Andre Williams, Shane Vereen, Orleans Darkwa Post-Week 7 Fantasy Advice

It wasn't the prettiest win for the New York Giants over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but the Giants will take anything they can get with how poor the NFC East is this year.

The Giants beat the Cowboys 27-20 to move to 4-3 and narrowly increase their lead in the lackluster division. Although it was a fairly high-scoring affair, offense was not the calling card at MetLife Stadium, especially from the Giants running game.

Let's take a look at New York's three running backs and how Andre Williams, Shane Vereen and the surprising Orleans Darkwa fared against the Dallas defense.

Andre Williams

Carries	Yards	Touchdowns	YPC	Points
4	13	0	3.25	1

Williams came into the season with high expectations, but as the Giants backfield has gotten bigger, his role has diminished.

The second-year running back from Boston College carried the ball only four times Sunday for 13 yards. His production has not only diminished, but his carries have also been inconsistent. He didn't record a single fantasy point in the last two weeks, per ESPN.com's fantasy scoring system. In the two games before that, Williams combined for 25 carries.

Tom Rock of Newsday noticed the dilemma:

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Those increased reps that Coughlin wants might be hard to come by. Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo noted that the Giants have three backs who deserve touches, so taking away from one to give to another would not be ideal. He also did not seem to buy the idea that Williams needs some time to be effective.

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Williams' role is uncertain going forward, so it would be best to drop him from your roster.

Shane Vereen

Carries	Yards	Touchdowns	YPC	Points
4	56	0	14	5

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Vereen is another running back who has yet to establish a role in the Giants backfield.

As a runner, the former New England Patriots back had his best game as a member of the Giants on Sunday, carrying the ball only four times but for 56 yards. Thirty-nine of those yards came on a long run midway through the third quarter.

Vereen is more of a threat to catch out of the backfield, but the Cowboys took away that element of New York's offense. Vereen had only one catch for six yards.

With defense and special teams ruling the day for the Giants, chalk this up as an off day for Vereen. He's sure to see more targets out of the backfield in the coming weeks. Starting him might not be the solution for now, but Vereen could be an X-factor when December rolls around.

Orleans Darkwa

Carries	Yards	Touchdowns	YPC	Points
8	48	1	6	10

Of all the running backs who carried the ball for the Giants on Sunday, the one who hadn't run the ball all year made the biggest impact.

Darkwa, an undrafted running back from Tulane, scored the only offensive touchdown for the Giants against the Cowboys. In 2014, he had nine carries all year as a member of the Miami Dolphins. On Sunday, he had eight carries for 48 yards and a touchdown.

If head coach Tom Coughlin was looking for someone to lead his back-by-committee approach, he found a candidate in Darkwa. While Vereen had a big run in the third quarter, he couldn't get anything else going. 

Darkwa is also hoping his performance can earn him some more carries, per NJ Advance Media's James Kratch:

"They told me the drive before. I wasn't really expecting it, but I try to stay ready," Darkwa said. "I always look at the film, and I'm always asking Rashad and Andre and Shane questions, just in case."

Coughlin seems willing to give Darkwa more opportunities, per Kratch:

"He certainly did look good out there," Coughlin said. "His touchdown run, when he cut back behind the slanting defensive line, was really quite an outstanding play. ... We planned on having an opportunity with him, and he did come through for us."

Darkwa is an intriguing case. The Giants are in a rough spot. If Darkwa is the answer at running back, pick him up as a bench option to keep on the backburner.