Fantasy Football Week 9: Complete Monday Night Preview
On Sunday night at Pittsburgh, we saw Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throw six touchdown passes for the second consecutive game. It marks the first time in NFL history that a player has managed such a feat.
The Indianapolis Colts can tell you a little something about that. Chuck Pagano’s team was on the receiving end of last week’s explosion. On the road for the second straight week, the Colts are hoping that New York Giants signal-caller Eli Manning isn’t capable of a similar performance.
Of course, fantasy football owners couldn’t be happier with Big Ben. Then again, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has been no slouch this season either.
It makes for an intriguing matchup at MetLife Stadium on Monday night.
Starting Quarterbacks
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Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck
The first overall pick in the 2012 draft threw for 23 scores in both his rookie and second campaigns, but the talented signal-caller is well on his way to a career year.
Eight games into 2014, Luck has already totaled 22 touchdowns passes, compared to nine interceptions, and has run for 124 yards and two scores as well.
The third-year pro has also totaled at least 300 yards through the air in six straight games and seven of his eight outings this season.
Fantasy Prediction: 27-of-39, 338 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; 3 carries, 14 yards, 1 TD
New York Giants: Eli Manning
A year ago, the two-time Super Bowl MVP couldn’t get out of his own way. The Giants committed a league-high 44 turnovers, and Manning served up a career-worst 27 interceptions.
This season, after a sloppy start and adapting to a new offense, the 11-year veteran has settled in nicely. Manning has thrown for 14 scores while being picked off only five times, with four of those interceptions coming in the first two weeks of the season. The savvy signal-caller has thrown two or more touchdown passes in five of his last six games.
Fantasy Prediction: 26-of-38, 292 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT; 2 carries, 0 yards, 0 TD
Running Backs
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Indianapolis Colts Starter: Ahmad Bradshaw
The two-time Super Bowl champion running back faces the team he won those rings with for the first time. Bradshaw has been a nice fit with the Colts, especially when it comes to the underneath passing game.
Despite 25 fewer carries than Trent Richardson, Bradshaw leads the team with 371 yards on the ground and has run for two scores. He leads the team with eight total touchdowns, ranking third on the club with 31 receptions, good for 264 yards and six scores.
Bradshaw has scored at least one touchdown in three straight games and six of his last seven outings.
Fantasy Prediction: 9 carries, 61 yards, 0 TD; 5 receptions, 22 yards, 1 TD
Indianapolis Colts Backup: Trent Richardson
In last week’s 51-34 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the third overall pick in the 2012 draft (by the Cleveland Browns) was active but did not see any action. That should change this week against a Giants’ defensive unit ranked 22nd in the league against the run.
Richardson has totaled a team-high 101 carries and ranks second on the club with 358 yards rushing and a pair of scores. He’s also totaled 19 receptions for 173 yards but is becoming less of a factor in the passing attack in recent weeks.
Fantasy Prediction: 13 carries, 55 yards, 0 TD; 2 receptions, 12 yards, 0 TD
New York Giants Starter: Andre Williams
With veteran Rashad Jennings still out, the rookie from Boston College once again gets the start.
Williams ranks second on the club in carries (89) and rushing yards (280). The fourth-round pick this year has totaled 15-plus carries in each of his last four outings.
On the other hand, Williams has been a non-factor when it comes to the passing attack. He’s totaled only four catches for 25 yards. In the loss at Dallas two weeks ago, he was targeted three times and failed to come up with a reception.
Fantasy Prediction: 20 carries, 71 yards, 0 TD; 2 receptions, 10 yards, 0 TD
New York Giants Backup: Peyton Hillis
Hillis ranks third on the team with 21 carries and 91 yards on the ground. All of those attempts and yards have come in the Giants’ last four contests.
Like Williams, Hillis has totaled four catches on the season, although all of those receptions have come in the team’s last two games.
Fantasy Prediction: 6 carries, 31 yards, 0 TD; 0 receptions
Wide Receivers
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Indianapolis Colts: Reggie Wayne
The prolific wide receiver missed the final nine games of 2013 due to injury. But Wayne is doing his best to make up for lost time, although he missed last week’s contest at Pittsburgh.
The 14-year veteran ranks seventh in NFL history with 1,044 catches and ninth in league annals with 14,000 receiving yards. This season, he’s totaled 38 grabs for a team-high 434 yards but scored just one touchdown.
