The NFC East is a woeful division this year, but there are a few players who really stand out as difference makers. One of those men is Odell Beckham Jr. The New York Giants are only going to go as far as ODB carries them, something that the Miami Dolphins are very likely to find out on Monday Night Football this week.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
New York Giants PK
Miami Dolphins PK
Over/Under 47.5
One look at Beckham's raw numbers, and you'll see why bettors are just drooling to get a piece of his props every time he's on the field. He's got 78 catches, 1,154 yards and a team-leading 10 touchdowns, and he leads the world in one-handed catches.
You won't get a prop for how many times Beckham will reach out and snare a ball with one hand in this one, but the rest of his yardage, receptions and touchdowns will surely be available at BookMaker.eu.
There are a few points which have to be made about Beckham that cannot be ignored. For starters, he doesn't give a damn who is lined up against him at corner, and quite frankly, it doesn't make a bit of difference either. Five straight sets of corners, the latest of which was Antonio Cromartie and that of the new York Jets, have failed to keep Beckham from reaching the 100+ yard plateau, and along the way, he's had four of those catches that there likely is no other man on the planet who wouldn't finished the catch.
However, it's also easy to just get caught up in all of the glitzy plays and think that there's no way Beckham can beat the numbers set by the oddsmakers either.
There's no way we see a reception total less than 6.5 or 7 for Beckham, and it's tough to see him having a prop total of less than about 105 yards. He'll be a favorite to score a touchdown in the game as he should be, but he'll be around an odds-on choice to score the first Giants TD and merely around a +250 choice to score the first TD of the game period.
Those numbers are just insane. Sure, Beckham has averaged 7.0 receptions, 102.5 yards and just under a touchdown per game in his career to date, but he just can't keep that up.
Let's not forget that Beckham has had five games this year in which he didn't even reach 80 yards, and he's had four games with either four or five catches as well.
Miami's pass defense is woeful at 255.6 yards per game, so it's clear that Eli Manning is going to have another one of these games where he puts the ball in the air at least 35-40 times. That's all good news for Beckham and his bettors.
However, it's worth looking at how the Dolphins have done against top receivers on opposing teams this year.
Kamar Aiken: 6 catches, 48 yards
Brandon Marshall: 9 catches, 131 yards, 2 TDs
Dez Bryant: 4 catches, 45 yards, 1 TD
Nelson Agholor: 3 catches, 32 yards
Sammy Watkins: 8 catches, 168 yards, 1 TD
Julian Edelman: 7 catches, 81 yards, 2 TDs
DeAndre Hopkins: 6 catches, 50 yards
Kendall Wright: 4 catches, 34 yards
Brandon Marshall: 7 catches, 128 yards
Sammy Watkins: 1 catch, 39 yards
Allen Robinson: 6 catches, 155 yards, 2 TDs
Pierre Garcon: 6 catches, 74 yards
Alright, so Brandon Marshall owns the Dolphins. We get it. But take him out of the equation, and that's a lot of relatively low numbers for top flight receivers.
Beckham is better than Marshall and any of the rest of the receivers on this list as well, but he's still up against it versus a team which tends to give up yards all over the field, not just to top targets. Don't just fall for the trap and think that ODB is a complete slam dunk for his props this week.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants will take place Monday, December 14, 2015, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Sun Life Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN.
