Fantasy Football Week 1: MNF Fantasy Preview (Giants at Lions)
Welcome back.
The NFL’s 95th season has already gotten off to a rousing start, and fantasy football owners saw their share of strong outings from all aspects.
In 14 games to date, we have seen eight 100-yard rushing performances, while eight quarterbacks threw for at least 300 yards on Sunday alone. And seven players totaled at least 100 yards receiving this weekend as well.
Now we partially wrap up Week 1 of 2014 with our fantasy guide to Monday night’s tilt between the New York Giants and Detroit Lions, a pair of teams which each finished 7-9 one season ago.
And if you look elsewhere, you can find the preview for the tilt between the San Diego Chargers and Arizona Cardinals.
What’s better than a Monday night watching the National Football League?
Answer: watching it twice.
Starting Quarterbacks
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New York Giants: Eli Manning
We all saw what happened with Manning a year ago as the Giants led the NFL with 44 turnovers and the error-prone signal-caller was guilty of 29 of those miscues—including a league-high 27 interceptions.
There’s a new offensive coordinator in town with Ben McAdoo, who was hoping that Manning could complete 70 percent of his throws in this attack. But so far, the veteran quarterback and the rest of the offense are a work in progress…
And that’s being kind.
Fantasy Prediction: 18-of-31, 244 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT; 3 carries, 11 yards, 0 TD
Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford
While we are quick to point out the Giants’ issues on the offensive side of the ball, the Lions had their own problems protecting the pigskin in 2013.
Detroit was tied for second-to-last in the league with 34 turnovers last season, 21 of those coming during the team’s 1-6 finish. During that span, Stafford threw for 10 scores but coughed up the ball 14 times, including a dozen interceptions.
Stafford will get his yards and scores but will likely serve up at least one pick.
Fantasy Prediction: 23-of-33, 311 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT; 2 carries, 6 yards, 1 TD
Running Backs
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New York Giants Starter: Rashad Jennings
The suddenly well-traveled performer is playing with his third team in three seasons and hopes to help New York rebound from a season in which it finished 29th in the league in rushing. He’ll get his opportunities against a defense that allowed the sixth-fewest rushing yards in the league last season.
While Tom Coughlin’s troubled offensive front will have its hands full with defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and company, look for Jennings to take occasional advantage of the Lions’ aggressiveness.
Fantasy Prediction: 13 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD; 3 receptions, 24 yards, 0 TD
New York Giants Backup: Peyton Hillis
Hillis ran for 247 yards (two touchdowns) with the Giants last season, second-most on the team, and will spell Jennings on occasion. But remember that rookie Andre Williams is the team’s preferred choice near the goal line.
Fantasy Prediction: 7 carries, 24 yards, 0 TD; 1 reception, 10 yards, 0 TD
Detroit Lions Starter: Reggie Bush
One of the NFL’s great home run threats out of the backfield, Bush is capable of frustrating any defense. Matthew Stafford could utilize the versatile performer as a receiver early in this game and then turn loose Bush and Joique Bell later in the game.
Fantasy Prediction: 14 carries, 77 yards, 0 TD; 3 receptions, 41 yards, 1 TD
Detroit Lions Backup: Joique Bell
Speak of the devil. In last season’s matchup between the clubs (Week 16), this Bell was rung often. The running back totaled 30 touches in the 23-20 overtime loss, running 20 times for 91 yards and a score and catching 10 passes for 63 yards.
Fantasy Prediction: 12 carries, 45 yards, 0 TD; 2 receptions, 20 yards, 0 TD
Wide Receivers
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New York Giants: Victor Cruz
The Pro Bowl wide receiver, who missed last season’s matchup with Detroit, should have his moments against a secondary that appears to be a little shorthanded at cornerback. If Eli Manning gets some time, Cruz could get loose more on occasion. We do expect him to find the end zone at least once on Monday night.
Fantasy Prediction: 6 receptions, 110 yards, 1 TD
New York Giants: Rueben Randle
Some forget that it was Randle who led the Giants this past season with six touchdown receptions. In last season’s tilt in the Motor City, the third-year pro was targeted nine times by Eli Manning and caught just four passes for 40 yards,
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 34 yards, 0 TD
New York Giants: Jerrel Jernigan
With rookie Odell Beckham Jr. sidelined, the third-round pick from 2011 hopes to have another nice outing in Detroit. In last season’s meeting, Jernigan caught six passes for 80 yards and a score in New York’s overtime win. It’s worth noting that the three-year wideout caught 32 passes for two scores in 2013, 19 of those receptions and both touchdowns coming in the final three weeks of the season.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 18 yards, 0 TD
New York Giants: Preston Parker
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout is attempting a comeback with the Giants. He hasn’t caught a pass in an NFL game since 2011 and was out of the league last season.
Fantasy Prediction: 0 receptions
Detroit Lions: Calvin Johnson
Look for the perennial Pro Bowl wideout to have his typical solid outing, although he’s likely to see a lot of Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Johnson has reached the 100-yard receiving mark in 18 of his 30 outings dating back to 2012.
Fantasy Prediction: 6 receptions, 123 yards, 1 TD
Detroit Lions: Golden Tate
The former Golden Domer earned a Super Bowl ring with the Seattle Seahawks a year ago and comes off the best season of his four-year career. He will prove to be a very strong complement to “Megatron.”
Fantasy Prediction: 4 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD
Detroit Lions: Kevin Ogletree
Ogletree caught 13 passes for 199 yards and one touchdown in 12 games with the Lions last season. With Johnson, Tate and Detroit’s other weapons, he doesn’t figure to be a big factor in this encounter.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 14 yards, 0 TD
Detroit Lions: Jeremy Ross
We don’t see many passes being thrown his way on Monday night, if any. But the Lions special teams may be worth a play as Ross figures to handle both punt and kickoff returns against the Giants.
