Hakeem Nicks Must Produce for New York Giants

The New York Giants' 2008 season kicked off with the celebration of their Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots the year before.

With an NFC best 10-1 start in the 2008 campaign, the men in blue looked primed for a championship repeat—until the unthinkable happened.

In late November, top wide receiver Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg at a night club in New York. This “accident” would effectively end his season.

Burress was never the most respected player in the NFL when it came to his attitude and work ethic. Truth be told, he really wasn't having a very good season in 2008 at all.

But the two things Burress did provide was a big target to throw to (especially inside the 20) and a legit wide receiver that commanded respect from the opposition. As all top end talents do, Burress made things easier for his teammates simply because he was on the field.

Without a top end receiver, opponents would now be able to slow down New York's top running attack lead by Brandon Jacobs. Also, with no big target on the roster with an ability to out-jump defenders for the ball, New York proved to be one-dimensional inside the red zone.

These glaring problems would amount to their record falling to 2-3 in the last five games. Then the final nail in the coffin came with an early exit in the playoffs, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles at home.

Soon after the season's end the Giants released Burress, who now could be facing jail time for his gun play in public. Rumors surfaced that the Giants would make a trade to obtain the likes of Anquan Boldin or Braylon Edwards.

Those talks ended up being just that—a rumo—and no receiver was brought in to fill the gap Burress left.

Burress' replacement would be left to the NFL Draft in April.

With the 29th overall pick, the Giants selected wide receiver Hakeem Nicks from the North Carolina Tar Heels. Nicks was the first Tar Heel underclassman to declare eligibility for the NFL Draft since defensive end Julius Peppers in 2001.

Hakeem Nicks' Fantasy Value in the New York Giants Offense

Hakeem Nicks is a very talented young wide receiver.

In his short career with the Tar Heels, Nicks holds the school single-season records in touchdowns, receiving yards, and receptions.

The Giants will look to Nicks to help fill the void left by Burress. Some compare Nicks to the likes of Boldin because of his skills and size.

Right now, I believe Nicks will provide instant help in the red zone as a big physical target for Eli Manning. This makes Nicks a good bet for touchdowns.

Look to draft Nicks as a solid late round pick for your fantasy team this season. At the very least, he should make a nice bye week fill-in on your roster.

If Nicks does play like the man he's widely compared to, his numbers could sky rocket. Remember, Boldin had a Pro Bowl caliber rookie year in Arizona. He had 101 catches for 1,317 yards and eight touchdowns.

If the man from North Carolina puts those numbers up, he would clearly be a steal at such a low price.

Sean E. Douglas also writes for fantasy-info.com, which is a fantasy football blog.