Giants vs. Eagles: 3 best prop bets for Week 18

The New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles face off on Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field. Here are three prop bets to consider.

The New York Giants (3-13) close out their season with a trip down the New Jersey Turnpike this Sunday afternoon to face the NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles (13-3).

Normally, there would be lots of betting options in this matchup (mostly on the Philly side), but this is Week 18, which is now being called the fourth preseason game.

Teams that are out of the playoffs will likely not be dressing players who are hurting and teams that are headed to the postseason usually sit any player they feel too essential to risk in a game that is meaningless in the standings.

That is the case this Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. Philly has already stated that star running back Saquon Barkley will not play, so cross him off your lists.

Philadelphia doesn’t need the game and is just trying to keep their best players out of harm’s way.

On Thursday, the Eagles sat most of their key personnel at practice, foreshadowing what they might do on Sunday: Wide receiver A.J. Brown (knee/rest), quarterback Jalen Hurts (concussion/left finger), quarterback Kenny Pickett (ribs) and wide receiver DeVonta Smith (wrist/rest) did not participate in practice.

Many others were limited.

The Giants, on the other hand, are likely to play anyone who has a personal stake in either gaining experience, passing a milestone, or a contract incentive. Translation: Everyone who can play, will.

Here are three prop bets to play based on the information at hand, per BetMGM.

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Giants WR Malik Nabers OVER 69.5 receiving yards (-130)

Malik Nabers wants to finish the season on a high note and he’ll be in a great position to do that on Sunday against the Eagles’ backup secondary. Many fantasy experts are predicting Nabers to eclipse the 100-yard mark in this game and his price in fantasy is rising. Jump on this number now before it gets too high to bet.

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Giants WR Malik Nabers OVER 6.5 receptions (-115)

Nabers leads the NFL in targets (162) and has 104 receptions on the season, one shy of Puka Nacua’s NFL record for rookie wide receivers. Nabers is also chasing fellow rookie, Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers (who has 108 catches) for the rookie single-season reception record. Expect Nabers to continue to be fed the ball.

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Giants QB Drew Lock OVER 191.5 passing yards (-115)

Of course, on the other side of the Nabers equation, will be the quarterback. In this case, it’s Drew Lock who is coming off a career day last week against Indianapolis. The Eagles will have to play some of their starters in this game, but it won’t be for long. If Lock sees minimal pressure in the pocket, he will be in for a big statistical afternoon. Last year, as a Seattle Seahawk, Lock started the Seahawks’ Week 14 20-17 win over Philly on the road, hitting on 22-of-33 passes for 208 yards.

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Giants vs. Eagles: 3 reasons for optimism in Week 18

The New York Giants visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in Week 18, and here are three reasons for optimism.

The New York Giants will wrap up their season on the road against the first-place Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday.

The Giants are, of course, coming off their third win of the season where they snapped a 10-game losing streak. Although they got the win, the loss of the draft positioning where New York was in line to get the No. 1 pick got most of the attention on Sunday.

The Eagles, meanwhile, are coming off a win against the Dallas Cowboys where they locked up the NFC East title and the second seed in the NFC for the postseason.

With nothing for the Eagles to play for, many of their starters are not expected to suit up in the regular season finale. That includes former Giant Saquon Barkley, who was in reach of hall of fame Eric Dickerson’s rushing record.

The Giants opened up as 3.5-point road underdogs earlier this week — a high number given the lack of significance behind the game for Philly in mind.

Here are three reasons for optimism ahead of Sunday.

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Eagles have nothing to play for

With the NFC East title and the second seed of the playoffs already locked up, the Eagles will be resting their starters in a game that would likely be a blowout if it was not the regular season finale. Certainly, due to a flurry of injuries, the Giants have been playing with backup players for most of the second half of the season. Therefore, with the Eagles resting their starters, it evens the playing field a little bit.

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Momentum

Drew Lock and the Giants are coming off an offensive explosion in Week 17. They may have found a cure for the offensive ineptitude that has plagued them all season long. As much as the fans would like the players and coaching staff to be tanking, the players have clearly not quit. The Giants will be out to end the season on a high note on Sunday.