Fantasy Prediction: 0 receptions
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Tight Ends
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New York Giants Starter: Larry Donnell
Donnell totaled three receptions for 31 yards a year ago with the Giants. He’s the listed starter on a less-than-imposing tight end depth chart for Tom Coughlin’s club. He played in last season’s game with the Lions but was not targeted as a pass-catcher.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 17 yards, 0 TD
New York Giants Backup: Daniel Fells
Fells’ career totals add up to 92 receptions, eight for touchdowns, in five seasons with three different teams. But he was out of the NFL in 2013 and looks to make an impact here.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 31 yards, 0 TD
Detroit Lions Starter: Brandon Pettigrew
The former first-round pick is back after catching 41 passes for 416 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2013. After setting career highs in 2011 with 83 catches for 777 yards and five touchdowns, Pettigrew has totaled just 100 receptions for 983 yards and five scores the last two seasons.
Fantasy Prediction: 4 receptions, 34 yards, 0 TD
Detroit Lions Backup: Joseph Fauria
The undrafted free agent was a touchdown sensation in 2013, with seven of his 18 receptions going for scores. Look for Fauria to draw a lot more attention this season. And don’t forget rookie Eric Ebron is waiting in the wings.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 12 yards, 0 TD
Defense/Special Teams
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New York Giants Defense/Special Teams
The New York defense played pretty respectable football last season, but those pass-rushing numbers are not what they used to be.
The Giants finished eighth in total yards allowed and did come up with a respectable 29 takeaways last season. But a unit that totaled 46 and 48 sacks in 2010 and 2011, respectively, has managed a combined 67 sacks the last two seasons, including just 34 quarterback traps last season.
Can second-year defensive end Damontre Moore revitalize this pass rush? Stay tuned.
Fantasy Prediction: 33 points allowed, 2 sacks, 1 INT, 0 FF
Detroit Lions Defense/Special Teams
Despite some impressive names on this side of the ball, the Lions don’t make as many big plays on defense as you would think.
That may change against the Giants’ much-maligned offensive line.
Last season, the Lions managed only 33 sacks and forced just 22 turnovers in 16 games. And Detroit’s secondary accounted for just seven interceptions in 2013. Those are numbers that need to change sooner than later.
Fantasy Prediction: 19 points allowed, 5 sacks, 2 INT, 2 FF
Best Sleeper Adds
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Looking for a little last-minute insurance when it comes to your roster on Monday night? Some of these players may not be on your team and may be worth grabbing before kickoff.
1. Larry Donnell, Tight End, New York Giants (Owned in 0.1 percent of ESPN leagues)
He’s the listed starter on the Giants depth chart. He caught just three passes last season but it’s not like Eli Manning has anything against tight ends. Brandon Myers, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, finished third on the team with 47 catches last season, four for touchdowns.
2. Andre Williams, Running Back, New York Giants (Owned 44.9 percent of ESPN leagues)
Hardly a surprise to see this name here as Williams led the Giants during the preseason with 38 carries and two rushing touchdowns, running for 195 yards.
3. Jeremy Ross, Wide Receiver, Detroit Lions (Owned in 0 percent of ESPN leagues)
Is he actually worth grabbing? Ross figures as the Lions’ main return artist, and he did catch six passes for 58 yards and find the end zone once during the preseason, for what that’s worth. In 2013, he totaled five catches for 59 yards and a score and also returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown.
Injury Report
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Here is a look at the latest injury report regarding the New York Giants and Detroit Lions, focusing on key performers.
New York Giants | ||
Player | Status | |
Odell Beckham Jr. | WR | Out |
Jon Beason | LB | Probable |
Charles Brown | T | Probable |
Brandon Mosley | G | Probable |
Tom Coughlin’s club trots out a new-look offensive line, and it is imperative that left tackle Will Beatty and company remain healthy on Monday night. Mosley is expected to play, but New York is a little thin at tackle with Brown on this list and reserve James Brower out for this game.
Having Beason on the field is the good news for the Giants. After joining the team in September, he wound up finishing second on the club with 93 tackles in 2013.
Detroit Lions | ||
Player | Status | |
James Ihedigbo | S | Doubtful |
Don Carey | S | Out |
The Lions secondary always seems to be an area of concern, most notably at cornerback, but Jim Caldwell’s club will be a little shorthanded at safety on Monday night.
Undrafted rookie free agent Jerome Couplin could get the start for Ihedigbo, as explained by Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. The former William & Mary product would team with veteran free safety Glover Quin, who totaled three interceptions last season.
Sit or Start
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We all know who the stars are in this contest. But is there a pivotal player or two who may be on your roster whom you can’t decide whether to start or not? Let’s see if we can be of assistance.
RB Peyton Hillis (Giants): Hillis will spell starter Rashad Jennings on occasion on Monday night. The key word here is occasion, especially if the Giants fall behind early.
Verdict: Sit
WR Jerrel Jernigan (Giants): In last year’s meeting with the Lions, Jernigan was targeted a dozen times and caught six passes for 80 yards and a score. He’s certainly worth a play.
Verdict: Start
WR Ryan Broyles (Lions): The former second-round draft choice has taken a slide down the depth chart. Health has been the biggest issue for Broyles, who has played in only 16 games in two seasons.
Verdict: Sit
TE Eric Ebron (Lions): What can we expect from the 10th overall pick in May’s draft? Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press may have the answer via Ebron. Meanwhile, we will take a watch-and-see approach.
Verdict: Sit
Some statistical support provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com. Injury info by NFL.com. Depth chart info provided by Ourlads.
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