2015 Fantasy Football Outlook for New York Giants Stars
Second-year offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is the force behind the revival of the New York Giants stars. Rashad Jennings, Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. quest for an even better fantasy football outlook in 2015.
New York finished 13th in NFL scoring and 10th in standard fantasy.
The Giants’ fantasy stars can only advance as far as a struggling, but improving, offensive line can carry them. General manager Jerry Reese addressed the O-line with New York’s No. 9 pick in the NFL draft, taking offensive tackle Ereck Flowers from Miami.
NFL Network’s Mike Mayock stacked praise on the 6’6”, 329-pounder. "Flowers is a big, strong, power man. He's a powerful run-blocker and has prototypical tackle traits. He reminds me of the 49ers' Anthony Davis when he came out of Rutgers."
Sports Illustrated’s Peter King reported a league-wide “love-fest” for Flowers in his MMQB predraft story. "'He will not fail,’ said one club official of a team in pursuit of the feisty Flowers. ‘He is all ball. Don’t know if he’ll make many Pro Bowls, but he will play at a good level for years. To me, he’s a sure thing.'"
Tom Coughlin’s 11-year tenure as head coach depends on it. The Giants extended the 68-year-old’s contract through 2016, but that’s more of an adherence to a Mara family tradition of not forcing a coach to endure a lame-duck season, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
The good news for all involved is New York’s future is looking up, both for the team and for individual fantasy prospects.
Players are shown in ascending order from least to most valuable from a fantasy perspective in 2015.
Honorable Mention
1 of 9
Chris Ogbonnaya, RB
Ogbonnaya currently occupies New York’s fourth running back slot after the team re-signed him in March, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com:
"In much smaller RB news, the Giants will be re-signing Chris Ogbonnaya today.
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) March 10, 2015
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He’s been more effective as a receiver than rusher in his five seasons with five different teams. If he makes the final roster, he’ll still reap little to no fantasy value.
Corey Washington, WR
Washington impressed in the preseason last year but will have to perform better on special teams in order to earn more opportunities on a loaded wide receiver corps, according to Graziano.
The undrafted sleeper from the Division II Newberry Wolves measures 6’4”, 214 pounds. If he can’t catch on with the Giants, he could find work on a team that is hurting at the position.
Daniel Fells, TE
Fells is primarily a blocking tight end and isn’t a threat to unseat Larry Donnell as the starter. He is a capable pass-catcher who posted a career-high four touchdowns in 2014.
He is the favorite to keep the TE2 position over Adrien Robinson and could have temporary fantasy value in an injury-replacement scenario.
Marcus Harris, WR
An unnamed Giants assistant coach told Jordan Raanan of NJ.com that Harris was the best wide receiver in training camp before a shoulder injury ended his season, according to Raanan’s Twitter page (h/t Rotoworld).
"MT @MikeDitizii Can you see @SoupHarris18 making big impact this season?>>>Absolutely. An asst. told me he was their best WR in TC/preseason
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) March 27, 2015
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The 2011 undrafted free agent of Murray State Racers fame has yet to record an NFL stat. He’d be the favorite to back up Victor Cruz ahead of Preston Parker, who delivered mediocre numbers from the slot in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus.
Harris contributes on special teams, a key to cracking the offensive lineup in Tom Coughlin’s system.
Monitor his progress as preseason gets underway.
Victor Cruz, WR
2 of 9
Jerry Reese said Cruz is on track to be recovered from a torn patellar tendon by Week 1, tweeted Jordan Raanan of NJ.com:
"Reese: Victor Cruz running well, on track for opener. Still no certainties returning from injury #Giants
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) April 23, 2015
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Cruz joined Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle for offseason workouts, according to Nick Powell of NJ.com. The five-year veteran posted a picture of himself running at the team facility on his Instagram account (h/t Powell).
Tom Coughlin has maintained cautious optimism when interviewed during the owners meetings, according to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post.
“I think he’ll be the player that he was, and hopefully better. But as far as when, I would be careful. Hopefully, it’s the first [regular-season] game," the coach said. "But if it isn’t, we’ve done that before. We just went through it [with Beckham in 2014].”
Bill Pennington of The New York Times reported Cruz does not share those reservations: “There’s zero doubts that I’ll be playing in that first game. I do feel like I can continue to be the same guy that I was before. Mentally, I’m confident in my knee and I’m close to doing more things with it—I want to run faster, I want to start cutting. But I have to be patient.”