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The rookies

Malik Nabers and Tyrone Tracy Jr. had milestone days last week as they both eclipsed 1,000 scrimmage yards on the season. Additionally, Nabers had a career-high in receiving yards and eclipsed 100 catches as well.

Nabers, who is currently at 104 receptions, will be chasing Puka Nacua’s rookie receptions record (105) which was set last season. Las Vegas Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers has already surpassed that mark with 108 receptions and counting.

Nabers will need four more catches than Bowers in Week 18 to tie the rookie record by a pass catcher. However, he needs just two catches to break the record for receptions by a wide receiver.

Tracy has been a bigger surprise and has certainly helped ease the pain of the departure of Saquon Barkley.

The Giants’ two rookies on offense will be leaned on heavily once again on Sunday.

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Giants’ Drew Lock ‘excited’ for another opportunity in Week 18

New York Giants QB Drew Lock is in good spirits and “excited” about another opportunity after a breakout performance in Week 17.

The New York Giants will start Drew Lock at quarterback this Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles to close out the Giants’ 2024 regular season schedule.

That leads us to question whether this week is an audition to stay with the Giants or catch the eye of his next team — and he will have a next team if he hits free agency in March.

Lock had a monster game last week for the Giants against the Indianapolis Colts, which opened some eyes as Lock accounted for five total touchdowns in the Giants’ explosive 45-33 victory.

On Wednesday. Lock was looking forward to closing out the season with his prospects on an uptick.

“Good, healthy. Spirits high after last week,” Lock told reporters. “I’m feeling good. I’m excited to go out and get the opportunity to play another one.”

Lock, a 2018 second-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos who spent the pst few years as a backup in Seattle, was signed to a one-year, look-see deal this past offseason as insurance to the oft-injured Daniel Jones, who was coming off ACL surgery.

Jones didn’t get hurt again, but the Giants ran out of patience with him and turned to Lock and Tommy DeVito at quarterback after Jones went 2-8 to start the season.

It wasn’t until last week they finally got in the win column with Lock under center, connecting with the team’s young pieces around him. He looked comfortable with wideouts Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson and running back Tyrone Tracy Jr.

The question now is, can he do it two weeks in a row?

“Execution. It starts with this week of practice,” Lock said when asked how he’ll approach the task ahead. “Really focused practice last week, great work. Trying to duplicate that this week. Energy, intensity, focus. It’s hard to duplicate games, but give ourselves the best position to go out and score points. One way or another, it’s got to start this week in practice.”

Lock has to know that his marketability for the upcoming offseason will spike if he can deliver another noteworthy performance.

“I would say you want to put together great games every single time you play. You need to put together 17 of them just to stay relevant and keep playing football,” he said. “Try to extend your career as long as you can. The only way you can do that is by putting good things on tape. Every chance you get, go out there and make it the best representation of yourself. That’s the plan every week.”

The Giants are currently in the fourth overall spot in the 2025 NFL draft and a win would send them further down the draft order, perhaps well out of the range where the top quarterbacks are.

Maybe that’s a good thing. Who knows? Maybe they go in a different direction at quarterback next season and Lock could be part of that plan again.

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Giants vs. Eagles: 3 causes for concern in Week 18

The New York Giants square off in a Sunday afternoon battle against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 18. Here are three causes for concern.

The New York Giants will end their extremely disappointing season on Sunday when they travel to face the Philadelphia Eagles.

With little to play for, the Eagles are expected to rest their starters against Big Blue on Sunday, including former Giant and the NFL’s leading rusher Saquon Barkley.

The Giants are coming off their first win in months after beating the Indianapolis Colts at home this past Sunday. The result resulted in a mixed reaction from fans given the fall in draft stock that the win cost Big Blue.

Earlier this week, the Giants opened up as 3.5-point road underdogs for their trip to Philadelphia.

Here are three causes for concern ahead of the Giants’ Week 18 matchup against the Eagles.

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Battle of backups

Generally speaking, the Giants have been playing the bulk of the season with their backups. On Sunday, they will face off against a different version of the Eagles than they saw earlier in the season. They will be without many of their starters including Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts.

However, Hurts didn’t play last week and Philadelphia still put up 40-plus points while holding the Dallas Cowboys to just seven.

