Bolts also work on six straight over results into tonight. Justin Herbert also passed for 318 yards with 3 TDs (and no picks) in the opening win over the Chiefs in Sao Paolo, already looking in midseason form. Play Chargers-Raiders Over

Chargers RB2 Najee Harris is lucky to have avoided major damage to his eye, following a fireworks accident this offseason. While it certainly looks like he’ll be second fiddle to promising rookie RB Omarion Hampton, I do think Harris’ usage will begin to ramp up, after missing preseason training camp. Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh hinted at increasing Harris’ snap count this week. If LA are playing with the lead for a large portion of this game, Harris should get to see 5-7 touches and go over this modest rushing yards total.

Brock Bowers is an absolute freak of nature and a match-up nightmare for every opposing defenses he faces. Now, that holds true when Brock is 100% and I'm skeptical he's even close to 75% with the knee injury that forced him to miss some practice. Michael Mayer is a very capable running mate at TE and expect him to be featured more prominently. This is a big number for a player that might be severely limited so it's worth a small stab given it's only going to move one direction.

This line feels disrespectful. The last memory NFL fans have of Herbert, is of him throwing 4 interceptions against the Houston Texans in the playoffs last season. However, Herbert threw an interceptions in just 3/17 games all regular season. He looks poised to be the best version of himself coming into this year, and faces an unimpressive Raiders secondary in this matchup. Herbert didn’t throw a pick against Las Vegas in their two meetings last season, and went 45/62 on total pass attempts, good for a 72.5% completion percentage. We’re mostly betting that a ball won’t bounce off a Chargers receiver’s hands and leave the ball up for grabs. If we avoid that, Herbert keeps a clean sheet tonight.

The stock is relatively high right now for both of these teams, but I came into this season not thinking much of the Raiders and that opinion didn't change after their road win against the Patriots. The Chargers looked pretty great on both sides of the ball against the Chiefs last week and I only expect that to improve as the offense continues to gel. The Chargers also get a couple of extra days to prepare for this one and I don't expect the home field advantage to be huge in Vegas. I think this line should be -4 (this -3 number is currently available at FD).

While Keenan Allen clearly has some juice left in the proverbial tank, I think his week 1 performance where he received 10 targets which he turned into 7 receptions and 68 yards will ultimately go down as an outlier. I think it’s very unlikely Allen will continue to command a 29% target share, especially in a Greg Roman offense that has historically been run heavy. I believe Allen is also unlikely to draw more targets than Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston moving forward as well. Allen had the lowest route participation of the Chargers three starting WRs and he wasn’t exactly ultra efficient either. Last week Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuola aggressively double teamed McConey & QJ, indicating they are the Chargers most dangerous weapons.

FanDuel. Trying to read into coachspeak can be dangerous, but Jim Harbaugh has alluded to a bigger workload for Najee Harris, who was still recovering from an eye injury for the Chargers Week 1 matchup. Ten days later, I expect Harris to play the part he was originally supposed to for this Chargers team. Omarion Hampton is a big part of the future, but his Week 1 performance left a lot to be desired. A matchup against the Raiders uninspiring run defense should provide ample opportunity for offensive coordinator Greg Roman to establish the run. I have Harris pegged around 5-6 carries, and would bet this up to over 19.5 yards.

New Raiders linebacker Devin White made quite an impression in his Vegas debut, leading the team with 11 tackles. He was strong against the run as well as in coverage. What I especially like is that the Raiders, under Patrick Graham, were the most zone-heavy defense in Week 1. Typically, zone coverages lead to more tackles for linebackers. With the Chargers ability to mount extended drives, I love White to total at least six combined stops.

I am probably the biggest Quentin Johnston defender not named Johnston or Harbaugh but my description of him is "he's an 80% free throw shooter that airballs all of his misses." He rewarded defenders like me in Week 1 by basically winning the game with his 79 yards and 2 touchdowns. The fact that he was targeted 7 times was not surprising but the fact that he caught 5 of them was. He has caught under 60% of his targets for his career and as a result has come under 3.5 receptions in nearly 70% of his games. Johnston had 0 receptions on 5 targets in the playoff loss. I think the pressure coming off a great Week 1 and that will get to him.

I see a really nice opportunity to sell high on Justin Herbert. Before week 1 his line was as low as 224.5. We successfully capitalized on a line that was too low for who he, even in the Greg Roman offense, is as a QB. His 318 yards in Week 1 made everyone think we're seeing Justin Herbert circ '20-22 again. I think this is an over-reaction, especially in light of the defensive battle we are foreseeing. The Raiders gave up a lot of yards in Week 1 (287) but that number was inflated by New England playing from behind and abandoning the run. They only averaged 6.2 yards per attempt.

The Chargers had by far the more impressive Week 1 performance, as Justin Herbert aggressively attacked the Chiefs' downfield. Average depth of target: 10.3 yards. Now Herbert is facing one of the NFL's weakest secondaries. While the Raiders have improved under Pete Carroll and Geno Smith, I like the Chargers to outscore them in a 27-20 type of game.

Ashton Jeanty has simply not looked good since being selected by the Raiders with the 6th overall pick. Expectations were sky high for the RB prospect who failed to impress in preseason and had a dismal NFL debut where he turned 19 totes into just 38 yards against what is likely to be a below average Patriots run defense that surrendered the third most yards to opposing RBs last season. Jeanty has lacked burst/explosiveness while displaying poor vision and sideline to sideline speed. He’ll be facing a tough Chargers defense that did a good job limiting KC’s rushing attack in Week 1. I’d play this line down to 66.5.

The Chargers made a statement in their season opening win over the Chiefs. Jim Harbaugh can flat-out coach, and Justin Herbert is one of the most physically gifted QBs the league has ever seen. The Raiders will be much more competitive on a consistent basis under Pete Carroll, but the Chargers are the clear-cut better team here. The Las Vegas home field advantage is minimal, and I expect the Chargers to win by a touchdown or more.

The Chargers were one of the most impressive teams in Week 1, especially rolling through the Chiefs defense. They could certainly do the same against a questionable Raiders defense, but that unit played well on the road against a Patriots team a lot of people were high on this summer. Geno Smith did a great job leading the Raiders offense in Week 1, and with the Brock Bowers injury not looking serious, I think this one should be on the other side of 3.