Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
That picture is glorious.
An actual fantasy worthy Giants running back celebrating a touchdown run.
It was a pretty strange game, featuring some ugly special teams play, but this Week 10 matchup had it’s fair share of fantasy headlines, and owners need to take a few things away from this contest going forward.
New York Giants, 24 vs Oakland Raiders, 20
Giants
Once again, it was ugly, but the Giants got the victory. From the quarterback position, Eli Manning was, well, Eli Manning. He threw an awful pick six, one touchdown and just 140 yards. It was another pedestrian fantasy outing from Eli against a defense that was just torched for seven scores the week before. Manning now only has one 20-point fantasy day on the season, and that came all the way back in Week 1. There are weapons at his disposal, but it doesn’t matter. Eli can’t be trusted.
It wasn’t all bad for the Giants, however. After weeks of torment watching the likes of Peyton Hillis and Michael Cox, fantasy owners were thrilled with the return of Andre Brown. Last year’s pleasant fantasy surprise made his debut after (another) fractured leg) on Sunday, and while Hillis was listed as the starter, it meant nothing. Brown carried the ball a whopping 30 times for 115 yards and a touchdown. As expected, Brown’s score came from inside the two-yard line, where he was so dominant last season. Brown’s last nine touchdowns have come from inside the two-yard line, serving as one of the most efficient short-yardage backs. With David Wilson (neck) on injured reserve, Brown will be the featured back for the rest of the season, as well as possibly next year. The Giants love to run the ball when they are up close, and with Brown in the backfield, he could help owners with some massive touchdown potential the rest of the way. He is still only owned in 48 percent of Yahoo! leagues. Go get him. Meanwhile, the receiving corp was nothing special. Rueben Randle scored a five-yard touchdown, while Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz combined for just 86 yards receiving. Cruz is the only must-start guy.
Raiders
I recently wrote how quarterback Terrelle Pryor has a high weekly floor in fantasy, but his passing numbers are beginning to worry me a bit. Pryor did rush for 19 yards and a score, but only passed for 122 yards and zero touchdowns. Too many times have I seen Pryor evade massive amounts of pressure, only for his pedestrian receiving corp to fail to get open for him. Pryor has now failed to toss a touchdown pass in three straight contests. His rushing volume is salvaging his fantasy value, as he is still averaging just under 18 fantasy points per game over his last four. Pryor is averaging 68.7 rushing yards per game during that span, and has scored two scores on the ground as well. He’s a high-end quarterback two the rest of the way.
As for the backfield, I’m personally not a fan of Rashad Jennings. Anytime Darren McFadden gets hurt (which is a lot), Jennings comes in, and just when you think he’s a good play, he teases you and puts up a dud. On Sunday, McFadden rested with a bad hamstring, so Jennings got the nod. However, Jennings was okay, carrying the ball 20 times for 88 yards, while adding two grabs for 19 yards. He failed to score, but it was encouraging to see him get the majority of the work in the offense. He’ll obviously have value for as long as McFadden is sidelined, but temper expectations each week you decide to play him. I’m also staying away from every Oakland wide receiver, outside of Denarius Moore during weeks where he has a good matchup.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
