The New York Giants are still taking it easy with wide receiver Victor Cruz, who’s trying to make a comeback after two injury-ruined seasons. Cruz will play in Thursday night’s preseason finale against the New England Patriots, but it won’t be for long. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan expects Cruz to only see around 8-10 snaps at most.
Victor Cruz playing in preseason finale and is a risky fantasy investment
The oft-injured Giants veteran will only get a handful of snaps on Thursday. We look at the fantasy implications.
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Cruz’s career has stalled out ever since he suffered a devastating torn patellar tendon midway through the 2014 season. He tried coming back last season, but a calf injury put him back on the shelf and cost him the entire 2015 season. Cruz made his long-awaited return to game action in this year’s third preseason game, catching one pass on two targets. More importantly, he played all 32 snaps with the first team with no setbacks, showing that he’s finally healthy after all these years.
Fantasy impact: Cruz appears locked in as the starting slot receiver, with Odell Beckham Jr. and rookie Sterling Shepard playing on the outside. With the Giants passing offense quietly trending upwards, there could be some fantasy upside with Cruz if he stays healthy.
But with so much time away from the game, we can’t really bank on Cruz looking like his old self right out of the gate. He’s a late-round lottery ticket in fantasy drafts right now, and owners shouldn’t rely on starting him in Week 1.
