Will the real New York Giants offense please stand up? The first half featured the sloppy, rather lackluster play from the Giants' offense, which has been their nemesis lately. The offense was better in the second half but most of the damage was done in garbage time. The lone bright spots for the Giants on offense were rookies Andre Williams, Corey Washington and Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr. throws fantasy coming-out party in Giants’ loss to Colts
The New York Giants ran square up against the league’s most prolific passing attack and the result was a 40-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on “Monday Night Football.” We bring you the fantasy implications here.
The Giants' defense played decently early on but it was on the field too long. Even though defensive end Robert Ayers harassed Andrew Luck early and often, the Giants only registered one sack all night. They are now 3-5 and their playoff hopes are fading fast. If the Giants continue to play so poorly, it's hard to imagine Tom Coughlin surviving.
Let’s take a look at the fantasy numbers.
Eli Manning: Manning wasn't the greatest early in the game, but there were some passes that should have been caught. All of his touchdowns came in the second half when the game was already safely out of hand, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Larry Donnell. The numbers look good on paper, but you can't always rely on garbage-time numbers. Manning finished with 359 passing yards and two touchdowns. While he didn't throw an interception, he did fumble twice and lost one. Manning puts up good fantasy numbers at times, though you have to live with the occasional stinker as well.
Andre Williams: The rookie running back's numbers aren't impressive, but he picked up some tough yardage against a Colts defense fairly stingy against the run. Williams finished the game with 12 carries for 22 yards and a touchdown. The Giants largely abandoned the run in the second half since they were down by as much as 30 points. Rashad Jennings could return next week and Williams would go back to a complementary role. Peyton Hillis will also remain in the mix and he got the bulk of the running back targets in the passing game. Williams will remain a low-end fantasy start even if Jennings misses another game.
Odell Beckham Jr.: It was a coming-out performance by the rookie wide receiver who put on quite the show on Monday Night Football. While a lot of it came in garbage time, Beckham made a one-handed catch that very few can make, especially a rookie playing in his first MNF game. It’s not difficult to imagine Beckham being a superstar sooner rather than later. In his fourth game of the year, Beckham saw his targets jump to a team-high 11, tied with Rueben Randle. Beckham finished with eight receptions for 156 yards and is quickly developing into an attractive fantasy start.
Larry Donnell: Donnell's touchdown came in the third quarter when the Giants were down 40-10, and garbage time does seem to serve him well. He was targeted eight times and caught four passes for 25 yards in addition to the touchdown. Donnell's numbers will likely remain as erratic as the Giants' offense, but he does get a lot of looks from Manning.