While third-year pro T.Y. Hilton has emerged as the team’s top wideout, Wayne still figures to make a big impact by season’s end.
Fantasy Prediction: 4 receptions, 42 yards, 0 TD
Indianapolis Colts: T.Y. Hilton
This season, the former third-round pick leads Indianapolis with 53 catches, good for an imposing 866 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Hilton has been particularly hot as of late. In his last three outings, he’s totaled 22 receptions for 485 and those aforementioned two scores. The third-year wideout has amassed 100 or more receiving yards in three straight games.
Fantasy Prediction: 6 receptions, 133 yards, 1 TD
Indianapolis Colts: Hakeem Nicks
The one-time New York Giants’ first-round pick has totaled 18 catches for 168 yards and two touchdowns in his first season with the Colts.
However, Nicks has had his struggles as of late. The six-year veteran has been targeted 13 times the last three games and has managed only three catches for 45 yards and zero scores.
Fantasy Prediction: 3 receptions, 31 yards, 0 TD
Indianapolis Colts: Donte Moncrief
The former University of Mississippi product was a third-round pick this spring and is quickly becoming a bigger factor in the Colts offense.
Last week in the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Moncrief was targeted 12 times and caught seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. In the first seven weeks of 2014, the rookie wideout was thrown to 11 times and managed nine grabs for 103 yards.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 40 yards, 0 TD
New York Giants: Rueben Randle
With former Pro Bowl wideout Victor Cruz on the sidelines, Randle now leads the club with 34 receptions, good for 321 yards and two touchdowns. Last season, he ranked fourth on the club with 41 catches but led the Giants with six scoring grabs.
While he’s scored just twice so far this season, Randle has totaled at least four catches in each of his last six games.
Fantasy Prediction: 5 receptions, 66 yards, 1 TD
New York Giants: Odell Beckham Jr.
Inactive for the team’s first four games, the team’s first-round pick six months ago has quickly become a favorite target of Eli Manning.
Beckham has totaled 10 receptions for just 106 yards in his three appearances this season but has quickly scored three touchdowns, two of those coming in the loss at Dallas. Things figure to only get better for the talented youngster.
Fantasy Prediction: 7 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD
New York Giants: Preston Parker
With Jerrel Jernigan on injured reserve and Beckham not healthy, Parker is the third wideout these days and earned a start two weeks ago at Dallas. Parker ranks fourth on the club with 13 catches for 177 yards but has yet to reach the end zone.
Still, in the team’s last two games, Parker has totaled only three catches for 25 yards.
Fantasy Prediction: 3 receptions, 43 yards, 0 TD
New York Giants: Corey Washington
Injuries elevate Washington’s status, and while he’s played in all six games in 2014, he was inactive against the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago. Perhaps he will see some action on Monday night.
Fantasy Prediction: 1 reception, 6 yards, 0 TD
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Tight Ends
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Indianapolis Colts Starter: Dwayne Allen
Last season, Allen was injured in the season opener and missed the remainder of 2013.
This season, he’s doing what he does best, and that’s reach the end zone. While the talented tight end ranks only fourth on the club with 22 receptions, he’s tied for the team lead with six touchdown catches.
Allen has scored in two straight games and six out of his eight contests in 2014.
Fantasy Prediction: 3 receptions, 28 yards, 0 TD
Indianapolis Colts Backup: Coby Fleener
Fleener has totaled just 18 catches for 218 yards but has scored three touchdowns. But he’s also totaled more no more than four catches in any game this season. While he and Andrew Luck were college teammates at Stanford, the Colts quarterback seems to be looking in other directions these days.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 30 yards, 0 TD
New York Giants Starter: Larry Donnell
After looking like a world beater the first four weeks of the season, Donnell has returned to earth the last few games. However, he did catch seven passes for 90 yards in the Week 7 loss at Dallas.
In September, Donnell totaled 25 catches, including four for scores—three of those in a Thursday night win at Washington. In his last three games, including the aforementioned outing at Dallas, he’s totaled eight grabs for 96 yards.
