Sunday Night Football for NFL Week 3 on September 21 showcases a marquee matchup as the Chiefs battle the Giants.
For my top NFL PrizePicks and Underdog plays, I’m spotlighting JuJu Smith-Schuster, Russell Wilson and Kareem Hunt under the lights.
Juju Smith-Schuster
Less Than 32.5 Receiving Yards
The absences of Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy have really put a strain on the Kansas City passing attack. While it has also opened up additional opportunities for other receivers, like Juju Smith-Schuster, the veteran has not emerged over the past two weeks.
Smith-Schuster enters this matchup fourth on the team in targets, garnering just 11.9 percent of the target share. He is well behind Hollywood Brown and is even below Tyquan Thornton.
The Chiefs offense is in a great spot to control this game by staying efficient on the ground against Giants defense that ranks 31s in yards per rush allowed. A more run-heavy game script will limit Smith-Schuster's opportunities even more in this matchup.
Russell Wilson
Less Than 4.5 Rushing Attempts
Russell Wilson has begun to look like Mr. Unlimited through his first two weeks of the season, but tonight we should expect the Chiefs to shore up a weakness at Wilson's expense.
The Chiefs have been punished by quarterback scrambles from Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts. While Wilson has shown that he will still run if necessary, he's far from the runner the Chiefs have seen to this point in the season, and Kansas City is likely to make it a point to contain him in the pocket.
If the Chiefs can maintain their rush lane integrity, we could see Wilson face a significant amount of pressure that he won't be able to escape, given that the Chiefs are ninth in sack rate and the Giants are 15th in sack rate allowed.
Kareem Hunt
More Than 0.5 Touchdowns
Above, I mentioned how the Chiefs are going to have a big edge on the ground, and as far as carries go, Kareem Hunt still has a clear role in the offense. He has just two fewer carries than Isaiah Pacheco on the season and has actually received one more red zone rushing carry than Pacheco.
Hunt should get both red zone and green zone carries in this matchup against a Giants defense that has allowed 1.5 rushing touchdowns per game. Take Hunt to score as his opportunity is being overlooked in this matchup.
