The Tennessee Titans made the latest big move in an off-season full of big moves so far. In acquiring future Hall of Famer Julio Jones from the Atlanta Falcons for draft picks, the Titans improved their odds in the AFC for 2021.
When news of Jones being on the block first broke, the Titans were in the top 10 to acquire the wideout at +1000. Those odds went to +800 as other teams dropped out before Tennessee finally landed their target.
As far as winning it all goes, the Titans were +4000 on DraftKings before the deal, in the same range as the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, and Pittsburgh Steelers. After Jones, they are now at +2500, the same as the Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, and Seattle Seahawks. The move jumped them over the New Orleans Saints (+2800), Denver Broncos (+2800), Miami Dolphins (+3000), New England Patriots (+3300), and Los Angeles Chargers (+3300).
The TItans jumped up to +1200 to win the AFC, from +2000 before the deal. They are now even with the Colts and rank behind the Kansas City Chiefs (+250), Buffalo Bills (+600), Baltimore Ravens (+650), and Cleveland Browns (+750) to win the conference.
As far as the AFC South goes, the Colts and Titans are both +110. The Jacksonville Jaguars are +800, and the Houston Texans are a distant +2800. The Titans win total remains unchanged at 9.5, with the over and under both at -110.
Giants Looking Forward to Barkley’s Return
The New York Giants got running back Saquon Barkley back at minicamp this week, but not on the field. The former Pro Bowler, who tore his ACL in Week 2 of the 2020 season, talked to the media and continued his rehab work at the facility. He did not reveal how far along he is in the rehab process, but head coach Joe Judge told the media that Barkley is getting better every day.
Without Barkley, the 6-10 Giants struggled on offense in 2020. Wayne Gallman ran for 682 yards in 15 games with six touchdowns. Quarterback Daniel Jones was the second leading rusher with 423 yards. Barkley ran for 1307 yards and 11 touchdowns as a rookie in 2018 and backed that up with 1003 yards and six scores in 2019.
Gallman is now in San Francisco, and Alfred Morris is also out of New York. If Barkley isn’t ready to start the 2021 season, the Giants have veterans Corey Clement and Devontae Booker in camp, along with sixth-round pick Gary Brightwell.
The Giants made big moves on offense in the off-season in an attempt to boost Jason Garrett’s offense. Jones has new weapons in wide receivers Kenny Golladay (Detroit) and John Ross (Cincinnati), plus tight end Kyle Rudolph (Minnesota) to pair with Evan Engram. The Giants also used a first-round pick on Florida’s Kadarius Toney, who can play multiple positions. In college, Toney was a slot receiver, a serious outside threat, a returner, and a running back.
The Giants win total for 2021 is 7 at DraftKings. The over is -143, and the under is +118. They are +350 to win the NFC East behind the Cowboys (+125) and Washington Football Team (+260).
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