When more than half the teams in the NFL failed to net 200 passing yards in Week 1, you know it was a week dominated by defense with 86 sacks, the 2nd-most sacks in any week since 2020.
We are looking for bigger offensive numbers from the NFL in Week 2 as some of the key matchups include Seahawks-Lions, Packers-Falcons, and Raiders-Bills. With help from the player props section on OddsTrader, we have included our favorite props with the best sportsbooks offering these props.
Picks Summary
- Jahmyr Gibbs Over 34.5 Rushing Yards (-129) at Caesars Sportsbook
- Jordan Love Over 0.5 Passes Intercepted (-111) at Caesars Sportsbook
- D.J. Moore Over 43.5 Receiving Yards (-119) at Caesars Sportsbook
- James Cook Over 50.5 Rushing Yards (-115) at BetRivers (check our BetRivers Review)
- Saquon Barkley Over 72.5 Rushing Yards (-119) at Caesars Sportsbook (check our Caesars Sportsbook Review)
New York Giants vs. Arizona Cardinals
Sunday, September 17, 2023 – 04:05 PM EDT at State Farm Stadium
Saquon Barkley (New York Giants)
Over 72.5 Rushing Yards
The Giants turned in the most comically bad performance in Week 1’s 40-0 loss to Dallas. Things just snowballed after a bad snap on the opening drive led to a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown. The game got out of reach early and the rain did not help either.
But the Giants continuously letting Daniel Jones drop back and produce 13 runs for 43 yards while the team had Saquon Barkley was painful to watch. If you are going to be that inefficient, at least hand the ball off to the running back instead of letting your quarterback get hit more. Jones was sacked 7 times on the night. Barkley finished with 12 carries for 51 yards.
The Giants are going to have to protect Jones better in Arizona after the no-name pass rush of the Cardinals sacked Commanders quarterback Sam Howell 6 times in Week 1 to almost pull off an upset. If the Giants want to avoid an 0-2 hole, they must find a running game like they did early last season when they won close games by managing Jones’ attempts and leaning on Barkley.
Prop Pick
Arizona is not really designed to be a great run defense without many established starters in the front 7 of a new scheme. The Giants must take advantage of this and get Barkley going. Look for New York to put on a better performance as Brian Daboll is 7-0 ATS after a loss since 2022. Without falling behind by big points so quickly, Barkley should be an option for 60 minutes, so you can trust his over for your NFL picks.
But if the Giants are embarrassed by the team projected to finish with the worst record in the NFL, you can fade this offense the rest of the year.
NFL Pick: Saquon Barkley Over 72.5 Rushing Yards (-119) at Caesars Sportsbook
Seattle Seahawks vs. Detroit Lions
Sunday, September 17, 2023 – 01:00 PM EDT at Ford Field
Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit Lions)
Over 34.5 Rushing Yards
While the Lions won in Kansas City in Week 1, there was some disappointment that the offense did not use rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs more. He had 9 touches compared to 21 for veteran David Montgomery, who also scored the only rushing touchdown for the team.
But in Montgomery’s 21 rushes, his longest gain was 8 yards. Gibbs showed explosive ability on runs of 18 and 17 yards in the game. It feels like another Ezekiel Elliott-Tony Pollard (Cowboys) or Mark Ingram-Alvin Kamara (Saints) situation where the younger, faster back has to take a backseat to the more physical veteran.
But the Lions get an ideal matchup at home this week against a Seattle defense they lit up for 45 points and 520 yards last year. Jamaal Williams was the lead back in that game and he had a 51-yard run on his way to over 100 yards. The Seahawks actually defended the run well against the Rams last week, only allowing a long run of 12 yards to Cam Akers while holding him to 17 yards on his other 21 carries. In all, the Seahawks did not allow a run longer than 12 yards on 37 carries by running backs.
Prop Pick
However, last week was the Rams. The Lions have a varied running scheme and should get Gibbs more touches as he is no longer a rookie playing on the road in his first game this week.
Look for his talent to win out and for him to get over 34.5 rushing yards even if Montgomery still ends up with more carries than the rookie.
