Giants vs. Falcons Predictions, Picks & Odds: NFL Week 16, Sunday 12/22
As it has been for a few years now, the NFC South is still wide open, making this Sunday’s game for the Atlanta Falcons a pivotal one as they host the New York Giants. Of course, that’s burying the lead of their big announcement midway through the week, which we’ll be discussing throughout our Giants vs. Falcons predictions.
That will ultimately lead to a best bet from our Giants vs. Falcons picks, which you’ll be able to enjoy with the $150 FanDuel Sportsbook welcome bonus that we’ve also provided!
Giants vs. Falcons Predictions For NFL Week 16, Sunday 12/22
As we’ll often see down the stretch of the regular season, we have a matchup of teams with their eyes set on different things. In other words, eliminated teams are eyeing the postseason, while others are focused on earning a playoff berth.
The Falcons are in the latter category, as they were able to get the final win of Week 15 as the second game of the Monday Night Football doubleheader. Meanwhile, the Giants hardly got any airtime if you were watching NFL Red Zone, as they were largely noncompetitive against the Baltimore Ravens.
Overall, we’re predicting some sloppy football now that we know we’re getting a matchup between two teams without QBs that they started the season with. We’ll get more into that as well, but we’re expecting it to lead to a game full of turnovers. That’s why the best bet from our Giants vs. Falcons predictions is going to focus on a prop market instead!
New York Giants: Tanking For…Shadeur?
After releasing former starting QB Daniel Jones a little while ago, the Giants have already seen multiple new QBs take snaps. That has put them on the fast track to the #1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, as they now sit at an abysmal 2-12 on the year.
With not as many teams as usual in desperate need for a QB this coming spring, that may mean that the Giants target Colorado QB Shadeur Sanders. Of course, Deion Sanders may have something to say about that, and so too may the Las Vegas Raiders, who are another team sitting at 2-12 right now.
Atlanta Falcons: Pulling For Penix
Speaking of QBs in the draft, that brings us to the elephant in the room, which is among the biggest news stories of the entire NFL week. Despite actually winning their most recent game, the Falcons have decided to bench QB Kirk Cousins for last year’s #8 overall pick - Michael Penix
It was something discussed prior to the MNF win, so it’s quite interesting to see the team make the decision after a victory. However, Cousins still threw for just 112 yards, and has thrown just a single touchdown along with nine interceptions over the past four games. If there’s a team to make an NFL debut against, the Giants are a solid candidate for Penix Jr.
Giants vs. Falcons Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines
Following the news of the Falcons QB swap, we saw the Giants vs. Falcons odds move, and we’ve got the latest lines at DraftKings Sportsbook for you below:
- Point Spread: New York Giants +8.5 (-105) vs. Atlanta Falcons -8.5 (-115)
- Money Line: New York Giants (+340) vs. Atlanta Falcons (-440)
- Game Total (Over/Under): Over 41.5 (-110) vs. Under 41.5 (-110)
Giants vs. Falcons Predictions: Michael Penix Over 2.5 Carries (-135 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Prior to the Penix Jr. announcement, the Falcons were 10-point favorites. When that was the case, our Giants vs. Falcons picks were focused on New York, because while they have had a dreadful season, Atlanta simply doesn’t deserve to be double-digit favorites against anyone.
These are two teams that have also both been awful against the spread this season with the second and third-worst records in that regard. With that in mind, we’re going to pivot and avoid trusting either team to win or cover a spread.
In fact, with it being later in the season, you’re going to see our predictions, not just Giants vs. Falcons predictions will focus on props a bit more than usual. That’s due to the fact that unlike the first half of the season when everyone is alive, teams have varying levels of motivation at this point.
With all that said, it’s only fitting that we target the biggest storyline of this matchup. The rookie QB is virtually a complete unknown, but we’re expecting him to try and take over the game to prove himself right from the start. For him, that means tucking and running to show off his athleticism.
That was his calling card no matter where he was playing in college, most recently nearly winning a National Championship with Washington. We certainly aren’t saying that he’s comparable to Ravens QB Lamar Jackson already, but it doesn’t hurt seeing him go for 65 rushing yards against New York last Sunday.
It’s going to be fun to see how he performs, but as far as the best bet from our Giants vs. Falcons predictions goes, we’re taking Michael Penix over 2.5 carries (-135 at FanDuel Sportsbook).
Giants vs. Falcons Injury Report & Latest News
Just last week, we saw New York RB Rico Dowdle as a rather late inactive, giving RB Dalvin Cook the start. So, we want to make sure that you stay up to date with injury news - here is the NFL injury report from Fantasy Alarm.
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Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Beat reporter John Hendrix reports that free agent WR Donovan Peoples-Jones is among the 16 players that the Saints will host for their rookie minicamp.
Peoples-Jones last played regular season snaps with the Lions back in 2023, when he caught 13-of-24 targets for 155 yards. He is highly unlikely to return to fantasy relevance at this point but could perhaps sign on as a special teams contributor.
Titans signed fourth-round pick WR Elic Ayomanor to a four-year contract.
Ayomanor will now begin learning behind Calvin Ridley. Although Ayomanor is unlikely to find a meaningful role in year one, dynasty managers should note his status as training camp gets underway this summer. The former Stanford receiver flashed big-play ability in his two college seasons.
Buccaneers signed seventh-round pick WR Tez Johnson to a four-year contract.
Johnson will serve as a rotational deep-threat option for Baker Mayfield. His thin frame (5'10/154) simply does not lend itself to the repeated hits one incurs in a full-time role. Johnson did earn 100-plus targets in his two seasons at Oregon, though. His big-play style make him a better fit in best ball for now, pending any major on-field breakthroughs.
Giants waived DT Casey Rogers.
Rogers was a 2024 undrafted free agent and logged 33 defensive snaps for the Giants in his rookie season. He is credited with zero tackles and/or sacks. He may find his way onto another roster as a practice squad option.
Vikings signed third-round pick WR Tai Felton to a four-year contract.
Felton is quietly in play to challenge Vikings No. 3 WR Jalen Nailor in training camp. Nailor (5'11/190) caught 28-of-42 targets for 414 yards and six touchdowns in his first season as a starter last year, with the latter category buoying his fantasy productivity. Felton (6'1/183), meanwhile, caught 96-of-143 targets for 1,119 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 2.32 yards per route run in his final college season. Fantasy managers should monitor Felton’s training camp reports this summer, as he could have a matchup-based WR5 role if everything falls into place.