Eli Manning is coming off one of the best statistical seasons of
his career, having thrived in offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s
system the last two seasons. Manning’s success was a huge factor
in McAdoo being named the team’s head coach after Tom Coughlin “resigned”
from the position. McAdoo was hired by Coughlin after a successful
stint as the Packers quarterback coach and runs an up-tempo gameplan
– the Giants played at the second fastest pace in the league in
2015. His Packer version of the west coast based offense using short
screens and slants, helped increase Manning’s efficiency across
the board. The system also helped the offensive line, decreasing
the time required to hold their blocks. Manning finished with over
4,400 passing yards for the second consecutive season and he threw
for a career high 35 touchdown passes with only 14 interceptions
in 2015. He has never been valued as a great fantasy asset, but
his steady production and ability to put together 16-game seasons
on a yearly basis has always made him a safe bet to finish as a
borderline fantasy QB1. Under McAdoo and with the emergence of wide
receiver Odell Beckham Jr., Manning’s ceiling has been raised and
upside remains even at age 35. The team’s o-line issues have been
addressed through free agency and the draft during the last two
seasons which can only further help the younger Manning. The Giants
added another quick and explosive wide receiver, rookie Sterling
Shepard, into the mix which is another factor in favor of Manning
continuing his recent success. The veteran makes a nice target for
those that like to wait and use a QBBC approach in redraft leagues.
Veteran Rashad Jennings is expected to once again be the team’s
lead back this season. That may not mean as much as it would for
other fantasy running backs, as injuries and the staff’s committee
approach at the position have led to only 362 carries during his
two seasons with the team. Jennings did manage to play in all 16
games last season and finished with 863 rushing yards and caught
29 balls for another 296 yards with 4 total touchdowns. While his
dynamic play-making skills are limited, he was generally efficient
and is still the best running back on the roster. At 31 years of
age it’s hard to imagine much improvement over last season, leaving
the door open for Shane Vereen or more likely rookie Paul Perkins
to step into the lead back role. While Jennings’ versatility and
experience in the system makes him the odds on favorite for lead
back duties, it should be noted that Jennings had never handled
more than 163 carries in a season before coming to the Giants and
topped out at 195 last year. He is an attractive depth option in
PPR leagues at late-round ADP, but relying on him as a weekly starter
is not advisable.
Predictions for the rookie runner out of UCLA will likely be all
over the place. The Giants used a fifth round pick on the “complete”
running back, and some fantasy owners likely envision him taking
over the reins from the pedestrian Rashad Jennings as early as
Week 1. It should be noted, however, that most rookie runners
not taken in the first round of the NFL draft fail to supplant
the incumbent during their first season, and beat writer Ralph
Vacchiano codified those thoughts when predicting that Perkins
would not make much of an impact this season. Perkins has the
talent and ability to eventually surpass the aging Jennings on
the depth chart, but owners will need to be patient as an early
season role of 4-6 carries a game is likely the best case scenario
at this point. Perkins was a solid three down back at UCLA, showing
good lateral quickness and the ability to run inside despite being
somewhat “small” at 208 pounds. Perkins long term NFL success
is not a given with a late round pedigree, but he should be talented
enough to capitalize during any opportunity he is given to be
a featured back. With Jennings being 31 years of age and Shane
Vereen mostly a disappointment running the ball during his first
season in New York, it’s not terribly difficult to imagine Perkins
carving out playing time as the season progresses.
While, I noted above that Vereen was mostly a disappointment during
his first season in New York, that statement depends on one’s
expectations heading into the season. Rashad Jennings stayed healthy
and Vereen was unable to take significant carries away from him,
but the former Patriot was, as expected, a big part of the passing
game catching 59 balls for 495 yards and 4 touchdowns. He only
received 61 carries, gaining 260 yards, and was held scoreless
on the ground however. For those in PPR leagues, Vereen maintained
some value but many predicted that he was talented enough to be
the Giants’ featured back, and that of course never materialized.
