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The New Orleans Saints will begin their season by hosting the Tennessee Titans in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
All eyes will be on the Saints’ new starting quarterback, Derek Carr, who joined in the offseason after spending his first nine years in the league with the Raiders. Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will make his debut with the Titans.
Both teams missed the 2022 playoffs and aim to bounce back with a win in the opener. New Orleans is a 3.5-point favorite and holds moneyline odds of -155 to beat Tennessee (+130).
New Orleans Saints vs Tennessee Titans – game predictions
Contents
Note: The odds for the following two picks were correct at the time of writing.
Prediction 1: Chris Olave over 4.5 receptions @ -135 (1.74)
Caesars and William Hill are offering better odds of -135 than most bookmakers, listing Olave at -150 to catch more than 4.5 passes against the Titans.
The second-year wide receiver put on a show as a rookie in 2022, recording 72 receptions for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns. He accomplished impressive stats despite having Jameis Winston and backup Andy Dalton as his signal callers.
Olave averaged 4.8 receptions in 15 games during 2022, and an upgrade at quarterback with Carr gives him a great chance to eclipse 4.5 receptions come Sunday.
Last year, Tennessee was ranked dead last in defending the pass, allowing an average of 274.8 yards per game, which bodes well for the Ohio State product.
Alvin Kamara is also out for the game, so the game plan won’t revolve around him, allowing more opportunities for Olave. The Saints are narrow 3-point favorites, so if the game does stay close, the game script won’t shy away from Carr tossing the pigskin around.
FantasyPros’ data analytics model, which combines projections from ESPN, CBS, Numberfire, NFL.com, Fantasy Football Today and their own model, projects Olave to have 5.6 receptions, 1.1 more than the total needed to win the wager.
The -150 odds provided by DraftKings give Olave implied odds of 60% to catch at least five passes, so the -135 number provided by Caesars is certainly valuable.
Prediction 2: Jamaal Williams over 49.5 rushing yards @ -110 (1.909)
With starting running back Kamara suspended for the first three contests, Williams will serve as NOLA’s primary ball carrier.
The former 4th rounder led the NFL in rushing touchdowns (17) last season and, despite splitting carries in Detroit with DeAndre Swift, managed to clear 50 yards in 12-of-17 contests (70.6%). He ended the year averaging 62.71 rushing yards per game.
Rookie tailback Kendre Miller was rumored to steal away a few carries from Williams potentially, but with his status in question with a hamstring injury, it appears as if Williams will carry the load.
The -110 odds on Bet365 for Williams to reach 50 or more yards are excellent, with other sportsbooks such as FanDuel listing him at -144, giving him implied odds of 59.02% to cash over wagers.
FantasyPros’ model, along with its sources, projects Williams to hit the over along with BettingPros (52.9 yards) and ESPN (68.7 yards). Tennessee had a stout rushing defense in 2022, but I believe a positive volume in carries will help Williams.
Saints vs Titans preview – Who is the public siding with?
As of Friday night, 76% of tickets were on the Titans to cover the 3-point spread, while 89% of the handle is also on Mike Vrabel’s team to win outright.
Tennessee form, news and injuries
The Titans were 7-10 in 2022.
Titans injury report
- CB Tre Avery (hamstring) is out.
- LB Harold Landry (abdomen) is questionable.
- OT Dillon Radunz (knee) is questionable.
New Orleans form, news and injuries
The Saints also finished 7-10 last campaign.
Saints injury report
- DB J.T. Gray (shoulder) is out.
- WR Tre’Quan Smith (groin) is out.
- RB Kendre Miller (hamstring) is questionable.
Saints vs Titans head-to-head record
- 2021: Titans won 23-21.
- 2019: Saints won 38-28.
- 2015: Titans won 34-28.
- 2011: Saints won 22-17.
- 2007: Titans won 31-14.
Key match details
- Date & Time: Sunday, Sept. 10, 1 p.m. ET
- Venue: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
- Where to watch the match in the UK: Sky Sports, FuboTV or other live stream
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