Sunday night’s matchup between the Lions and Panthers has the feel of a game where the touchdown market could do a lot of the heavy lifting.
Detroit heads to Carolina for Week 4 with both offenses producing early. The Lions are seventh in EPA/Play, while the Panthers sit 13th.
Detroit has scored at least 30 points in every game so far, and the total is sitting at 51.5, which tells you the market is expecting points. Carolina, meanwhile, comes in as a home underdog and is trying to bounce back from a Week 3 loss to Cleveland.
There are plenty of options worth circling, but the best place to start is with Sam LaPorta.
LaPorta is healthy and has opened the 2026 season in strong form, catching 14 of 19 targets for 144 yards and a touchdown. He has been on the field for 89.9 percent of Detroit’s snaps, which gives him a stable role in a game that should feature plenty of passing.
The Lions have leaned heavily on Jahmyr Gibbs through three weeks, but Jared Goff has already thrown eight touchdowns, and LaPorta remains a steady part of the attack alongside Amon-Ra St. Brown.
This matchup also lines up well for the tight end. Carolina has already allowed three touchdowns to the position this season, including two to Cleveland tight end Harold Fannin Jr. in Week 3.
Detroit’s defense has been leaky enough to create shootouts, giving up 24 or more points in three straight games, and that should keep the passing volume flowing on Sunday night. LaPorta, listed at +185, has long been a red-zone threat after scoring 17 times across his first two seasons before an injury-hit 2025 campaign.
St. Brown is the other Lions pass catcher who belongs in the conversation.
He is tied with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the NFL lead in red-zone targets with nine through three weeks, and he has turned those looks into eight catches for 41 yards and four scores. He has scored in all three games this season and five times overall, continuing the same red-zone dominance he showed in 2025, when he led the league with 34 red-zone looks.
With Goff already up to eight passing scores and Jaycee Horn sidelined for Carolina, St. Brown looks positioned to keep that streak going, even if the price isn’t especially friendly.
On the Carolina side, Darren Waller stands out as the best touchdown bet.
The Lions have been a mess against tight ends, allowing more touchdowns to the position than any team in the league this season, with six already surrendered. Juwan Johnson, Dalton Kincaid and Kenyon Sadiq have all found the end zone against Detroit’s secondary, which has been further weakened by the absences of Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. Detroit ranks 27th in EPA/Pass and has given up 29 catches for 351 yards and six touchdowns to tight ends in 2026.
Waller is coming off a season-high five catches for 51 yards on eight targets in Week 3, and he scored twice in Week 2 against Atlanta. He also played more than 50 percent of the snaps in that game, his first time hitting that mark all season.
With Jalen Coker dealing with a quad injury, his usage could rise again. At +235, he’s the value play in a game that looks set up for scoring.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
In Other News...
Panthers Hit With New NFL Discipline Right Before Lions Game
The Panthers are dealing with a little extra league paperwork heading into their Lions matchup, with the NFL handing down fines to three players for infractions from Week 3 against the Browns. A.J. Dillon was penalized for a facemask, Lee Hunter for unsportsmanlike conduct tied to taunting, and Thomas Incoom for unnecessary roughness involving helmet use.
None of the three was suspended, so Carolina avoids a bigger hit to its depth chart. Still, the fines are a reminder that the Panthers physical edge has to stay within the leagues lines, especially with another tough opponent waiting and every roster spot carrying added weight. [Read more 🡒]
Former Panthers QB Andy Dalton Just Took A Tough Turn In Philly
Andy Daltons run in Philadelphia has taken an awkward turn, with the Eagles set to hand the backup quarterback job to Tanner McKee. For a veteran who arrived with plenty of experience and a clear understanding of what it means to be a steady No. 2, the change comes after Dalton was in the mix for the role and had already seen the field this season.
The decision follows a recent interception that appears to have shifted the competition, and it leaves the Eagles with four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. McKee has also appeared in games this season, so this is not just a depth-chart formality, but a meaningful move in a crowded room where every snap has carried some weight. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Prime-Time Matchup Comes With A Weather Concern Fans Should Watch
The week 4 slate brings a familiar kind of football anxiety for Panthers fans, with Detroits trip to Carolina landing on a Sunday schedule that could be shaped by the sky as much as by the matchup itself. The broader forecast also has eyes on the Rams-Eagles game in Philadelphia, but for Carolina the focus is on how the conditions at kickoff in Charlotte may affect a home game that already carries plenty of attention.
The latest outlook calls for rain and possible storm impacts across several of the weekend games, and the Panthers prime-time slot is among the ones worth watching closely as Sunday turns into Monday around the league. With kickoff times, venues and weather all part of the equation, this is the kind of small pregame twist that can change how a game feels before the first snap, even if the on-field stakes stay the same. [Read more 🡒]