The Giants may have two of the best players in the game, Malik Nabers and Tyrone Tracy Jr., who will suit up on Sunday. But, collectively as a unit, the Eagles’ backups are a much stronger team than what the Giants have marched out on the field since the bye week.

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Hostile environment

The Giants have had little success against the Eagles in recent memory and even less when playing on the road in the hostile environment in Philadelphia. Given the Giants’ record, the game down the New Jersey turnpike will have even fewer Giants fans in the stands than usual.

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Giants’ offensive ineptitude

Certainly, the Giants showed an explosive performance on offense this past Sunday. However, given the 10-game losing streak that came before that, it’s hard to imagine them putting back-to-back positive offensive performances together.

The Giants have been one of the worst teams in football on offense before Week 17 and it’s going to be hard for the Giants to replicate it again against the Eagles with Drew Lock under center.

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Fantasy Football: Potential bargains, must-plays from Giants-Eagles game

Here’s a look at some potential bargains for daily fantasy from the New York Giants-Philadelphia Eagles Week 18 game on Sunday afternoon.

Welcome to Week 18 of the NFL, perhaps the most unpredictable week in the schedule as teams are either gearing up for the playoffs or the golf course.

Our picks this week are clearly aimed at the DFS crowd as most year-long leagues wrapped up their seasons last week.

This week’s game features two teams facing very different realities. The 3-13 Giants, who have been long eliminated from postseason play, trying to end one of their worst seasons ever on a high note versus a 13-3 Philadelphia Eagles team that is locked into the No. 2 spot in the upcoming NFC Playoffs and trying to shield themselves from unnecessary injuries.

Still, there is always money to be made in any football game.

Here are our tentative DFS plays in this game. We say that because some players could be severely limited or even held out on Sunday, so check the news before kickoff.

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Giants QB Drew Lock

Drew Lock had a monster game last week against Indianapolis, racking up 37.36 FPS on DraftKings, which was third among quarterbacks last week behind only the unconscious Joe Burrow and the surging Baker Mayfield.

Don’t expect the Giants to rein him in this week against an Eagles defense that should be littered with backups most of the game. Many are wondering if the light has finally gone on for Lock or was last week was simply an anomaly.

We’re thinking a little of both. He appeared to be in complete control last week and it reminded us of his two-game starting stretch for the Seahawks last December when he held his own against the 49ers and then beat the Eagles with solid showings.

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Giants WR Malik Nabers

Malik Nabers really stepped things up last week with 39.10 FPS on DK, second only to the Bengals’ Tee Higgins (44.10). He seemed to click with Lock under center and is developing into a more versatile and reliable player.

Expect the Giants to continue to pepper Nabers with targets and, as you know, you can’t score points without the ball in fantasy and Nabers is certainly getting the lion’s share of touches in the Giants’ offense.

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Eagles running backs

Saquon Barkley ate his former mates alive in the first meeting to the tune of 176 yards on the ground and is now angling in on the NFL’s all-time single-season rushing record.

The Eagles are weighing their options with Barkley this week of whether to play him in this meaningless game and risk injury to achieve the record or to play it safe and sit him out.

The best-case scenario for those wishing to play Barkley is that he plays and gets pulled once he gains the 101 yards needed to break the record, so there’s a ceiling here.

Our suggestion is you stay away from Barkley as he is likely to be expensive and not bring you the bang for your buck. Instead, take a flier on one of his backups — Tyrion Davis-Price or Kenneth Gainwell.

Check the latest buzz to see which one could be the lead back in Barkley’s absence. And with the Eagles likely to be playing a conservative game, they’ll be looking to run first most of the afternoon.

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Drew Lock helped Broncos on Sunday, now it’s Russell Wilson’s turn

Drew Lock knocked out the Colts in Week 17, now Russell Wilson can knock out the Bengals in Week 18. Look at them helping out the Broncos.

Well, that was unexpected.

The Indianapolis Colts needed a win on Sunday to keep their NFL playoff hopes alive. If the AFC’s Wild Card seeding came down to a three-way tie for the No. 7 seed, the Colts would have gotten in over the Denver Broncos.

In order to force a three-way tie, Indy needed some help that included the Broncos losing out (and the Colts had to win out).

Enter Drew Lock.

