The Giants and Vikings meet in Minneapolis on Saturday for the second time in four weeks.
Minnesota narrowly won the first matchup, 27-24, and now the stakes are substantially higher in the first round of the playoffs, with the Vikings favored on their home field. This game has the highest over/under of the six wild-card weekend games at 47.5 points, and the teams combined for 51 points in Week 16.
There’s plenty of offensive production expected from both sides of this contest and top-end talent at the skill positions, with Justin Jefferson at receiver for the Vikings and Saquon Barkley in the backfield for the Giants. That said, let’s get into four player prop bets for NYG-MIN that can be found at SI Sportsbook.
Bet on Giants-Vikings at SI Sportsbook
Justin Jefferson Over 91.5 Receiving Yards (-118)
Jefferson’s average game this season was 106 receiving yards, tops in the NFL. Minnesota’s recipe for success this season was Kirk Cousins peppering him with targets, which was the case just a few weeks ago when the Vikings and Giants last played. Cousins threw Jefferson’s way 16 times, and the two connected 12 times for 133 yards.
Nothing has changed since that matchup. Few teams have any sort of answer for a receiver as talented as Jefferson, and New York certainly didn’t in the first meeting. Jefferson can have a below-average game and still go over this total. And if he has a great game, well, he could clear this by halftime.
Kirk Cousins Over 36.5 Passing Attempts (-118)
Only three quarterbacks threw more passes than Cousins did this season. He aired the ball out 37.8 times per game this season and a career-high 643 times overall. He tossed 48 passes against the Giants, his third-most all year, in a contest that went down to the wire. Minnesota didn’t succeed on the ground, so it counted on Cousins’ arm to get it down the field, and he largely delivered.
With the season on the line and in a game with such a tight spread, coach Kevin O’Connell will often call Cousins’s number. The only way to exploit the advantage the Vikings have outside with Jefferson is by targeting him as much as possible. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Cousins throw 40 passes come Saturday.
Saquon Barkley Over 71.5 Receiving Yards (-125)
Barkley averaged his second-most yards per carry of the season against the Vikings. On just 14 carries, he gained 84 yards, including a long of 27. That workload was below his average of 18.4 carries, and his production was slightly above his per-game average of 82 yards on the ground.
He took full advantage of his opportunities against Minnesota’s defense, and Brian Daboll will be sure to lean heavily on his best offensive weapon in a playoff setting. Barkley went over this total in eight of 16 games this year and regained much of the explosiveness he was known for early in his career. If New York doesn’t dig a hole early, he should see enough carries to top this total.
Richie James Over 4.5 Receptions (+105)
James came on as a reliable option for quarterback Daniel Jones in the season’s final month. He had four or more catches in all four games (he sat out Week 18, along with most of New York’s starters) and tallied at least seven in three of those contests.
James’ bump in production coincided with a larger target share. He set season-highs in receptions (eight), targets (11) and receiving yards (90) against the Vikings, who allow the second-most passing yards per game in the NFL. Jones was forced to throw a lot against Minnesota, and if that’s the case again, then James, who caught over 80% of his targets, will be one of the biggest beneficiaries.
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