First Touchdown Scorer Predictions for Thursday Night Football: Ravens vs. Dolphins Picks

My first touchdown scorer predictions for Thursday Night Football are targeting two Miami Dolphins wide receivers ahead of what's expected to be a scoring eruption, and the eternally imposing rushing threat that is Lamar Jackson.

Ride with me again as I look to score an early and juicy payout as part of our NFL picks, with the Dolphins hosting the Ravens at 8:15 p.m. ET from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami (Prime Video). Baltimore is the -7.5 betting favorite.

🏈 Thursday Night Football first touchdown scorer predictions

NFL first touchdown scorer picks for Thursday Night Football; odds subject to change.

💰 Best Ravens vs. Dolphins first touchdown scorer bets: TNF

Our NFL player prop odds tool shows the best odds for every market across legal sportsbooks in your area.

🐦‍⬛ Lamar Jackson (+1100) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lamar Jackson returns to our lives to at the very least make the 2-5 Ravens watchable after they just snapped a four-game losing streak that featured three losses by 14-plus points.

Now the league's all-time leader in rushing yards from a quarterback (reminder that he's only 28!) gets a chance to torch the Dolphins' 28th-ranked run defense that's allowing 145 rushing yards per game.

Yes, there's the chance Jackson could want to protect himself and ease back in as a runner following a hamstring injury. But embrace what is at worst moderate risk in that regard here, and give a big ol' bear hug to the appealing odds for Jackson to score first that we're getting to compensate.

If you'd like to calm your nerves a little more on the injury-return front, the Dolphins have allowed a league-worst four rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks, the eighth-most rushing yards to the position, and the sixth-most fantasy points.

A $10 bet using these +1100 betting odds at bet365 on Jackson scoring first could result in a $110 profit, with an implied probability of 8.33%. 

Our Esten McLaren is also featuring Jackson in his anytime touchdown scorer predictions for Thursday Night Football. And Dustin Saracini is locking in on Jackson's rushing effectiveness in his Ravens vs. Dolphins player prop bets.

🐬 Jaylen Waddle (+1000) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Ravens' defense is putrid overall, and especially against the pass (ranked 28th). The unit is tied for the third-most touchdowns given up to wide receivers (10) and the sixth-most receptions permitted (98).

Jaylen Waddle has been the Dolphins' top receiving option since Tyreek Hill suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4. He's risen to that opportunity to shine while sitting over or around the century mark yardage-wise in three of the four games since (110 yards against the Carolina Panthers, 95 against the Los Angeles Chargers, and 99 against the Atlanta Falcons).

The entire offense put up a dud against the Cleveland Browns, though an excusable one in horrible weather. But even if we include that outlier with one catch for 15 yards, Waddle is averaging 79.8 yards on 6.8 targets per game since Hill went down. Most importantly for our purposes here, he's caught six of his eight red-zone targets for 64 yards, with the latter putting him fourth leaguewide.

There should be plenty of scoring during a game featuring two weak defenses, which is a major factor in the Thursday Night Football odds showing a total of 51.5. If Waddle opens the touchdown fun and scores for the fifth time this season, a $10 wager on him through the +1000 betting odds at bet365 would translate to a $100 profit, with an implied probability of 9.09%.

Meanwhile, our Gary Pearson is looking toward a pass-catcher on the other sideline in his Ravens vs. Dolphins prediction.

🎯 Malik Washington (+2500) ⭐⭐⭐

Targeting another Dolphins receiver is the move ahead of a game in which Miami will be able to spread the ball around against a Ravens secondary that repeatedly falls on its face while defending any airborne ball.

Washington isn't used as a deep burner, as Waddle has that covered. But there's value in his underneath role given the space Waddle creates. Washington won't rack up significant yardage, but that's of a lesser concern with this long-shot pick for our Thursday Night Football first touchdown scorer predictions.

The 5-yard or 25-yard touchdowns count all the same for us, and target volume is the greater focus, particularly while digging for a dark horse in this market. Washington is getting that with his five-plus targets in four straight games, including being a week removed from a season-high eight targets. He also scored his first touchdown of the year last week and now has just one red-zone target fewer than Waddle (seven).

If Washington comes through, a $10 bet using these +2500 odds from bet365 would result in a $250 profit, with an implied probability of 3.85%.

 🎟️ Ravens vs. Dolphins most-bet first touchdown scorers

Here are the most-bet first touchdown scorers prior to tonight's game, via BetMGM.

1. Derrick Henry (+400)
2. De'Von Achane (+500)
3. Lamar Jackson (+1000)
4. Zay Flowers (+800)
5. Ollie Gordon II (+2500)

📊 Ravens vs. Dolphins first TD scorer odds: Thursday Night Football

Latest NFL odds updated live in real time.

📺 How to watch Thursday Night Football: Ravens vs. Dolphins

• Date: Thursday, Oct. 30
• Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. ET
• Where: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
• TV: Prime Video

💡 NFL expert picks for TNF

• Ravens vs. Dolphins prediction
• Ravens vs. Dolphins player prop bets
• Anytime touchdown scorer predictions for TNF
• First touchdown scorer predictions for TNF
• Best Ravens vs. Dolphins same game parlay
• Lamar Jackson player props & odds for TNF
• Ravens vs. Dolphins expert picks