The 28-year-old quarterback led the New York Giants to a 45-33 upset victory over the Colts on Sunday. Lock went 17-of-23 passing for 309 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the win. He also rushed for a touchdown.

Denver now has two possible paths to the NFL playoffs. The Broncos would clinch with a win (or tie) against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday OR with Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins losses (or ties) in Week 18.

The Bengals are set to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, so after Lock did Denver a solid this week, Russell Wilson could do the same in Week 18. If Wilson and the Steelers beat Cincinnati on Saturday, the Broncos would need a win/tie or a Dolphins loss/tie to clinch a playoff spot on Sunday.

Drew Lock and Russell Wilson helping Denver reach the NFL playoffs. Just as everyone predicted, right?

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Giants duo up for FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week

New York Giants QB Drew Lock and WR Malik Nabers have been nominated for the FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week for Week 17.

The New York Giants spectacularly stopped their 10-game losing streak on Sunday with a 45-33 victory over the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium.

The pitch-catch combination of quarterback Drew Lock and wide receiver Malik Nabers buoyed Big Blue. Lock completed 17 of 23 attempts (73.9 percent) for 309 yards, four touchdowns, and a 155.3 passer rating while rushing for a fifth touchdown while Nabers caught seven passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns.

Their performances got them nominated for FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week honors.

Among the other candidates for Week 17 honors are: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Tee Higgins, Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield, and Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor.

FedEx gives fans the opportunity to recognize the best performances from skill position players each week of the season by voting at NFL.com/FedEx. As a reminder, there are no longer positional restrictions for the FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week Awards. The two players with the highest number of votes – regardless of position – will be named FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week when voting closes at 3:00 PM ET on Wednesday.

Expect Lock and Nabers to be considered for other weekly awards thanks to their respective performances.

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Giants play contender for a day in win over Colts

The New York Giants surprised their fans with an explosive win over the Indianapolis Colts, who had playoff aspirations, in Week 17.

They say that even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then.

On Sunday, the New York Giants finally put together 60 minutes of solid football and won a game for the first time in nearly three months, 45-33, over the Indianapolis Colts.

For one day, at least, they did almost everything right. They won the turnover battle (3-0), ran back a kickoff for a touchdown for the first time in 155 games, did not allow a sack, and scored six touchdowns on offense.

Quarterback Drew Lock accounted for five of those scores (four passing, one rushing) in recording a 155.3 QB rating in the game — the highest by a Giants’ quarterback in seven years. He threw for 309 yards, the highest total for a Giants’ quarterback this season.

Unlike most of their recent performances on offense this season, the Giants were unusually efficient, going 7-for-13 on third down, 2-for-3 in the red zone, and 2-for-2 in goal-to-go situations.

The Giants, who have been devoid of big plays all season, exploded for the most points in a game at home since 2012. They had six plays of over 30 yards highlighted by Malik Nabers’ 59-yard touchdown catch.

After the game, head coach Brian Daboll was asked about the emergence of “explosive” plays in the game.

“There was a couple variety. We threw a couple go (routes) to Malik on ‘check with me’s’ with guys we wanted to attack. We talk about run-after-catch all the time and we have good run-after-catch players. It’s about ball placement. It’s about reading. It’s about getting it to them on time. It’s about the protection element,” he said. “Drew played… This was his fourth game he started. Obviously, he had three starts that weren’t great. But did a good job during the week of being focused. I give Shea Tierney a ton of credit, working with him. He did a great job with him. Just like he did (Tommy) DeVito last year.

“(Lock) played well today. But other people played well. I had him break them down and that’s the first thing he said. I said, ‘Hey, great game.’ But he said, ‘Hey, there’s 10 guys around me on offense and 11 on defense.'”

What about Ihmir Smith-Marsette?

“What a great return to start out in the second half. I don’t think he was touched, great blocking. That’s what it needs to look like, though,” Daboll said. “You need to win the turnover ratio. You need good quarterback play. You need to take the ball away. You need run after catch. You need explosive plays. You need good tackling. There’s no secret to this league. If you do all those things, you have a chance. It doesn’t guarantee you anything.”

For one day, it all came together. It was costly for the Giants big picture-wise as they fell down to No. 4 in the 2025 NFL draft order, but that will have to take a backseat today.

