This time last year, the Giants were hoping that an aging Russell Wilson or Jameis Winston would be able to provide the veteran presence at quarterback necessary to compete.
That quickly proved to be wishful thinking, but it opened the door for then-rookie Jaxson Dart to break out as a legitimate option at quarterback.
Dart proceeded to burst onto the scene last season and immediately changed a Giants offense that, under previous head coach Brian Daboll, was average at its peak and one of the lowest-scoring units in the NFL at its worst.
Dart’s flashes weren’t enough to save Daboll’s job, but his ability as a dual-threat quarterback is something the Giants hope new head coach John Harbaugh can mold.
One of the main critiques of Dart’s game last season was his aggressive playing style. Dart was quick to scramble out of the pocket last season and took his fair share of big hits because of his fearlessness as a runner.
Dart missed two games last season after sustaining a concussion against the Bears, but a scramble play against the Patriots that saw the quarterback get de-cleated stands out the most.
That play ignited a flurry of conversations around Dart needing to change his “reckless” style.
“I’m not going to turn myself into a pocket passing quarterback. I’m not going to change the style that I play,” Dart said on the DeepCut podcast earlier this year, pushing back on the idea that he should stop running.
“If you try to make too many adjustments and make somebody into who they’re not, then you’re not going to get the most out of that person and that player.”
Harbaugh seems to buy into the idea that Dart’s running ability is an asset and even compared him to Lamar Jackson in an interview with ESPN football analyst Domonique Foxworth, saying that Dart “can live in a lot of different worlds football-wise.”
“Now we can also get in the gun, or we can get in the pistol, and we can run we RPOS’s. We can run quarterback-driven runs with Jaxson Dart. A lot of the stuff that we did in Baltimore with Lamar as well.”
That will be key for a specific player prop that sportsbooks have listed for Dart this season. The Over/Under on Dart’s rushing touchdowns this season is 5.5 at FanDuel sportsbook.
Betting on the NFL?
Dart finished last season with nine rushing touchdowns in just 12 starts, so seeing his prop listed at nearly half that total is interesting. Seven of his nine rushing touchdowns came inside the 20-yard line last season, five of the nine were inside the 10-yard line, and four of the nine were inside the 5-yard line.
We should expect Dart to scale back some of the running he does in the middle of the field that leads to big hits and, on occasion, slide for first downs instead of challenging defenders straight up.
Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary will presumably eat into some of Dart’s rushing attempts in the red zone if they can stay healthy. The Giants also added plenty of receiving weapons around Dart to improve the passing game.
Even with those changes, I’m still very high on Dart’s ability to be an effective runner when plays break down, and I’m even more encouraged that Harbaugh will scheme up plays to take advantage of those skills.
I’ll bet on Dart to prove the books wrong and take him to go Over 5.5 touchdowns on the ground.
The Pick: Jaxson Dart Over 5.5 rushing touchdowns (-108, FanDuel)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
