Is line shopping worth it for player props?
Yes, and far more on some props than others. On our NFL week 3 board, taking the best price among eight major US books instead of one made a winning yardage or receptions bet pay $2.56 more per $100 than DraftKings alone, $3.58 more than FanDuel and $4.86 more than BetMGM, on average. On anytime touchdowns the typical winning bet paid 7% to 12.5% more at the best of the eight, depending on the book you started from.
Every betting guide says to shop your lines. Few say how much it is worth, because to know that you need every book’s price on the same bets at the same time. We have that, so here is the number, from one NFL week.
How we measured it
On our NFL week 3 board, for every player line that at least three of eight major US books were pricing, we compared two things: the price at one book, and the best price among all eight. The eight are DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, Fanatics, BetRivers, theScore Bet and Hard Rock Bet. No offshore books, no exchanges, and no bet365, whose prices on our board come from its Ontario app.
If you win the bet, the better price pays more. The question is how much more, on average.
Yardage and receptions: a few dollars a bet
582 NFL sides across receiving yards, rushing yards, passing yards and receptions.
| If your only book is | Already the best price | Extra per $100 winning bet at the best of eight |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | 56.9% of its sides | $2.56 |
| FanDuel | 29.2% | $3.58 |
| Hard Rock Bet | 10.1% | $3.73 |
| BetRivers | 27.6% | $3.88 |
| theScore Bet | 34.6% | $3.94 |
| BetMGM | 23.9% | $4.86 |
Those are averages over every side the book quoted, including the ones where it was already best and the gain was zero.
What does $3.58 a bet come to? Say you bet $100 on 100 FanDuel yardage props and win half. Taking the best of the eight on the same bets pays about $179 more over those 100 bets. From DraftKings, which is so often best already, about $128. From BetMGM, about $243.
Anytime touchdowns: much more
401 NFL anytime touchdown players priced by three or more of the same eight books.
| If your only book is | Already the best price | Median extra on a winning bet |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | 21.0% | 7.0% |
| Fanatics | 26.9% | 8.3% |
| FanDuel | 13.5% | 8.5% |
| BetMGM | 31.7% | 9.1% |
| BetRivers | 24.8% | 9.5% |
| Hard Rock Bet | 13.1% | 10.6% |
| Caesars | 1.3% | 12.5% |
A 10% better payout on a +150 touchdown bet turns it into +175: on $100, the difference between winning $150 and winning $175. Anytime touchdown is the market where shopping pays most. The book-by-book count for that market is in which sportsbook has the best anytime touchdown odds.
Why the two markets differ so much
On the yardage props, the books cluster: most prices sit within a few cents of each other, and DraftKings in particular was already best more than half the time. On anytime touchdowns the prices spread out. On the same board, the best and worst price on a player at +250 or shorter differed by a median 13%, against about 2% on receiving yards.
Why books spread on one market and cluster on another, we have not measured and will not guess. The size of the gap is the part that matters for your bankroll.
Is it worth the hassle?
It depends which props you bet.
- Mostly yardage, and you have DraftKings? You were already at the best of the eight majors on over half your bets. A second book helps; it is not urgent.
- Mostly yardage, and you have one other book? A second account is worth a few dollars on every winning bet, and it adds up over a season.
- Anytime touchdowns? Shop every time. A median 7% to 12.5% better payout is too much to leave behind.
The number also moves during the week: of the yardage lines up on a Wednesday, about four in five were on a different number by Sunday, covered in do NFL player prop lines move during the week. Shopping on Sunday means comparing Sunday’s prices.
The books do not always agree on the number either: for most players, the books posting his yardage prop did not all hang the same line, covered in do all sportsbooks have the same prop line.
The Lab board is built for exactly this check. Choose your book under my books and every row is re-priced from that book’s own quote, with vs best price showing how far it sits below the best price posted anywhere, measured in payout.
How many accounts it takes to catch most of the best prices, book by book, is counted in how many sportsbooks you need for player props.
What we counted
Our board for the NFL week 3 games of 27 and 28 September 2026, prices pulled at 10:11 a.m. Eastern on Friday 25 September. Main lines only. A side counts when three or more of the eight US books priced it: 582 yardage and receptions sides and 401 anytime touchdown players. “Extra per $100” is the average of the best-of-eight price minus the single book’s price, on a $100 bet that wins. The 100-bet example assumes a 50% win rate on the same bets at either price, which is an illustration, not a forecast.
No affiliate links, no referral codes, and no sportsbook was contacted. Numbers come from our own board for NFL week 3, 2026.
Quick answers
Is line shopping worth it for player props?
On our NFL week 3 count, yes. A winning yardage or receptions bet paid $2.56 to $4.86 more per $100 at the best of eight major US books than at a single one, depending on which. On anytime touchdowns the typical gain was 7% to 12.5% of the payout.
How much does line shopping save on a $100 bet?
On NFL yardage props, a few dollars per winning bet: $2.56 on average against DraftKings alone, $3.58 against FanDuel. Over 100 bets that you win half of, that is roughly $128 to $243 depending on your starting book.
Which props is line shopping most worth it on?
One-sided ones like anytime touchdowns. On our board the best of eight US books paid a median 7% to 12.5% more than a single book on anytime touchdowns, against 0% to 1.7% on the yardage props.
If I only have DraftKings, how much am I missing?
On NFL yardage and receptions, less than anyone else: DraftKings already had the best price among the eight US majors on 56.9% of the sides it quoted. On anytime touchdowns it had the best price on 21% of players.
Do I need offshore books to line shop?
No. Every number on this page uses eight major US books only. Adding more books widens the gaps, but the point stands without them.
Want tonight's board?
The Lab has the full slate: every line with L5, L10, L20 and season hit rates, game logs, matchup context and the best price at your books. A short daily card of picks is posted before the games and graded in public afterwards, win or lose. The Lab is free, and it stays free.