The win chased away a lot of the ghosts and depression that had been permeating the building the past few months.

Having the first pick in the draft doesn’t always guarantee success, anyway. Since 2000, only four players taken first overall have Super Bowl rings: David Carr, Eli Manning (2), Matthew Stafford, and Eric Fisher.

Only Fisher won his ring with the team that drafted him.

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Giants players shrug off fans rooting for a tank

on Sunday, New York Giants players thanked fans who are rooting for them to win and laughed at those who are mad they aren’t tanking.

The New York Giants infuriated their fanbase on Sunday but not in the traditional fashion.

After dropping 10 straight games and 13 overall this season, Big Blue finally reversed course and pulled off a home win, upsetting the Indianapolis Colts, 45-33, at MetLife Stadium.

For the fans, it was too little, too late. They had gone from rooting for victories to rooting for losses in order to secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Neither the coaches nor the players ever subscribed to the tank and that was evident on Sunday. Their objective is to win and they couldn’t care less how angry it makes the fans.

“We’re going to keep doing this, we’re going to keep pushing, the season’s not over, we’ve got two games left to be able to come out and win this one — that’s the goal every single week, come out and win and work as hard as we can to do it,” quarterback Drew Lock said.

Offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor was a bit more eloquent.

“You would rather your team go out there and fight for every inch than lay down and take an ass-whooping. Yeah, you get the pick that you want, but what is that player they want coming into? Being 3-13 is not for everyone, but everyone is out there trying and we’re trying to establish a culture that can lead into next year,” he said, via Ryan Dunleavy.

Meanwhile, wide receiver Darius Slayton laughed off the notion of tanking.

“We’re obviously not tanking,” he said. “We have a job to do. This isn’t basketball, it’s not golf, it’s not tennis. Football, you get hit. I’m not finna go out there and just let people tee off on me to tank.

“I’m not about to let people dive at my knees for free. At the end of the day, we’re trying to win and today showed that fight.”

Asked about losing draft stock with the win, Slayton was completely indifferent. He doesn’t care and it’s clear that his celebratory teammates don’t, either.

For other players, such as rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, he seemed annoyed that fans would root for them to lose.

“I mean, I’ve got nothing to say about that,” he said, stopping himself before adding more. “I ain’t got nothing really to say about that. The draft will be the draft.”

Ultimately, Nabers said, “it wouldn’t be right” to look ahead and focus on anything other than the task at hand.

For those who were cheering and wanted to see the Giants win, the players dedicated Sunday’s victory to them. From Eluemunor to Nabers and everyone in between, they made sure to thank the fans who are rooting for them.

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Giants vs. Colts: 3 reasons for optimism in Week 17

The New York Giants host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in Week 17, and here are three reasons for optimism.

The New York Giants will wrap up the home portion of their schedule on Sunday when they host the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium.

Coincidentally, the Giants hosted the Colts two years ago in Week 17 — a game in which the Giants clinched a playoff berth with a 38-10 victory.

Obviously, the Giants have fallen quite a bit since that game, and they are now slated to pick first overall in the 2025 NFL draft. They are also in the middle of a franchise-record 10-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, the Colts are still mathematically alive for a postseason berth ahead of Sunday’s game against the Giants.

The Giants opened up as 7.5 home underdogs earlier this week.

Here are three reasons for optimism ahead of Sunday.

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Consecutive QB starts

Drew Lock is expected to start on Sunday which will be the first time the Giants will have consecutive starts for a quarterback since the benching and eventual release of Daniel Jones. Lock should be able to provide some consistency in the offense for the first time in a while.

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Colts defensive flaws

The Colts’ defense gives up just over 362 yards per game, and opponents have a 69.59% completion percentage against them, ranking 29th in the NFL. They also give up 136.5 yards per game on the ground, ranking 28th in the NFL.

The Giants should be able to move the ball on Sunday. Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Malik Nabers (assuming Nabers plays) should have plenty of opportunities to rack up yards and help move the ball down the field.

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Turnovers incoming?

The Colts have turned the ball over 26 times this season, which is the fourth most in the league. For a Giants team that has struggled to create extra possessions by forcing turnovers this season, Sunday may present an opportunity for them to do just that.

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