Five Biggest Questions
1. Will Eli Manning keep the starting job all season?
2. Is Sterling Shepard a top-30 WR?
3. Is Golden Tate a WR4+?
4. Are any other wideouts draftable?
5. Is Evan Engram a top-6 TE?
With four double-digit loss seasons in the past five years, the Giants are a franchise in purgatory. Gone is Odell Beckham, Jr. Stubbornly remaining is the heavily post-prime Eli Manning. And their bottom-10 defense probably will remain a liability. Looking at their personnel and schedule, it’s hard to envision them winning more than five games, meaning it’s hard to envision Eli (QB-33 ADP) finishing the season under center.
Regardless of the merit (or lack of merit) surrounding the team’s decision to draft QB Daniel Jones 6th overall, the rookie has got the best shot of any Giant QB in years to send the physically declining future Hall-of-Famer into early retirement. Two-QB leaguers should be wary of drafting Eli as anything more than a low-end #3 QB. Do not look at the veteran’s 2018 “resurgence” as a sign of things to come. He’ll be a free agent in January. He’ll also turn 39 in January. The Giants would be foolish to keep Jones under wraps. They need to see what the rookie can do, and if he fails to impress, they’ll use yet another high draft pick in 2020 to nab someone like Justin Herbert or Tua Tagovailoa.
Saquon Barkley (RB-1 ADP) more than lived up to his rookie hype, and he’ll enter 2019 as a top-3 back with strong #1 potential. As with most backs playing on bad defensive teams, his biggest hindrance could be game flow. But his usage in the passing game (second most RB receptions with 91) helps give him a higher floor than nearly any other fantasy commodity. And don’t sleep on third-year backup Wayne Gallman (RB-89); last year he played the handcuff role (65 touches) and was a capable pass catcher while at Clemson (66 receptions in three seasons). He’d likely be the first man up if Barkley goes down.
Sterling Shepard (RB-36) is one of my favorite undervalued wideouts. He was last year, too, as I pushed him last summer as a top 35 WR despite his WR-45 ADP (he finished 30th). He’s the clear-cut #1 on a team that frequently will be in catch-up mode and will reward savvy fantasy drafters. Meanwhile, the newly signed Golden Tate has taken a couple steps back the past two years and can no longer be counted on for WR2+ numbers—or even WR4 numbers. His WR-39 ADP might be mildly ambitious given who's throwing to him and, frankly, is based more on his career track record than his likely role. And while Corey Coleman opened OTAs as the #3 wideout, I’m expecting rookie Darius Slayton to win the job. That said, Slayton isn’t rosterable unless Shepard or Tate gets hurt.
And what do we make of Evan Engram (TE-5 ADP)? I warned against him last preseason based on inflated 2017 stats driven largely by injuries to other key starters. And he’s now dealt with hamstring ailments in both NFL seasons. The high-upside talent will be the third or probably fourth option in a sub-par offense. Let an opponent burn a fifth- or even sixth-round pick on him.