New York Jets vs. San Francisco 49ers Preview
- Spread: 49ers -3.5
- Over/Under: 43.5
Breakdown
Football is Back! An exhilarating first weekend of football and we are left with a matchup between two of the most exciting teams in the sport. This should be a great finale to Week 1 of the NFL season!
The New York Jets and quarterback Aaron Rodgers are looking to have a major bounce-back season. Aaron Rodgers was injured just a few plays into his Jets debut game last season, an Achilles injury that saw him sidelined all season. With a healthy Rodgers, the Jets are poised to compete all season and should be in the hunt for the Lombardi trophy. Breece Hall is entering his third season and looked very sharp last season when healthy. Along with wide receiver Garrett Wilson who has shown flashes but hasn’t had the quarterback play to lift him to the next level, he should have that now. Even with the poor quarterback play, Wilson was still able to salvage 1,042 receiving yards last season. The Jets had a glaring need at offensive line and they addressed that in the offseason, bringing in two veteran offensive tackles, Morgan Moses and Tyron Smith. Protecting Rodgers is pivotal to the success of this team. A full and healthy season from this Jets offense would be very exciting and could be one of the league’s best.
The 49ers have star power all over the field, on both sides of the ball. None bigger than running back Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey is listed as questionable for this contest with a calf/Achilles injury but is expected to play. He was electric last season, rushing for 1,459 yards, the most in the NFL. Not to mention his 564 receiving yards and 21 total touchdowns. Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle are the other main pass catchers on this team and all have a specific skill they excel in. Aiyuk is the prototypical wide receiver. A good route runner with sure hands, Aiyuk hauled in 7 touchdowns last season and 1,342 yards. Deebo Samuel is a run-after-the-catch machine and thrives with the ball in his hands. He is great after the catch, another reason why they give him the ball on many screens and end around rushing plays. Kittle is the all-around tight end and just a football guy. He loves to run and pass block for his teammates but is also a great route runner who can make a man miss in the open field. Pairing all this with a good offensive line, headlined by one of the best in the league, Trent Williams, makes it an easy recipe for offensive success. Brock Purdy has proven he can hang in this league and supplies all these studs with the football. Fred Warner at middle linebacker is one of the best in the league and is the anchor for this stout 49ers defense.
Keys To Victory:
New York Jets: Rely on Breece Hall. This is Rodgers’ first game in a whole season and he has the daunting task of taking on one of the league’s best defenses. The game script should be very neutral and with Breece having success early, that can open up the play-action game for Rodgers and this offense. Hall having plenty of success and opportunity is paramount for the Jets success in this contest.
San Francisco 49ers: Pass coverage. The 49ers have a great defense and on paper, the Jets only have 1 elite pass-catching target in Garrett Wilson. Boxing him and making Rodgers go elsewhere with the football will make the defense’s job easier. Allowing Purdy and the offense the ability to dictate the game and play how they want.
Prop Bet Pick
Mike Williams Over 2.5 Receptions (-114)
Rodgers will need to throw the ball in this contest and Williams seems to be the team’s number 2 target. Especially if the 49ers focus on containing Garrett Wilson. Williams should see a nice amount of targets from a high-quality quarterback in Rodgers.
McCaffrey Anytime Touchdown Scorer (-165)
Only reminding you of this because this could be the best betting odds we get all season on a CMC touchdown. He scored in 13 games last season. CMC is such a huge part of the 49ers game plan and they will lean on him heavily.
DFS Picks
New York Jets: Mike Williams. We haven’t seen this Jets offense under Rodgers yet so I am excited to see how it plays out. That being said, Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson are both way more salary to put in your lineup. Williams is listed as the number 2 wide receiver on the depth chart and should see plenty of opportunity.
San Francisco: George Kittle. I usually try and promote a lesser-salary player with my DFS picks, but the 49ers have a few studs, then guys I don’t trust. Kittle is the least costly of the big targets and the Jets struggled to cover the tight end position last season. If the Jets pass rush gets too purdy, the quick dump-off pass usually goes to the tight end or running back.
A sleeper DFS for the 49ers would be Jordan Mason. With CMC on the injury report, and it being the first game of the season, the 49ers could look to limit McCaffrey’s workload slightly. Those vacated touches will most likely be going to Jordan Mason.
