Running back and former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Saquon Barkley and receiver/big-ticket offseason addition Kenny Golladay should be in the lineup Sunday when the New York Giants open the season against the visiting Denver Broncos, but No. 1 Big Blue tight end Evan Engram likely will not be able to go. Playing at home is usually an advantage, but it sure hasn't been in recent years for those betting on the Giants to cover the spread. They are +3 for Sunday at Caesars Sportsbook.
Barkley tore his ACL in Week 2 last season in Chicago and has been treated with kid gloves all of camp – he didn't play in the preseason. The former No. 2 overall pick has been practicing in full recently, however, and appears ready to return Sunday. Just don't expect a huge workload at first.
Golladay got a four-year, $72 million free-agent contract this offseason that reportedly was way more than any other teams offered the former Lions Pro Bowler. The concern with him is injuries, and he barely participated in most of camp and didn't sniff playing in the preseason with a hamstring injury, but he's expected to make his debut Sunday. Ditto first-round rookie wideout Kadarius Toney, who also has been hampered by a hamstring issue all summer.
Engram is dealing with a calf injury that led some to believe he might start the year on injured reserve and miss at least the first three games. Engram is considered a long shot for Sunday. He played all 16 games last year for the first time but through some injuries and finished with 63 catches for 654 yards and a TD. New York did sign former Vikings Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Rudolph in free agency, but he's in question for Sunday, too.
Over the past three seasons, the Giants are a brutal 6-17-1 against the spread at home. That 26.1 cover percentage is the NFL's worst at home. By comparison, New York is 18-6 ATS on the road in that stretch. Weird.
Sunday will be the Denver regular-season debut of starting QB Teddy Bridgewater. He will be the team's 11th starting QB since Peyton Manning retired. Bridgewater's teams are an amazing 21-3 ATS career in road games, the NFL's best mark this century for a QB who has started at least 10 games.
The Broncos were underdogs in every game last year, the lone team not favored. Denver is just 6-15-2 ATS as a favorite since 2017.
Who wins every NFL game? And which teams will sink your bankroll? Join SportsLine now to get NFL picks every week, all from the model that simulates every game 10,000 times and is up almost $8,000.