The Giants can afford to be cautious with Cruz thanks to the depth of receiving options. When he returns he’ll be competing with Larry Donnell, Randle and Beckham for targets.
A slow start and possession role from the slot hurt Cruz’s fantasy prospects outside of points-per-reception leagues. Don’t expect the former No. 1 to be anything more than a flex option in 2015.
All-Too-Early 2015 Projection: 70 receptions, 838 yards and four touchdowns.
Andre Williams, RB
3 of 9
The Giants are diversifying their backfield, which is always bad news for fantasy owners. Williams averaged a plodding 3.3 yards per carry in his rookie season, which means the 5’11”, 230-pounder is likely to assume the short-yardage role in this committee.
The 2014 fourth-round pick out of Boston College struggled midway through the season filling lead-back duties for the injured Rashad Jennings. Running backs coach Craig Johnson told Nick Powell of NJ.com that Williams needed to work through the rookie learning curve:
"I think for all young players, they have a tendency to really get in a hurry, but I think that he is getting more patient as he continues to go. Every back that I know of wants to get with the rhythm and the timing of the linemen.
He's trying to find his niche and find his tempo. Obviously we've played against some defenses that have played very well. He's just got to see it and feel it and get a feel of the game.
"
Williams found his rhythm in two late-season starts, gashing the Tennessee Titans and St. Louis Rams for 131 and 110 yards, respectively. He carried the ball 50 times combined in those two contests, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.
Expect Williams to lead New York’s backfield in rushing touchdowns in 2015, the same as he did last season (seven). He’s a must-handcuff for Jennings owners but still shouldn’t be drafted outside of the late-middle rounds in such a crowded backfield.
All-Too-Early 2015 Projection: 150 carries for 600 yards and nine touchdowns.
Rueben Randle, WR
4 of 9
Randle stepped up to WR2 after New York lost Victor Cruz for the season in Week 6. The 2012 second-rounder out of LSU finished second on the team in targets (127), receptions (71) and yards (938), all career bests.
The three-year veteran stunted his own growth by showing up late to meetings and catching two quarter-long suspensions from Tom Coughlin. Jerry Reese defended the 23-year-old, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
“I think Rueben gets banged on a lot. Sometimes he should get banged on, but I think he gets banged on sometimes a little too much. I think he is a good, young player and all he needs are some chances. With Odell and Victor, I think he will get plenty of chances.”
Randle possesses the size (6’2”, 205 pounds), the talent (graded 19th among wide receivers, according to Pro Football Focus) and the incentive (entering a contract year) to shine for the Giants. It would be inexcusable if he finished 35th in fantasy scoring among wide receivers again in 2015.
Don’t draft Randle any higher than your flex, picking him up in the later rounds. Whether he succeeds or fails in 2015, you’ll be glad you didn’t reach to take him.
All-Too-Early 2015 Projection: 78 receptions for 900 yards and five touchdowns.
Larry Donnell, TE
5 of 9
Donnell flashed tremendous promise in 2014, rising up from an undrafted unknown out of the Grambling State Tigers FCS program in 2012. He finished 12th among tight ends in fantasy scoring and fifth in the red zone.
ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano said the Giants are optimistic about Donnell’s future: “They like his athleticism and his size, and most of all they really believe in his offseason dedication and determination to work on and learn the things he still needs to learn. They believe they have not only a starter, but a future star in Donnell.”
The third-year breakout posted 63 catches for 623 yards and six touchdowns in his first campaign as a NFL starter. He dubiously led all tight ends in fumbles lost with four, though.
He needs to improve his pass-catching, where he ranked a mediocre 38th out of 67 tight ends in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus.
The 6’6”, 265-pound monster is still a work in progress and will compete for targets in a diverse offense. But good tight ends are hard to find in fantasy, so you could do much worse than take a late-round flier on Donnell.
Peg him conservatively as a TE2 with fantastic upside in 2015.
All-Too-Early 2015 Projection: 79 receptions for 725 yards and eight touchdowns.
Shane Vereen, RB
6 of 9
The Giants signed Vereen in March to upgrade backfield flexibility, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter:
"Former #Patriots RB Shane Vereen is expected to sign with the #Giants, I’m told. They needed a versatile back, will likely get it.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2015
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The former New England Patriot also brings depth to a position that has been particularly susceptible to injury for New York recently. Vereen’s own injury history is checkered, but the four-year veteran didn’t miss a game in 2014 after missing 11 combined in the previous two seasons.
He finished fifth among running backs in receptions (52) and yards (447) last season, something he should easily duplicate for the Giants in 2015. Consider him a flex in standard formats, with RB2 potential in PPR leagues.