NFL Pick: Jahmyr Gibbs Over 34.5 Rushing Yards (-129) at Caesars Sportsbook
Green Bay Packers vs. Atlanta Falcons
Sunday, September 17, 2023 – 01:00 PM EDT at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers)
Over 0.5 Passes Intercepted
The Packers had a successful Week 1 win in Chicago, and it was a solid start for Jordan Love, who has the highest passer rating so far this year (123.2). But one of his biggest contributors in Week 1 could be out as running back Aaron Jones injured his hamstring.
Green Bay already played without No. 1 wide receiver Christian Watson and his bad hamstring, but he is not guaranteed to play Sunday after missing practices on Wednesday and Thursday.
Despite Love’s gaudy Week 1 numbers on the surface, the young quarterback had the 2nd-lowest rate of on-target passes, and he threw into tight windows at one of the highest rates of the week. Three of the 5 quarterbacks to have an aggressive throw rate over 20% threw multiple interceptions in Week 1, though Love was unscathed in that area.
It was the first time in 3 games that Love has thrown more than 10 passes that he did not have an interception. But the Falcons had a pair of picks off rookie Bryce Young last week. Safety Jessie Bates, a key new member to the defense, had both picks and could bait an inexperienced quarterback like Love into throwing more.
Prop Pick
With the expectations that Love could be down multiple weapons on the road in this one, it is a good value that he will be intercepted in this game as he tries to lead the Packers to a 2-0 record on the road.
NFL Pick: Jordan Love Over 0.5 Passes Intercepted (-111) at Caesars Sportsbook
Chicago Bears vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sunday, September 17, 2023 – 01:00 PM EDT at Raymond James Stadium
D.J. Moore (Chicago Bears)
Over 43.5 Receiving Yards
The Bears had a real downer of a Week 1 after losing yet again to the Packers despite being a home favorite. Chicago’s flaws in the passing game and on defense both came to light again.
One of the areas where the team was supposed to improve this year was with wide receiver D.J. Moore coming over from Carolina to give Justin Fields a legitimate No. 1 target. But in his debut against Green Bay, Moore only had 2 catches for 25 yards. Those were his only targets too.
It was not for a lack of trying in the passing game, as Fields attempted 37 passes. He also threw for 216 yards, which is higher than his usual game. But for whatever reason, the quarterback was just not finding his new weapon or even giving him opportunities to make plays.
Prop Pick
Hopefully, things should change this week. Moore knows Tampa Bay’s defense well from playing it twice a year with the Panthers. Moore had 69 and 117 yards in the meetings last year, and it is not like the quarterback play was stellar in Carolina in 2022.
Moore has gone over 43.5 yards in 9 straight games, only failing to do so in his first meeting as a rookie in 2018 when he had 16 yards. This is such a low bar for a No. 1 wideout that it would confirm it’s going to be a long year in Chicago again if this passing game cannot get Moore to 44 yards this week.
NFL Pick: D.J. Moore Over 43.5 Receiving Yards (-119) at Caesars Sportsbook
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Buffalo Bills
Sunday, September 17, 2023 – 01:00 PM EDT at Highmark Stadium
James Cook (Buffalo Bills)
Over 50.5 Rushing Yards
One of the best ways to get Josh Allen to settle down with turnovers is to take the ball out of his hands. Make his job easier by letting the running game do the work. In Week 1, James Cook had 12 carries for 46 yards against a tough Jets defense on the road in his first game truly replacing Devin Singletary as the lead back in Buffalo.
Cook received 12 carries to just 2 for Latavius Murray and 1 for Damien Harris, so that seems like a good indicator that they view him as the lead back this year.
Last week, the Raiders allowed 52 yards to Javonte Williams and 41 yards to Samaje Perine for Denver. The numbers may have been bigger if that game had more than 12 total offensive possessions. The Raiders were below average at stopping the run last year, ranked 19th in yards and 23rd in yards per carry allowed.
Prop Pick
But the Bills are an 8.5-point home favorite and look to bounce back in this one. That should mean more rushing attempts given the likelihood of leading the game in the 2nd half. That should mean a good day from Cook as this line is only 6 yards over what he did last week in a tougher matchup. Trust him to deliver this week and help Allen out.
NFL Pick: James Cook Over 50.5 Rushing Yards (-115) at BetRivers
