The Giants have been on a bit of a rollercoaster ride since the end of the Eli Manning era. They’ve enjoyed Daniel Jones highlights and lowlights, strong runs and injuries, free-agent departures and solid draft picks. One thing’s for sure: rookie wideout Malik Nabers — the sixth pick of the 2024 NFL Draft — gives every Giants fan a reason for optimism.
MORE NFL 2024: All-under-25 team | Breakout players: Offense | Defense
With Darren Waller retired and Saquon Barkley now a Philadelphia Eagle, Brian Daboll and the G-Men need playmakers to jolt this New York offense into life following a six-win 2023 campaign. And with Danny Dimes recovering from an ACL injury and hoping to revive his career, the universal hope will be that Nabers is every bit as good as New York thinks.
But what do the sportsbooks project for Nabers’ rookie year? Will he follow in the footsteps of other elite rookie campaigns in recent history, like Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase?
Here’s a bet Giants fans should love for Nabers. Big blue basically had Wan’Dale Robinson as its No. 1 receiver in 2023, and that was before losing red-zone threats Darren Waller and Saquon Barkley. Nabers will see plenty of scoring opportunities, and he has the natural talent to easily surpass five TDs.
Two things to love about Nabers: contested catch ability and raw speed. He wins a ton of 50/50 balls and runs a 4.35 40-yard dash, so he can score on fade routes and jump balls and he can score on breakaway catch-and-runs to the house. The plus odds just serve as icing on this intriguing cake — jump all over this one if you’re a Giants fan looking for some fun futures action.
This one feels like either an UNDER. Jones is coming off a torn ACL from November 2023, he didn’t look all that great before his injury, and Nabers is a rookie in an offensive system that has endured some major overhaul over the past 12 months. Betting on a rookie in this system racking up close to 900 yards feels quite volatile.
Nabers certainly has a ton of talent, and his fantastic speed and impressive strength give him an outside shot at getting the OVER if he can make a ton of plays after the catch. It just feels like too many things can go wrong to put much money on this total one way or the other. Consider avoiding this prop entirely.