Week 1 FanDuel best bets for Giants-Vikings

Wagers to consider as you fill out your tickets

Welcome to the FanDuel New York Giants betting angle, Week 1 edition! Each week, I’m going to give you my three favorite FanDuel bets from that week’s New York Giants game. The Giants open the season at home this Sunday against the Vikings. Perfect weather is forecast for the 1 p.m. game, so there’s no need to worry about that in analyzing the FanDuel slate. FanDuel has the Vikings favored in this one (-1.5), with a game total of 41.5.

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OK, let’s get to this week’s picks!

1. Giants Moneyline (+106). I can’t quite get my head around the Vikings being favored in this game. I get that their projected win total for the season (7.5) is one more than the Giants (6.5), so maybe that explains it. But they’re starting Sam Darnold at QB, star tight end T.J. Hockenson is on IR, WR Jordan Addison expects to play but is still recovering from an ankle sprain, and they’re on the road. Expectations are fairly low for the Giants this season but I think their defensive front will be able to rattle Darnold into some mistakes. He’s seen ghosts in MetLife Stadium before and the Giants’ solid group of pass rushers will make him see more. Take the home ‘dog Giants. I slightly prefer the moneyline to taking the points (+1.5, -106), but I like either bet.

2. Malik Nabers OVER 5.5 receptions (+112). I know it’s hard to trust a rookie in his NFL debut, that Daniel Jones typically doesn’t rack up big passing totals. He’s also never had a wide receiver like Nabers. I debated the receiving yards total, but that line has been creeping up (it’s now 62.5) while this one has been steady. I’m buying the preseason hype on Nabers, and the narrative that he’s going to be fed the rock. Brian Daboll is calling the plays and I think he’ll want to get Nabers involved early and often, including on some short throws near the line of scrimmage. Six catches is doable, and I like getting it at slightly plus-money.

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

3. Aaron Jones OVER 54.5 rushing yards (-114). Jones will be making his Vikings debut after seven seasons with the division rival Packers. He suffered through multiple injuries in 2023 but finished the year on an amazing run, eclipsing 100 rushing yards in five straight games (including two playoff games against very good defenses). The Giants ranked 29^th vs. the run last season, allowing 132.4 rushing yards per game. I think the Vikings will want to run the ball to take pressure off of Darnold, and this total feels low. The risk is that Ty Chandler sees a bigger share of the work than expected, and as with all overs, injury. I’ll take those risks.

Those are the picks for Week 1. Good luck with your wagers!