The Washington Redskins and New York Giants played in one of three Week 17 games without any playoff implications, and it was apparent from the start why this game wouldn't mean much. In sloppy field conditions, play was even sloppier. Fantasy owners relying on players participating did not get a lot of production. It was a fitting end for two teams whose seasons could not end fast enough, and fantasy owners who had to pay close attention to this game likely felt the same way.
Redskins vs. Giants Week 17 fantasy football recap: Jerrel Jernigan proves valuable as a plug-and-play
Week 17’s matchup between the Giants and Redskins provided little in the grand scheme of the 2013 season, but there were implications for fantasy football. We break them down.
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Redskins
Fantasy players who were worth it: Pierre Garcon
Fantasy players who weren't worth it: Kirk Cousins, Alfred Morris
Saying Garcon was “worth it” is a stretch, but owners in PPR leagues who just needed a player to show up would have gotten that in Garcon. His six catches for 56 yards won’t blow anyone away, but the double-digit output stands out in a game like this. Garcon finished the season with 113 catches, which is a Redskins record, and a reason his fantasy owners loved plugging him in as a reliable WR2 each week.
Alfred Morris carried the ball 16 times for 62 yards in a game that was within reach for most of its duration. He also chipped in with two catches for 21 yards on the first drive, but was not targeted after that.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins made for an attractive plug-and-play down the stretch of the season with a trio of favorable matchups against the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys and the Giants, but his numbers got progressively worse with each game. On Sunday, Cousins was woefully inaccurate, routinely throwing behind receivers and completing just 39 percent of his passes. Cousins finished the afternoon with a quarterback rating of 31.8 after completing 19-of-49 attempts for 169 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions and a lost fumble.
Giants
Fantasy players who were worth it: Jerrel Jernigan
Fantasy players who weren't worth it: Eli Manning, Andre Brown, Hakeem Nicks
To be fair, Manning and Nicks could have had much bigger games, but both left early due to ankle injuries. In a game with more importance, they may have gutted it out, but it’s understandable why they would be kept out of action. Manning threw for 152 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while finding Nicks twice for 50 total yards.
The running game found mild success with Peyton Hillis, who checked in after Andre Brown had a ball ripped out of his hands by Brandon Meriweather. Brown finished with just 11 yards on 13 carries, finishing in the red for fantasy owners.
Jernigan is the sleeper who savvy fantasy owners got a good payout from versus a leaky Redskins defense. For the third straight week, Jernigan led the Giants in targets and this time created two touchdowns from his opportunities. His 49-yard touchdown run was icing on the cake of an already big game that included six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. His receiving numbers predictably plateaued once Curtis Painter entered the game, but the 21 standard fantasy points is a total that Jernigan's fantasy owners will gladly take to the bank.
