The New York Giants open up their 2022 season on the road against the defending top seed of the AFC playoffs.
While the game, on paper, could be a long game for the Giants, the Titans are a much different team than last year’s group that won the AFC South.
Gone are star players like AJ Brown. Harold Landry is out for the year with an ACL injury, and the dominance of Derrick Henry will be in question if another season is ended due to an injury.
The Giants on the other hand open up a brand-new rebuild with Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll at the helm from Buffalo. Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley are in eventual contract years, while newcomers like Evan Neal and Kayvon Thibodeaux are looking to start a new era of winning Giants football.
With any game between a big underdog like this, there are plenty of prop bets to be found in the contest.
Here are the three must-play props to run with heading into week one.
Saquon Barkley to score a touchdown
A pretty easy one to start. Saquon has looked fresh and fully healthy after multiple seasons of battling injuries. The Giants’ interior offensive line, while struggling can open up enough holes for the star back out of Penn State.
It also comes down to the opponent too. Without Harold Landry, the Titan’s defensive front isn’t as formidable as originally expected. Tennessee does have solid players like Bud Dupree to cover for the pro-bowler, but the odds are still in Barkley’s favor to get at least one score.
It should also be of note that the Giants are a team that is going to want to move Barkley all over the field. Throughout camp, Barkley worked with the receivers and running backs as a way to maximize his overall game.
It’s highly likely that the Giants feed Barkley early and often in Sunday’s contest.
Treylon Burks over receiving yards
The Titans had been looking for a while to find a receiver they could pair with AJ Brown. Julio Jones wasn’t up to the task, and it ended up being the main reason that the Titans traded Brown to Philadelphia.
Without needing to pay a top receiver like Brown, the Titans instead took gambles on Robert Woods and the selection of Treylon Burks in the 2022 NFL Draft. Burks had been comped to Brown for most of his college career and is an athletic specimen. With Woods expected to start week one, the debate then rages: who is Ryan Tannehill going to throw the football to?
Woods will most likely get Adoree Jackson in coverage, which leaves players like Aaron Robinson covering Burks. I like Burks in that matchup early.
At only 26.5, I think Burks could get that on one reception Sunday, and lock up a relatively easy prop bet.
Daniel Jones Over Interceptions Thrown
Giants fans know the stat. In 37 NFL games, Jones has accrued 49 total turnovers – 29 interceptions and 20 fumbles lost throughout his young NFL career.
It would be foolish to not expect at least an interception in Sunday’s contest for a few reasons. First, Daboll doesn’t mind the gunslinger mentality. Unlike his predecessor, Daboll understands that a quarterback needs to play free and in control at all times.
Sometimes that means a turnover will come.
The Titans were an opportune team at forcing turnovers last season. Even with young players like Roger McCreary and Kristian Fulton, the odds of Jones turning the football over via an interception is very high on Sunday.
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