It became clear at the start of the season that the Washington Redskins were eventually going to have a timeshare in their backfield. Alfred Morris, who has been the bell cow of this offense for the past few seasons, now has company in rookie Matt Jones. Jones has been the more productive of these two backs thus far in 2015, which makes the prospects of betting on the Florida Atlantic product against the New York Giants questionable at best.
Things do indeed look grim for Morris right now. Jones had 19 carries last week against the Rams, one more than Morris did, and when push came to shove near the goal line, it was the rookie and not the veteran who was toting the rock. The same could be said for the end of the game when Jay Gruden was trying to run out the clock.
Jones is the younger back, and he's certainly the stronger back, too. In fact, most inside and outside of the organization don't doubt the fact that the day is going to come in the not too distant future that Jones is going to be the primary ball carrier, while Morris, who if you remember correctly, was a hardly-touted sixth round pick out of a small FBS school, rides the bench.
However, there is some precedent here for Morris to succeed on Thursday night, and if the prop numbers are low enough on his rushing yards, you might want to think about pulling the trigger.
Gruden has a history of sticking with his veterans instead of his younger backs. When he was in Cincinnati, he often left Giovani Bernard taking fewer reps than BenJarvus Green-Ellis until Bernard was a little more comfortable with the offense. That might only be magnified in this game, knowing that this is going to be the first time in his young career that Jones has to get ready for a game on three days of rest.
It's also possible that Gruden was more or less saving Morris while Jones was hot against the Rams. This four-day turnaround time is a nightmare no matter who you are in the NFL, and running the ball 25 times on Sunday and then being asked to do so again the next Thursday just isn't fair.
What really might make Morris worth investing in though, is the fact that the New York rush defense is vastly overrated right now. Yes, this unit ranks No. 3 in the NFL in rushing yards allowed with just 132 in two games. However, we have to remember that no one has really even tried to run the ball against the Giants yet like Washington surely will.
Think about this. Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden, Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman were the running backs going up against this defense. The Cowboys and Falcons threw the ball on almost 65 percent of their downs combined against the Giants, something that surely won't be the case in this game.
In the end, opportunity is surely there for bettors. BookMaker will have props open for both Jones and Morris in this game, and if the rushing yards total is remotely close between these two, Morris very well could be the back you want to invest in even though all signs point to the fact that his time as a featured running back is incredibly short.
The NFL odds for this Thursday contest were first released by BookMaker, and the New York Giants were positioned as 4-point favorites with a total of 45. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
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 New York Giants and Washington Redskins will take place Thursday, September 24, 2015, at 8:30 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium. The game will be televised on CBS and the NFL Network.
