Odell Beckham Jr.'s Updated 2014 Fantasy Outlook Heading into Week 7

Odell Beckham Jr. and the New York Giants would have preferred his opportunity came any other way besides a Victor Cruz injury, but at least fantasy football owners will reap the benefits.

Cruz went down with a season-ending injury in Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, as the NFL and AP NFL pointed out, which means the other Giants receivers will be called upon to fill the void:

Beckham seemed ready to step up in his comments, via Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News:

"

I said, ‘Bro, I got you.' Because he’s had me since Day One. That’s the only thing that I feel like is the right thing to do is play for him.

They brought me in, I was their first pick. I know they already expect big things from me. But with Vic going down, I just have to play bigger.

"

The Giants may expect big things from Beckham, but fantasy owners do as well. He has only played in two games this year because he was also dealing with an injury, but Beckham finished with 44 receiving yards and a touchdown on five targets against the Atlanta Falcons and 28 receiving yards on four targets against the Eagles.

Those numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, but we know he can produce from his college days.

Beckham finished with 1,152 receiving yards and eight touchdowns last year at LSU and routinely made SEC defenses look bad. The Giants drafted him for a reason, and he has the speed and athleticism to blow past cornerbacks and get into open space. He already scored a touchdown in his first NFL game by using that athleticism to grab the ball at its highest point in the end zone.

Chris B. Brown of Smart Football is certainly a Beckham fan:

The question that fantasy owners are now asking is whether Beckham can parlay that raw talent into big numbers in Cruz’s absence. Outside of Rueben Randle, who has 247 receiving yards and a team-high 49 targets, there aren’t any Giants wide receivers who should stand in Beckham’s way. Sure, tight end Larry Donnell will feature prominently in the offense as well, but Eli Manning will likely look to spread the ball around without Cruz.

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Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News passed along an encouraging update for Beckham fantasy owners:

As is the case for almost anyone in fantasy football, Beckham’s overall production in Week 7 depends on his opponent. The Giants will be facing the Dallas Cowboys and their 12th-ranked secondary that is allowing 227.5 passing yards per game.

Dallas is coming off a monumental win in Seattle on Sunday and has plenty of momentum on its side. What’s more, many assumed the Cowboys defense would be terrible this season, but that has not been the case at all.

Al Bello/Getty Images

Still, this represents a classic trap game for the Cowboys. They are fresh off arguably the most impressive win of the NFL season, while the Giants are reeling after a blowout loss at the hands of the Eagles and the Cruz injury. That certainly is not to suggest that the Giants are going to win, but they should keep the game close.

Beckham will get opportunities to deliver on Sunday for both the Giants and your fantasy team, especially after running back DeMarco Murray puts up some points on the New York defense. The Giants will be playing from behind in that scenario, which means more passes and more chances for Beckham to swing the game with his speed.

If nothing else, Manning will likely look Beckham’s way on a couple of deep balls and theoretically only needs to complete one for it to be a productive fantasy performance. 

Beckham ultimately holds long-term fantasy value because Cruz is out for the season as opposed to only a couple of weeks, but this matchup against the solid Dallas defense could prove more beneficial than it appears at first glance.

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