Domenik Hixon: Rueben Randle's Production Hurts WR's Fantasy Value

New York Giants receiver Domenik Hixon was supposed to have a big game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5.

The problem is, one of his teammates stole his thunder.

Hixon, who racked up six catches for 114 yards in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles, was in position to put up similar numbers against a Browns defense that had allowed the second-most fantasy points to receivers heading into Week 5.

Yet, despite starting receivers Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden being out against Cleveland due to injuries, Hixon managed just five catches for 55 yards.

That's because rookie Rueben Randle (formerly of LSU) came out of nowhere to post six catches for 82 yards against the Browns as he received a team-high nine targets.

That's what's so frustrating about analyzing offenses like New York's from a fantasy standpoint. When you have an elite quarterback like Eli Manning or Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees, you never know what to expect from secondary receivers because elite quarterbacks tend to spread the ball around so well.

Randle had a grand total of one target against the Eagles in Week 4, but got more attention from Manning than Hixon did in Week 5. That's because quarterbacks like Manning have no problem taking what defenses give them. Manning threw to seven different players against the Browns, despite being down two receivers.

Whether or not Nicks plays in Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers, Barden is expected to play after being cleared for practice on Monday, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com.

In that case, it's hard to advise starting Hixon moving forward in any context, particularly against the 49ers on Sunday.

How quickly things change in the NFL.