Tonight we'll see two teams that are each missing one key piece. The question is what kind of offensive output we can expect, and whether any fantasy players is "safe."
For Washington, Ryan Fitzpatrick's injury has opened the door for NFL journeyman Taylor Heinicke. The pride of Old Dominion University has been slightly north of adequate in 92 career pass attempts, particularly since joining Washington after a forgettable stint in Carolina. Depending on how effective the Giants are on offense, we could see as many as 30 touches for Antonio Gibson as Washington tries to limit Heinicke's exposure. J.D. McKissic's irrelevance Sunday is concerning, though I doubt he'll continue to remain on the sidelines. It simply wouldn't make sense for a guy who had 80 receptions on 110 targets last season to be a non-factor on a team needing playmakers. If you're desperate for a #2 RB in a PPR league, McKissic is the epitome of risk/reward coming off his worst game in years.
The most impactful question mark is Terry McLaurin. Can Heinicke feed him? At a time when largely undraftable wideouts like Christian Kirk and even Tim Patrick are good bets for 10+ points, is Terry a better bet? Or is he headed for another WR4 day, which would raise serious questions about his startability going forward (or at least until Fitzpatrick returns)? In fairness, Fitz didn't throw any passes to Terry before getting hurt, so maybe I'm underestimating Heinicke's ability to connect with the team' #1 receiver. For now, I would say Logan Thomas is positionally the safest bet and should be a TE1 this week.
On the other side of the ball, the Giants are once again missing Evan Engram. But that's not the "key piece" I referenced at the outset. Until we see otherwise, Saquon Barkley is a fantasy liability. When he entered the league, he was tagged as a generational talent with a 99% SPARQ score. We have not seen this Saquon since his 2018 rookie campaign. Yes, 2019 was terrific based on nearly any metric. But not based on what Saquon could do. It was a step back. He's still working his way back, and it's unclear whether his 2018 self will ever return. And tonight's matchup against a tough Washington D won't help.
So if we don't see Saquon at full strength, the Giants will need to lean on the troublesome arm of Daniel Jones. With or without his franchise RB, this has to be Jones's year. The team added a top-15 NFL receiver in Kenny Golladay, signed veteran Kyle Rudolph, and drafted Kadarius Toney to package with past #1's Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton. Only two years ago, more than 200 of his passes went to guys like Bennie Fowler, Cody Latimer, and an almost finished Golden Tate. If Jones collapses tonight--even against a team he has no business excelling against--the Mike Glennon buzz will grow louder.
Speaking of Golladay, I traded for him this week in the Premier Fantasy Football League. It was a 4-for-4 trade, and he was one of four throw-ins (I also got OBJ), so you can imagine the big names that changed hands (very big names). It wasn't long ago that Golladay was one of the top young receivers in the game. In 2019 he finished 9th among WRs in fantasy points. While Jones is a clear step down from Matthew Stafford, the Giants didn't sign Golladay to a $72 million contract to be a 4-60 guy each week. I'm a big fan of buying low, in the belief he'll return to top-25 production, with an outside shot of reaching the top 15 if Jones can take a step forward.
---
Personalized Fantasy Advice Sign-up: www.fantasyfootballforwinners.com/p/personalized-fantasy-advice.html
Follow on Twitter: @_FF4W
For Washington, Ryan Fitzpatrick's injury has opened the door for NFL journeyman Taylor Heinicke. The pride of Old Dominion University has been slightly north of adequate in 92 career pass attempts, particularly since joining Washington after a forgettable stint in Carolina. Depending on how effective the Giants are on offense, we could see as many as 30 touches for Antonio Gibson as Washington tries to limit Heinicke's exposure. J.D. McKissic's irrelevance Sunday is concerning, though I doubt he'll continue to remain on the sidelines. It simply wouldn't make sense for a guy who had 80 receptions on 110 targets last season to be a non-factor on a team needing playmakers. If you're desperate for a #2 RB in a PPR league, McKissic is the epitome of risk/reward coming off his worst game in years.
The most impactful question mark is Terry McLaurin. Can Heinicke feed him? At a time when largely undraftable wideouts like Christian Kirk and even Tim Patrick are good bets for 10+ points, is Terry a better bet? Or is he headed for another WR4 day, which would raise serious questions about his startability going forward (or at least until Fitzpatrick returns)? In fairness, Fitz didn't throw any passes to Terry before getting hurt, so maybe I'm underestimating Heinicke's ability to connect with the team' #1 receiver. For now, I would say Logan Thomas is positionally the safest bet and should be a TE1 this week.
On the other side of the ball, the Giants are once again missing Evan Engram. But that's not the "key piece" I referenced at the outset. Until we see otherwise, Saquon Barkley is a fantasy liability. When he entered the league, he was tagged as a generational talent with a 99% SPARQ score. We have not seen this Saquon since his 2018 rookie campaign. Yes, 2019 was terrific based on nearly any metric. But not based on what Saquon could do. It was a step back. He's still working his way back, and it's unclear whether his 2018 self will ever return. And tonight's matchup against a tough Washington D won't help.
So if we don't see Saquon at full strength, the Giants will need to lean on the troublesome arm of Daniel Jones. With or without his franchise RB, this has to be Jones's year. The team added a top-15 NFL receiver in Kenny Golladay, signed veteran Kyle Rudolph, and drafted Kadarius Toney to package with past #1's Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton. Only two years ago, more than 200 of his passes went to guys like Bennie Fowler, Cody Latimer, and an almost finished Golden Tate. If Jones collapses tonight--even against a team he has no business excelling against--the Mike Glennon buzz will grow louder.
Speaking of Golladay, I traded for him this week in the Premier Fantasy Football League. It was a 4-for-4 trade, and he was one of four throw-ins (I also got OBJ), so you can imagine the big names that changed hands (very big names). It wasn't long ago that Golladay was one of the top young receivers in the game. In 2019 he finished 9th among WRs in fantasy points. While Jones is a clear step down from Matthew Stafford, the Giants didn't sign Golladay to a $72 million contract to be a 4-60 guy each week. I'm a big fan of buying low, in the belief he'll return to top-25 production, with an outside shot of reaching the top 15 if Jones can take a step forward.
---
Personalized Fantasy Advice Sign-up: www.fantasyfootballforwinners.com/p/personalized-fantasy-advice.html
Follow on Twitter: @_FF4W