The 2018 NFL Draft is in the books and there is already a lot of chatter about who could possibly be the 2018 Rookie of the Year. Of course, the story of the draft was the quarterbacks but it could be running back Saquon Barkley who is in the best position to succeed. As a result, BetDSI Sportsbook has posted a prop on whether Barkley will reach the 1000-yard rushing mark in 2018.
Will Saquon Barkley rush for 1,000 yards during 2018-19 regular season?
Yes -130
No +100
Barkley will be joining a team that finished 26th in rushing offense last season. As a team, the Giants averaged 3.9 yards per carry with 96.8 rushing yards per game. Only two teams had less than the six rushing touchdowns they produced. Orleans Darkwa was the team’s leading rusher with 751 yards, which is actually more impressive than you might think. The Giants were awful and constantly playing from behind. If they’re at least an 8-8 team and are functional on offense, Barkley should hit 1000 yards.
Keep in mind that the Giants offense might not be as broken as many people think. For starters, they lost Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall for the season last year. It’s hard to lose two wideouts like that and still be effective. However, with Beckham Jr. back and healthy along with Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram, the Giants have a competent – possibly explosive – passing game if they can give Eli Manning time to make decisions. And now that the team has added Barkley, that should make everything flow together a lot better.
And keep in mind that the Giants gave their offensive line a boost with the addition of Will Hernandez (guard) in the second round. If the offensive line is in fact better, this offense will be night and day compared to last season. If that’s the case, Barkley should easily surpass 1000 yards this year and be one of the frontrunners for the 2018 Rookie of the Year award.