In McAdoo’s west coast style high-octane offense, Vereen should
still play a major role as the passing game back and he could
potentially see an expanded role with a Jennings injury and if
Perkins shows he is not quite ready to step in. At 5’10” and 205
pounds Vereen is essentially the same size as Perkins, so it’s
not a given that the rookie would vault over him for snaps should
Jennings miss time.
To say that Odell Beckham’s career is off to a great start is
an understatement. Despite missing the first four games of his
rookie year and one game last season, Beckham still holds the
record for receiving yards during a player’s first two seasons
in the league. He has an incredible 187 catches for 2,755 yards
and 25 touchdowns in his first 27 games in the NFL. OBJ often
looks uncoverable on the field, and he is obviously the “go to
guy” for Eli Manning. Despite being only 5’11” and 198 pounds,
he’s still one of the toughest players on the field week in and
week out. However, his overly aggressive style can be a detriment
at times, like last season where he was suspended for one game
after mixing it up with Josh Norman in Week 15. His fantasy owners
who made it to their championship games, couldn’t have been pleased,
forced to leave him on their bench in Week 16 as a result. Teams
now know they can get into his head by taunting and being aggressive
with him, so it would be wise for Beckham to mature quickly. Beckham
is a superb route runner, is lightning quick and his run after
the catch ability is unmatched in the league. He’s one of the
safest picks on draft day as his floor is higher than a lot of
other player’s ceilings – as he’s shown he will rack up yards
and touchdowns on a weekly basis. The Giants fast paced offense
will only help, and as stated Eli Manning knows where his bread
is buttered and will find Beckham often on Sundays (Mondays and
Thursdays as well).
Victor Cruz has not played in an NFL game since 2014 as a result
of a torn patella tendon which was then followed by a torn calf
while rehabbing the patella injury. After bursting on the scene
as an unheralded second year player in 2012 (82-1536-9), it’s
been a steady decline for Cruz and the feeling among the Giants’
brass is that anything they get from him this season will be a
bonus. The talk is optimistic about Cruz returning for the start
of training camp, but it’s hard to imagine that he’ll ever be
the same player again. If he does regain his health, Cruz should
see most of his playing time in the slot, a place where he has
shown to be effective in the past and where he would not need
to be as explosive.
With Rueben Randle gone, Cruz’ status up in the air and not much
to speak of otherwise on the wide receiver depth chart, rookie
Sterling Shepard is expected to see heavy targets right off the
bat. Shepard isn’t big at 5’10” and 194 pounds so he will need
to rely upon his explosive athleticism and his route running,
which was called the best in this draft class by many pundits.
The former Oklahoma sooner was highly productive during his NCAA
run totaling 233 career receptions for 3,482 yards and 26 touchdowns.
He appears to be best suited to play the slot, which may cause
some issues for the Giants who have no one outside of Beckham
that can dominate outside, especially if Victor Cruz never regains
form. At this point, however, Sterling is the clear favorite for
the WR2 spot in this offense and with the up-tempo style and Beckham
getting defensive attention 90-100 targets seems like a safe floor
to project for the rookie. Exceeding 100 targets isn’t hard to
imagine if Shepard looks the part and gains Eli’s trust early
on.
Former starter Larry Donnell is expected to return from a serious
neck injury, second year player Matt LaCosse has been getting
some nice buzz in minicamp and the Giants spent a sixth round
pick on the athletic Jerrell Adams, but it’s Will Tye out
of Stony Brook University who is considered to be the favorite
to start at tight end for the Giants this season. The tight end
position has always been a fairly productive spot for this franchise
even though that they haven’t had any considerable talent
at the position since Jeremy Shockey. The unheralded Tye joins
a long list of JAGs that have stepped in and got the job done
when called upon at the position. After Donnell went down, Tye
shined catching 42 balls for 464 yards and 3 scores in seven starts.
Tye is somewhat undersized at 6’2”/262 pounds but
is an athletic presence down the seam and showed he can make plays
for the team last season, becoming arguably their second best
pass catcher. Tye struggled as a pass blocker, however, which
could turn this position into a committee with the hulking Donnell
and the versatile LaCosse added to the mixed.
