Cardinals at Giants Betting Odds & Picks
- Odds: Giants -3
- Over/Under: 50.5
- Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: FOX
Odds as of Thursday evening and via PointsBet, where Action Network users can access an exclusive promotion to get a 200% deposit match (deposit $50, bet with $150).
Kyler Murray and Daniel Jones were the first two quarterbacks taken in the 2019 NFL draft, and they'll square off as pros for the first time on Sunday.
Our experts expect a lot of points in a matchup between two fast offenses and bad defenses. Let's break down the betting odds and how our staff is betting the game.
Cardinals-Giants Injury Report
Which team is healthier? Cardinals
The Giants would be the healthier team if Evan Engram (knee) and Saquon Barkley (ankle) both suit up. Both players have been practicing in full, so they should be trending in the right direction in an extremely inviting matchup. Sterling Shepard's status is uncertain as he’s been limited in practice with a concussion.
David Johnson added an ankle injury to his woes, but he returned to a limited practice on Thursday, suggesting he should be fine for Sunday. Christian Kirk (ankle) could be healthy enough to play despite limited practice this week. — Justin Bailey
Note: Info as of Thursday. See our Injury Report for daily practice participation and game statuses up until kickoff.
Biggest Mismatch
Evan Engram vs. Cardinals Pass Defense
The Cardinals are likely unhappy to see that Engram and Barkley are good bets to play after they missed last week's loss to the Patriots.
Arizona ranks 32nd against opposing tight ends and 31st vs opposing backs in coverage. Just last week, Falcons tight end Austin Hooper went off for eight catches, 117 yards and a touchdown. If they play, expect huge games from Engram and Barkley, two of the most explosive players at their respective positions.
Just take a look at what some of the other tight ends have done (catches/targets/yards/touchdowns) against the Cardinals this season:
- Austin Hooper: 8/8-117-1
- Will Dissly: 7/8-57-1
- Mark Andrews: 8/9-112-1
- J. Hockenson: 6/9-131-1
- Greg Olsen: 6/7-75-2
That’s a total of 35 catches on 41 targets for 492 yards and six touchdowns. That means in those five games, opposing tight ends are averaging seven catches on 8.2 targets for 98.4 yards and 1.2 touchdowns!
They’ve been absolutely torched by opposing tight ends in all but one game against the winless Bengals. With Patrick Peterson returning to one of the two corner spots on the outside for Arizona, look for Jones to target Evan (and Barkley) early and often when he drops back.— Stuckey
Sean Koerner's Projected Odds
- Projected Spread: Giants -2.5
- Projected Total: 47
The Cardinals are on a two-game win streak and get Peterson back from his six-game suspension. The Giants have key offensive players who are questionable in Barkley, Engram and Shepard, so it would be a significant boost to the offense if/when all three are active and near 100%. I’m guessing Engram will play, Barkley will be limited and Shepard will sit.
With 79% of the money on the Giants as of writing (see live public betting data here), it’s driven the line up to the key number of 3, meaning now may be the time to lock in the key number. It doesn’t look like sharps are letting it get up to 3.5 as they might have the same read on this game as me at +2.5.
Despite the over getting 70% of the bets, this total has dipped from 49 to 48.5 and has since rebounded up to 50.5.
It makes sense that the public is attacking this over. You have two top-10 teams in terms of pace and two below-average defenses. Either offense is capable of scoring points in the right matchup. However, 50.5 points is still a bit high given Peterson’s return and the Giants having key offensive players at less than 100% health.
I’m leaning toward the under but am willing to see if the line continues to climb higher before taking it. — Sean Koerner
Expert Picks
Mike Randle: Over 50.5
I'm gonna disagree with Sean here.
The return of Barkley would be ideal for a Giants offense that should score against an Arizona defense that ranks 30th in Football Outsiders' overall DVOA. The Cardinals have been particularly poor against opposing quarterbacks, allowing 24.5 fantasy points per game (31st among all teams).
Jones should also be able to generate yards on the ground, as only the Bengals have allowed more rushing yards to opposing signal-callers.
The Cardinals offense also have a juicy matchup against a Giants team that is 28th in pass defense DVOA. Murray has improved every week and notched consecutive top-five fantasy quarterback performances. His wide receiving corps should be back to full strength with the potential return of Kirk. Before the injury, Kirk ranked third among all wide receivers in targets. New York allows the third-most points to opposing fantasy wide receivers.
Both the Giants (eighth) and Cardinals (first) play at an extremely quick pace, causing me to bet on the offensive playmakers in this matchup of two poor defenses.
