Eli Manning, Larry Donnell, Victor Cruz's Instant Fantasy Reaction After Week 1

New York Giants fans can't be too pleased with what they saw during Week 1's loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday evening. Neither can fantasy owners hoping for Super Bowl MVP quarterback Eli Manning or star receiver Victor Cruz to be on the same page at the dawn of the 2014 NFL season.

While Cruz only hauled in two receptions for 24 yards, though, an unlikely leading receiver emerged for New York in tight end Larry Donnell, with five catches, 56 yards and a touchdown.

NFL.com fantasy expert Michael Fabiano weighed in on Cruz's disappointing start:

If Manning and Cruz can fight through the growing pains of adjusting to offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo's new system, they still have the potential to be borderline No. 1 options and solid No. 2s.

As for Donnell, he is a 2012 undrafted free agent who entered Monday's contest with three career catches. Until he proves something a little more sustainable, he can't be endorsed as anything more than a trendy waiver-wire pickup.

Signs of New York's offensive struggles surfaced during the preseason. In the midst of that difficult stretch, Cruz insisted progress was being made but just wasn't translating to game situations, per ESPN.com's Dan Graziano:

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I think there is a little sense of urgency on the inside that we just want to go out and apply what we're learning. We do some great things on the practice field, and now we just have to translate that over into the games. We can't be doing things faster because it's game speed or feel like we're rushing things. We just have to settle in and play the way we play when we're on the practice field.

"

Practice didn't make perfect in Week 1, that's for sure.

Most fantasy owners will want to steer clear of Manning as is, while he is transitioning from the offense formerly called by Kevin Gilbride. That system helped the Giants to two Super Bowl wins. Manning threw an NFL-high 27 interceptions in 2013 and threw two more picks on Monday, per ESPN's Numbers Never Lie:

One of the giveaways wasn't Manning's fault, as an odd ricochet at the feet of his intended target culminated in a magnificent catch by Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy.

Nevertheless, New York didn't run the ball well enough or block strongly overall to keep Detroit's defense honest, putting Manning in a tough spot to succeed. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller referenced the shabby blocking in his analysis:

Unless Manning is firing on all cylinders—it seems many moons ago since he has—Cruz is also a tough fantasy play. The Giants' best passing combination could connect on only two of the six times Cruz was targeted.

Cruz will continue to be Manning's go-to option, yet it might not matter if the plays are executed as poorly as they were at Ford Field in Week 1.

For a team battling through evident issues, at least Week 2 offers New York a home game. The bad news is that it comes against the Arizona Cardinals, who are coming off a short week themselves but have a vaunted defense and a strong secondary featuring cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Antonio Cromartie.

If Manning gets better blocking, that might not actually be the worst matchup ever. Donnell can hopefully stretch the middle of the field, and Cruz can do damage in the slot, since the Cardinals aren't likely to have nickelback Tyrann Mathieu ready to go just yet.