Week 2 wraps up Monday night with the Giants heading to Los Angeles to face the Rams, and the betting market has already taken a hard look at what New York showed in Week 1.
The Giants opened the season by knocking off the Cowboys at home as underdogs, with quarterback Jaxson Dart leading one of the most impressive performances of the first week. That showing has earned New York plenty of respect in the market, even if the road test against the Rams looks much tougher on paper.
Johnny Avello, Director of Race and Sports Operations for DraftKings Sportsbook, pointed to how sharp the Giants looked in their opener. “The Giants, they played a great game, and they just looked in concert and really cohesive,” Avello told Sports Illustrated after Week 1. “We knew that the Giants would be a better team, certainly a better-coached team, but they just played outstanding.”
Still, the Rams come into this one as the clear favorite. Los Angeles dropped its Week 1 game against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia, but it has had a long break to reset before Monday night. The Rams are also dealing with Myles Garrett (knee) not playing, which adds a little more pressure on that defense against a New York offense that ranked No. 3 in EPA/Play in Week 1.
SI Betting’s Iain MacMillan sees this as a classic overreact-or-underreact spot. He acknowledged that the Giants looked great and the Rams looked bad in Week 1, but he said he’s sticking with his preseason view of both teams. He likes the Rams at exactly seven points and is not interested if the line climbs any further.
MacMillan also sees value in a few player props for this matchup.
Malik Nabers is one of the biggest names to watch after his return from a torn ACL in Week 1. He played 52.2 percent of the Giants’ offensive snaps, 36 in total, but still produced six catches for 69 yards against Dallas.
He was targeted nine times, which gave him a target on roughly one of every four snaps. MacMillan expects that usage to rise as the season goes on, and with the Rams having allowed three passing touchdowns from Brock Purdy in Week 1, he likes Nabers at +200 to find the end zone again.
On the Los Angeles side, MacMillan is eyeing Blake Corum. Corum was the more productive back in the Rams’ opener, averaging 5.4 yards per carry compared to 3.7 for Kyren Williams. That kind of split has him thinking Corum will keep getting opportunities, and he likes the running back to clear 50 yards in Week 2.
There’s also a tight end angle worth watching with Isaiah Likely after his strong Giants debut. He caught eight passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns against the Cowboys, and MacMillan expects another productive night.
He pointed to the Rams’ linebackers as a soft spot and said John Harbaugh could keep targeting that area with the tight end. If that happens, MacMillan believes Likely can go over five receptions.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
In Other News...
Rams Hit With Another Frustrating Issue Ahead Of Giants Game
The Rams are trying to steady themselves after dropping their season opener to the 49ers, and the week has already brought a fresh layer of frustration. Two players were fined for separate penalties from that game, a reminder that the opener not only ended in a loss but also left the team dealing with discipline issues as it turns its attention to the Giants.
Tyler Davis was fined $6,225 for a hit on Brock Purdy that involved contact to the head and neck area, while Nate Landman was docked $11,111 for unnecessary roughness tied to helmet use. The money from both fines will go to the Professional Athletes Foundation and the NFL Foundation, but for a Rams team looking for a cleaner start, the bigger concern is limiting the kind of mistakes that pile up before a tough stretch can really settle in. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Send A Clear Message About Their Linebacker Concerns vs Giants
The Rams kept shoring up their linebacker room ahead of Monday nights matchup with the Giants, activating Elias Neal from the practice squad as they continue to manage some uncertainty at the position. Omar Speights and Nate Landman have both been dealing with injuries, but both are expected to be active, which gives Los Angeles a little more stability in the middle of the defense entering a game where depth could matter.
Neal, an undrafted free agent signed in 2024, gives the Rams another body for a group that has been tested by the injury report and a useful presence on special teams. Even with Speights and Landman trending toward playing, the decision to bring Neal up underscores how carefully the Rams are handling the linebacker spot as they prepare for the Giants. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Have One Monday Night Scoring Edge Fans Should Watch
Monday night gives the Rams another chance to lean on the same offensive pieces that shaped their opener, with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum both drawing attention in the scoring market. Los Angeles has reasons to believe it can create chances against a Giants defense that showed some early vulnerability, and the setup points to another game where the Rams backs and playmakers could matter in the red zone.
Malik Nabers and Jaxson Dart are among the New York names to watch on the other side, but the Rams biggest edge may come from how they manage the scoring opportunities that appear in the first place. Week 1 offered enough defensive questions for both teams to make this feel less like a clean matchup and more like a game where one early finish near the goal line could set the tone. [Read more 🡒]