The Week 3 Monday Night Football matchup pits the Cowboys against the Giants in an NFC East showdown.
Neither offense has been particularly prolific through two weeks, especially with Dallas’ quarterback Dak Prescott (thumb) out. Both defenses have held up well against respectable offensive units as well, which helps explain why this game has the second-lowest point total of the week at SI Sportsbook.
With low expectations in the scoring department for both teams, picking a few player prop bets is the perfect way to add intrigue to this game.
Noah Brown anytime touchdown (+270)
Brown has the only Cowboys receiving touchdown so far this season and one of their two scores overall. Despite that, he has the sixth-best odds on his team to score a touchdown, even behind Michael Gallup, who’s making his season debut, and Dalton Schultz, who’s questionable to play. Brown had five catches in each of the first two games and is one of Cooper Rush’s favorite targets. I like his odds to score for the second game in a row.
Dec 26, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) celebrates scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against the Washington Football Team at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Ezekiel Elliott under 58.5 rushing yards (-118)
Elliott hasn’t topped this figure yet this season and Tony Pollard is beginning to eat into his carries. Dallas’ backup running back had two carries in the opener and nine a week ago. Taking the under on a number this low for any lead back might feel like a risky proposition because a few long runs could get them up over 50 yards rather quickly, but that’s not the case for Elliott right now. His season-long run is 11 yards. And the Cowboys are underdogs, so he likely won’t be shouldering the 20 or so touches in this contest that he would need for me to feel comfortable taking the over. Plus, New York’s defense held Derrick Henry to just 3.9 YPC in Week 1, though Christian McCaffrey topped the 100-yard mark last week.
Sterling Shepard over 43.5 receiving yards (-120)
Shepard has landed on either side of this total through two games, but his workload in the game he didn’t get it was encouraging. A 65-yard catch in Week 1 accounts for the bulk of his yards this season and he only caught one other pass against the Titans. Shepard was Daniel Jones’s favorite target a week ago, though, as he caught six of a game-high 10 passes that came his way. Granted, most were for short gains as he finished with 34 yards. And the fact that his snap count was up to 88% in Week 2 is also a plus. Four or five catches should be enough to get Shepard over his receiving yards total; his receptions total is set at 4.5.
Saquon Barkley over 105.5 rushing + receiving yards (-118)
As good as Barkley has looked this season, he could hit this number on the ground alone and already has. He ran all over the Titans in Week 1 to the tune of 164 rushing yards. Add in 30 receiving yards and Barkley came close to doubling this seemingly lofty figure. He regressed last week but still finished with a respectable 88 yards on even more touches. There’s reason to believe Barkley could have another big game in him against the Cowboys. Dallas was gashed by Leonard Fournette for 137 total yards and Joe Mixon managed 83 last week. New York’s offense runs through Barkley—just a few breakaway plays could propel his over bettor to an early payday.
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