All-Too-Early 2015 Projection: 75 rushes for 300 yards and one touchdown, plus 60 receptions for 550 yards and four touchdowns.
Rashad Jennings, RB
7 of 9
Jennings owners face diminished returns in 2015 after the Giants added Shane Vereen. Andre Williams already holds the potential to steal touchdowns, and now Vereen will force Jennings to the sidelines on passing downs.
It’s good news from a health perspective: The six-year veteran never started more than nine games in a season due to injuries and established talent ahead of him. It’s also good from a team perspective, as Jennings pointed out, according to Bob Glauber of Newsday:
"Shane's a great player. He's a teammate. He's not an enemy. We're working together, and we're going to win the championship together.
You look around the locker room, we've got great players. Everybody's coming back healthy, flying around, going into Year 2 of the same system. That makes a tremendous difference. McAdoo explained it to us. Last year, we installed a system. This year, we get to run our offense.
"
All the extra mouths to feed are detrimental from a fantasy perspective. Jennings could produce at an RB2 level if healthy, or he could be drowned out to a flex at best in a committee.
Wait until the middle rounds to take a chance on Jennings, in case injury or a decreased workload limits his fantasy output in 2015.
All-Too-Early 2015 Projection: 750 rushing yards and five touchdowns, plus 20 receptions for 150 yards.
Eli Manning, QB
8 of 9
The Giants are comfortable allowing Manning to play out his contract in 2015, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. NJ.com's Jordan Raanan reported Manning is not fazed by the impasse:
"Nothing has been brought up. [The contract] is not something I'm going to argue about or make a fuss about.
I look at it like, 'Hey, I signed a six-year contract, and I've never once mentioned contract to them or anything or tried to get extended.' I'm going to play out those six years and hopefully my play and the success of the team will dictate the future of me being in New York.
"
The 11-year veteran is in a perfect negotiating position coming off one of the best seasons of his career. His 30 touchdown passes marked a career high, and the 14 interceptions produced his second-lowest interception percentage (2.3).
His goal is to drop the interception number into the single digits over a full season for the first time in his career, according to Raanan on Twitter.
"Eli Manning wants to get his interceptions into single digits this year. Threw 14 last year. #Giants
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) April 20, 2015
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Manning and his stellar wide receiver corps conducted their own three-day minicamp at Duke University, according to Nick Powell of NJ.com. Fantasy owners can trust his commitment matches his words as the group re-acclimates to Ben McAdoo’s complicated system.
He projects as a solid QB2 in 2015, with the potential to creep into the top 10. Manning hasn’t missed a start since he acquired the job from Kurt Warner in 2004.
Store Manning on your bench later in the draft, using him as a bye-week filler or an excellent No. 2 pairing in two-quarterback leagues.
All-Too-Early 2015 Projection: 4,500 passing yards and 36 touchdowns.
Odell Beckham Jr., WR
9 of 9
The unforgettable one-handed catch above punctuated Beckham’s crescendo from the sidelines through Week 4 to rounding out 2014 as the Offensive Rookie of the Year.
As if finishing fifth in fantasy scoring among wide receivers in just 12 weeks wasn’t impressive enough, Beckham claimed the feat was accomplished on two torn hamstrings, as Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News tweets:
"Odell Beckham said he played all year with two tears in his hamstrings. He says he's still not 100%. Amazing.
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoNYDN) January 26, 2015
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Brian Costello of the New York Post reported Jerry Reese is skeptical of the phenom’s claim: “I don’t know about that. I think he was trying to be a hero. According to our doctors, it was healed up. He may have gotten fatigued later in the season. But I don’t think you can go out and run like that if you’ve got a couple torn hamstrings.”
It all sounds like gamesmanship from the second highest-rated wide receiver of 2014, per Pro Football Focus. Beckham’s claims about bum hamstrings are reminiscent of Jim Brown’s habit of acting hurt between plays only to maul defenders on the next snap.
Fantasy owners can draft the LSU product confidently among the top five wide receivers in 2015. There’s little doubt the spectacular rookie can’t produce an encore with the depth of talent around him on New York’s offense.
All-Too-Early 2015 Projection: 95 receptions, 1,350 yards and 15 touchdowns.
NFL statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference , fantasy stats provided by CBS Sports.com, fantasy draft projections courtesy of Fantasy Pros, contract and salary cap information provided by Over the Cap and h/t to Rotoworld for tweets and quotes unless otherwise noted.
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