Two of the top running backs in the NFL will showcase their talents Sunday when the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys collide in a Week 1 matchup between NFC East rivals. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET from AT&T Stadium. Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott ended his contract holdout just in time to participate in the season opener, though it's unclear how much he will play on Sunday. The Ohio State product has led the NFL in rushing in two of his first three seasons, including last year when he notched 1,434 rushing yards. But the Giants have a backfield star of their own in Saquon Barkley, who gained more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 15 touchdowns in a sensational rookie year. The latest Giants vs. Cowboys odds list Dallas as a seven-point favorite, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 44.5. Before locking in your Giants vs. Cowboys picks, make sure you listen to what SportsLine expert Emory Hunt has to say.

Hunt is the founder and CEO of Football Gameplan, which has been supplying analysis of all levels of football since 2007. The former collegiate running back joined SportsLine in 2016 and has provided his followers with winning seasons in college and pro football. He's also developed a reputation as an NFC East specialist, posting a strong record of 22-11 on against the spread picks involving the Giants or Cowboys the past two seasons.

In last year's Week 2 matchup between these clubs, Hunt advised SportsLine members that the Cowboys' superior defense would be the difference against the Giants. The result: Manning was sacked six times and Dallas held Saquon Barkley to 28 rushing yards in a 20-13 victory to cover a three-point spread. Anyone who followed Hunt's advice pocketed another winner and anyone who has consistently followed him is way up.

Now, Hunt has locked in on the Giants vs. Cowboys Week 1 matchup and released a confident point-spread pick that he's sharing over at SportsLine.

Although the contract of Elliott and potential pending deals for Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper have grabbed most of the headlines, Dallas has quietly secured the core of an increasingly solid defense. While most media and observers awaited word on a new deal for Elliott, the team locked up linebacker Jaylon Smith to a five-year deal worth more than $35 million guaranteed. The Notre Dame product started all 16 games last year and recorded 121 tackles, including 81 solo stops.

The club also clearly found a defensive cornerstone in linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, who they took with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2018 draft. The Boise State product immediately played like a seasoned veteran and galvanized the middle of the defense.  He led the team with 140 tackles, a franchise rookie record, and added two interceptions.

Hunt has taken into account that the Cowboys ranked inside the top five in rushing defense last season, allowing opponents an average of 94.6 rushing yards per game. Dallas will look to load the box to stop New York's ground game and force Eli Manning into passing the ball downfield. 

But just because the Cowboys feature a strong defensive front doesn't guarantee they'll cover the Cowboys vs. Giants spread against a New York club that enters the 2019 season with the proverbial chip on its shoulder.

The Giants were magnets for offseason criticism amid a series of personnel moves that many observers believed signaled the start of a lengthy rebuilding process. Star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was traded to the Cleveland Browns and veteran linebacker Landon Collins left to join the Washington Redskins. The selection of Jones ignited the rolling of countless eyeballs, but New York's brass appeared to be vindicated when the Duke product excelled in the preseason.

Moreover, despite a widespread perception that Manning's skills are in rapid decline, he started all 16 games and completed 66 percent of his passes for 4,299 yards and 21 touchdowns against 11 interceptions a year ago. Barkley lived to his billing as an immediate star by rushing for 1,307 yards and 11 scores. He also caught 91 passes for 721 yards and four more touchdowns.

We can tell you Hunt is leaning under, but he's also identified a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. You can only see what it is, and which team to back, at SportsLine.

Who wins Giants vs. Cowboys? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Giants vs. Cowboys spread you should jump on Sunday, all from the NFL expert who's hitting nearly 70 percent of his picks on these teams.