Miles Sanders vs. Saquon Barkley: Which Back Has The Better Day?

The New York Giants head home in Week 12 to take on their NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams feature top-tier running back talent who recently returned from injury layoffs and look to get back on track. 

The Giants come off a 30-10 loss to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Monday night, and Barkley struggled in his return. Sanders had a much better return to action, but still looked like he was behind a step from his usual explosive self. 

With the rivals matching up well, let’s take a quick look at their rushing yard prop odds from WynnBET Sportsbook and make some predictions. 

Miles Sanders Rushing Yards Total 64.5 (OVER -125/UNDER -115)

One of the biggest advantages that Miles Sanders has in this matchup is how much the Eagles have been running the ball lately. Since Week 8, the Eagles' running backs have averaged more than 30 carries per game. Sanders, however, was out with an injury during those initial games is just getting back up to speed. 

More good news for Sanders is the injury to Jordan Howard that will keep him out this week. In his first game back to action, Sanders had 16 carries for 94 yards against the Saints in Week 11. 

The Giants are a favorable matchup for Sanders and rank 21st in the NFL with 4.4 yards per carry to opponents and 119.7 yards per game. 

There is no doubt that Sanders has the skills to be a top-tier running back in this league. Additionally, his performance last week proved to me that he was healthy and running strong. I think that the Eagles get the jump on the Giants in this game and Sanders is at the center of that attack. 

Saquon Barkley Rushing Yards Total 55.5 (OVER -125/UNDER -115)

Barkley wasn’t used much in his return last week, and it’s hard to blame the Giants at this point for trying to protect Saquon 'Glass.' He is both their best and most often-injured player. In his first action since Week 5, Barkley had six carries for a mere 35 yards but he caught all six of his targets for 31 yards. It was a blowout loss to Bucs so it wasn’t a game the Giants would win via the rushing game. Even when healthy this season, Barkley has looked very average and not like the explosive player from seasons past. He has yet to record more than 16 carries in a game and zero games over 60 yards rushing. 

On paper, the matchup against the Eagles is a pretty good one for Barkley. The Eagles are 21st in opponent rushing yards per game and 24th in opponent rushes. This has me second-guessing Barkley in this spot, along with his relative ineffectiveness this season. However, I am going to go out on a limb here and bank on Barkley and this team getting up for this game. I expect the Eagles end up winning without too much issue but also that the Giants will let Barkley loose.