Fantasy Prediction: 5 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD
New York Giants Backup: Daniel Fells
Fells caught just one pass in the team’s last game at Dallas, but it was for 27 yards and a touchdown. This season, the well-traveled tight end has totaled only nine receptions for 105 yards, but four of those grabs have gone for scores.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 14 yards, 0 TD
Defense/Special Teams
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Indianapolis Colts Defense/Special Teams
What can you say when you come off a performance when a quarterback riddles your unit for 522 yards and six touchdowns and you fail to record a sack?
The Colts are probably happy not to see any more of Ben Roethlisberger, at least for now. Despite last week’s loss, this is an improved defense. Indianapolis entered Week 8 ranked eighth in the league against the run, and Greg Manusky’s unit has produced 21 sacks—all without former Pro Bowl outside linebacker Robert Mathis this season.
Given the New York Giants’ penchant for turnovers (13 in seven games this season), you can look for Chuck Pagano’s team to add to its total of 14 takeaways.
Fantasy Prediction: 21 points allowed, 4 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FF
New York Giants Defense/Special Teams
A year ago, this was one of the better defenses in the league in terms of yards allowed. These days, the Giants are mediocre at best on this side of the ball.
Still, only one team in the league entered Week 9 with more interceptions than Tom Coughlin’s club. In their first seven games this year, New York defenders have allowed 10 touchdown passes but also totaled 11 interceptions.
The Giants' pass rush has also not been overpowering this season, totaling only 13 sacks in seven outings. Part of that has been a run defense that has made life easier for opposing quarterbacks. In fact, in their last two games, losses to the Eagles and Cowboys, New York has allowed 203 and 156 yards, respectively, on the ground.
Fantasy Prediction: 27 points allowed, 2 sacks, 1 INT, 2 FF
Best Sleeper Adds
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A couple of these performers may not be on your team and could be worth adding on Monday morning or afternoon. Sometimes a little last-minute shopping can be beneficial.
1. Donte Moncrief, Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts (Owned in 8.5% of ESPN leagues)
He’s quickly becoming a bigger factor in the passing game and appears on his way to supplanting veteran Hakeem Nicks as the team’s third wideout.
2. Preston Parker, Wide Receiver, New York Giants (Owned in 0.1% of ESPN leagues)
Parker actually ranks fourth on the team with 13 catches for 177 yards but has not scored a touchdown this season. But injuries are making Parker take on a bigger role these days.
3. Josh Brown, Place-Kicker, New York Giants (Owned in 1.4% of ESPN leagues)
With six teams off this week, you may still be searching for a replacement kicker. Brown has scored just 40 points this season but has connected on all seven field-goal attempts this season.
Injury Report
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Here is a look at the latest injury report regarding the Colts and Giants, focusing on key performers (courtesy of NFL.com).
Indianapolis Colts | ||
Player | Status | |
Arthur Jones | DT | Out |
Erik Walden | LB | Out |
Reggie Wayne | WR | Probable |
D’Qwell Jackson | LB | Probable |
Vontae Davis | CB | Probable |
Jones saw action last week and Walden started against the Steelers, but both are out this week. Walden has totaled three sacks this season. Davis, Jackson and Wayne were all full participants in the club’s last practice, and all are expected to play Monday night.
New York Giants | ||
Player | Status | |
Rashad Jennings | RB | Out |
Cullen Jenkins | DT | Out |
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie | CB | Questionable |
Jason Pierre-Paul | DE | Probable |
Steve Weatherford | P | Probable |
Jennings remains sidelined with a knee injury and Jenkins will miss this game with a calf injury. Having Rodgers-Cromartie healthy is imperative against the league’s top-ranked passing attack.
Sit or Start
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We know who the stars are when it comes to 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? Here’s a little help.
RB Trent Richardson (Colts): Will he see any action on Monday night. It’s hard to tell these days, and while we suspect he’ll get his touches, he hasn’t been a reliable scoring threat.
Verdict: Sit
TE Coby Fleener (Colts): Andrew Luck has plenty of weapons at his disposal, but he appears zeroed in on T.Y. Hilton and Dwayne Allen these days. Fleener has scored three touchdowns this season but caught just one pass last Sunday against the Steelers.
Verdict: Sit
TE Larry Donnell (Giants): Against the Colts’ 3-4 defense and with outside linebacker Erik Walden out, don’t be surprised if Eli Manning and Donnell get back on track when it comes to scoring touchdowns.
Verdict: Start
Some statistical support provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com, NFL.com and ESPN.com. Depth chart info provided by Ourlads.
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