The first loaded day of action is underway, building out to a thrilling Sunday Night Football matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants. Both of these NFC East rivals fell short of their postseason aspirations last season and made some key changes as they look to return to their desired standard.
Looking at the odds, the Cowboys enter as three-point favorites with -166 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Giants hold +140 odds to pull off the upset, with the game total set at 47.5 points.
But there are plenty of ways to get involved in the action beyond backing a side or total. Let’s take a look at my top three favorite player props for the opening Sunday Night Football matchup.
Cowboys at Giants NFL Player Prop Bets for Sunday Night Football
Isaiah Likely Over 3.5 Receptions (-113)
There were plenty of changes surrounding the New York Giants this offseason. But one improvement that has not gotten enough attention was the addition of Isaiah Likely in free agency. After spending the first four seasons of his career in Baltimore, largely being overshadowed by Mark Andrews in the offense, he was paid to play a more notable role and should be expected to deliver as such. Even while he has never played more than 60% of the offensive snaps over a season in his career, and played 44% or fewer in two of the four years, Likely has flashed an impressive skill set with clear talent as a pass catcher. The 26-year-old has tallied 1,568 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns across his four seasons despite the limited role.
Now in New York, count on Likely to be eager to put forth a career-best season, and for this to start with the opening matchup against the Cowboys. Dallas finished last season ranked dead last in points allowed, 30th in total yards conceded, dead last in passing yards allowed and 31st in passing touchdowns given up. It made it a clear priority to upgrade the personnel on this side of the ball, but the improved performance must occur on the field and not just on paper.
The Giants have a strong wide receiver group overall. But Malik Nabers is still dealing with some lingering effects of his knee issue and is considered a game-time decision, Odell Beckham Jr. has not been a consistent contributor in years, Malachi Fields is a rookie and Darnell Mooney is settling in with his new team. Jaxson Dart also still has questions about his outlook despite the flashes of success during his rookie season. One of the best ways to get a youthful quarterback settled in is by leaning on the tight end position. Expect this to be put on display tonight. Likely tallied over 3.5 receptions in four games last year despite the limited role. With more responsibility on his plate, expect a strong performance by Likely in his Giants debut. I am backing the former Ravens standout to record over 3.5 receptions and also believe Likely to record 5+ receptions at +179 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook is worth a swing.
Cam Skattebo Over 49.5 Rushing Yards (-114)
No one will be more relieved that Cam Skattebo is back in the routine of the football season than the Giants organization as a whole. The random backflips at offseason events while recovering from his gruesome ankle injury led to plenty of concern internally. But John Harbaugh has changed the personality of the organization and has traditionally leaned on more of a rush-first offensive attack, which should be a major match for the second-year back. New York has a strong running back room, but Skattebo will be asked to headline this approach.
Across his rookie season, Skattebo generated 410 rushing yards and five touchdowns in just eight games of action. This comes out to an average of 51.3 rushing yards per game, but this number does not reflect his true production. The Arizona State product was limited to two rush attempts in his first game and just three carries in Week 8 before the season-ending injury. If you take out the matchups, Skattebo rushed for 66.8 rushing yards per game and tallied over 49.5 in five of the six matchups.
New York has a loaded running back room with Tyrone Tracy Jr., Devin Singletary and Najee Harris also holding the potential to be in the mix. But Skattebo will lead this effort and be eager to beat up on a vulnerable Dallas defense. We referenced some of the concerning defensive stats in Likely’s outlook, but the Cowboys also ranked 26th in rushing yards allowed per game and 31st in rushing touchdowns conceded last year. There should be much more optimism for improvement in the secondary for the Cowboys, and expect the Giants to attack up front. The 49.5-yard line is too low of a bar for this matchup, and expect Skattebo to eclipse this in the season opener.
George Pickens to Record Anytime Touchdown (+155)
In contrast to the Giants’ rush-first approach, the Cowboys will continue to air it out at a high rate and lean on their star-studded wide receiver group for success. George Pickens is firmly a part of this effort and looking to build off a debut season in Dallas in which he pulled in a team-high 93 receptions for 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. These figures were both team-high metrics for the Cowboys and career-best outputs for Pickens. But this feels replicable in an offense that ran the second-most plays per game in all of football last season and finished with the second-most passing yards and fifth-most passing touchdowns.
CeeDee Lamb remains a key part of the offensive attack as well for Dallas. But it feels like Pickens and Lamb should be viewed more as equals in the offensive pecking order, and there is plenty of room for both to produce. Pickens was also viewed as the priority in the red zone last season. He ranked eighth in the NFL in red-zone targets and tallied twice as many receptions as Lamb inside the 10-yard line. Pickens finished the year with nine touchdowns compared to Lamb’s three. He also scored in one of the two matchups against the Giants last season.
As it kicks off the 2026 season, expect Dallas to remain focused on attacking through the air at a high rate. The Cowboys’ defense improving from historically bad to league average could be the difference in their outlook on the season, but it still requires Dallas to score at a high rate. Harbaugh has started his effort to rebrand the Giants organization as more defense-minded, but it will start with a unit that ranked 26th in points allowed and 28th in yards conceded last year. Pickens is playing on a franchise tag with his contractual outlook remaining uncertain. Expect him to remain as hungry as ever and for him to pick up where he left off last year with another touchdown tonight.
