Odell Beckham Receiving Prediction
The Giants dodged a bullet when an X-ray taken on Odell Beckham’s injured ankle came back negative.
Beckham exited Monday’s loss to the Browns just under a minute into the second quarter. He caught a pass down the right side of the field that required him to leave his feet. When he was coming down, Cleveland defensive back Briean Boddy-Calhoun hit OBJ with a helmet-to-the-knee tackle. Beckham then limped off the field, walked under his own power to the locker room, but then crumbled to the floor in the tunnel.
Fortunately for the Giants, Beckham suggested that he will be ready for Week 1. He’ll undergo more tests on Tuesday but for all intents and purposes, Beckham avoided a serious injury. Brandon Marshall underwent an X-ray on his shoulder but appears to have avoided injury as well.
Back to Beckham. According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, Beckham has odds of 13/2 to lead the league in receiving yards. Only Antonio Brown (4/1) of the Steelers and Julio Jones (9/2) of the Falcons have better odds to finish the 2017 NFL season with more receiving yards. But can OBJ accomplish the feat?
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OUR PREDICTION: Out of all the receivers with odds, I think Jones is the only wideout that could top 1,500 yards this season. He’ll once again be the focal point of the Falcons offense and he could top 100 receptions assuming he can stay healthy.
Granted, Beckham will once again be Eli Manning’s first target in the Giants’ offense. But receivers are dependent on their quarterbacks and Eli struggled a year ago. Quarterbacks are also dependent on their offensive lines, and the Giants struggled to protect Eli in 2016. Given Matt Ryan is coming off an MVP season and Atlanta’s offensive line remains intact, I like the value offered by Jones.
2017 NFL PREDICTIONS: JULIO JONES 9/2 MOST RECEIVING YARDS