Football is back in New York – and with it, the chance for the New York Jets to distinguish themselves as a team that is on the rise.
Their week one opponent, though, is no slouch, The Baltimore Ravens come into MetLife Stadium following a disappointing 2021 season with much discussion on the future of quarterback Lamar Jackson and his contract.
The Jets aren’t without their own concerns though. 2021 second overall pick Zach Wilson will miss the first four weeks of the season, and now Duane Brown, the new left tackle brought in, will miss Sunday’s game as well. While the Ravens are an older team than normal, the Jets have strengths at major positions to potentially come away with a shocking week one win.
Must play props for Jets-Ravens
The Jets may be the underdogs, but there are still ways fans can win money off of some of their young stars’ performances. Joe Flacco is expected to make his first start against the team that he owns every single passing record for, and the Jets defense has been much improved with draft acquisitions of Sauce Gardner, and Jermaine Johnson.
Baltimore meanwhile is a team that has questions at running back and receiver but has most of their secondary finally healthy in hopes of a better season.
Here are the must-play props for the Jets and the Ravens.
Lamar Jackson to score 3+ Touchdowns
The Ravens have historically been great on opening day with Lamar Jackson putting up massive numbers on each of the last three opening days in his career.
With JK Dobbins questionable for Sunday’s contest, the bulk of the Ravens’ offense will, once again, be run through Jackson. The Jets’ defense has been vastly improved during the offseason, but it won’t be enough to stop Jackson in that capacity. While 2021’s opener saw Jackson score just twice, the Ravens had a lot more different weapons that can score as opposed to this season. Baltimore will look to pound Lamar early and often.
I think three touchdowns is a fairly easy bet to pull off here.
Mark Andrews Over Total Yards
When the tight end is the most important offensive weapon for a quarterback, it’s usually a double-edged sword for the defense. While the defense could look to bracket the receiver in coverage to not allow anything, the way the tight end can move around the field makes things very difficult for opposing defenses.
Mark Andrews is one of the best in the league at finding soft spots in coverage. In 10 of the 17 games he played last season, Andrews totaled over 67 yards receiving. Without Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, the expectation will be that Andrews will get the bulk of the targets.
While the Ravens do have young weapons at receiver, the lack of a proven target will force Lamar Jackson to target Andrews repeatedly.
This is another prop that could very well be met by the end of the first half.
Elijah Moore Total Receptions
4.5 receptions for a number one receiver seems almost too easy of a bet to make. In nine of the 12 games played last season, Moore tallied over four catches.
While the emergence of Garrett Wilson and Braxton Berrios could complicate things in the passing game, the Jets aren’t really expected to win on Sunday. That means if/when they go down big early, Flacco will be looking to throw as much as possible.
Moore is a solid second-year receiver that could blossom into one of the bright young stars in football over the next year or so.
This is a really easy one to hammer in.
