NFL Week 1 preview
JACKSONVILLE at N.Y. GIANTS Sunday, 1 p.m., Fox OPENING LINE: Jags by 3 SERIES: Tied 3-3 LAST MEETING: Jags, 25-24, 2014 AP PRO32 RANKING: Jaguars No. 7, Giants No. 20 JAGUARS OFFENSE: OVERALL (6), RUSH (1), PASS (17). JAGUARS DEFENSE: OVERALL (2), RUSH (21), PASS (1). GIANTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (21), RUSH (26), PASS (19). GIANTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (31), RUSH (27), PASS (31). FANTASY TIP: Odell Beckham pointing to game for 11 months. Plans to show why he’s top-paid receiver, even against top-ranked pass defense and All-Pro CB Jalen Ramsey. ETC.: Jags VP Tom Coughlin returns for first game against Giants. He led New York to two Super Bowls titles in 12 years as coach (2004-15) . ... Pat Shurmur starts coaching era for Giants . ... Jags coming off first division title since 1999 . ... Jacksonville ranked No. 2 in points allowed (16.8), total defense (286.1 yards) and sacks (55) last season . ... QB Blake Bortles threw for 3,687 yards and 21 TDs . ... Rookie RB Leonard Fournette led team with 1,040 yards rushing and nine TDs . ... WR Keelan Cole ranked No. 2 in NFL with 17.8 yard average, but top Jags WR Marqise Lee is out for season . ... All-Pro DE Calais Campbell tied for second in NFL with career-high 14½ sacks.
Tom Coughlin coached the Giants to two Super Bowl titles; he’s now the Jags’ executive vice president of football operations.
... Giants QB Eli Manning threw for 3,468 yards and 19 TDs in 2017. He has 13 consecutive seasons with 3,000-plus yards, tying brother Peyton for third-longest streak . ... RB Saquon Barkley makes debut. No. 2 overall draft pick had 3,843 yards and 43 TDs rushing at Penn State, missed most of preseason with hamstring injury.
FANTASY TIP: Vikings’ Dalvin Cook returns from ACL injury suffered in Week 4 of rookie year. He had 22 carries for 127 yards in season opener in 2017. ETC.: Kyle Shanahan, starting second season as 49ers head coach, was offensive coordinator for current Vikings QB Kirk Cousins’ first two years in NFL with Washington . ... CB Richard Sherman makes debut with 49ers, after seven years with Seattle. ... Cousins makes debut with Vikings, sixth QB in six seasons to start opener.
FANTASY TIP: Tom Brady is 8-1 vs. Houston, passing for 22 TDs and 2,565 yards (regular season and playoffs). ETC.: Pats have won last five regular-season meetings . ... Houston coach Bill O’Brien was New England assistant from 2007-11. He is 0-3 against his former team . ... Texans QB Deshaun Watson had 19 TD passes in seven games before ACL injury last year, most in NFL history by rookie in first seven games . ... TE Rob Gronkowski led NFL tight ends with 1,084 receiving yards in 2017.