Mario Manningham Injury: Updates on Giants WR's Week 4 Status and Fantasy Value

New York Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham sat out Sunday's 29-16 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles with a concussion he sustained against the St. Louis Rams in Week 2. Backup Victor Cruz filled in beautifully in Manningham's absence, pulling in three catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns while operating against All-Pro corner Nnamdi Asomugha.

UPDATE: Sunday, Oct. 2 at 10:45 a.m. EST

Manningham has been practicing since Thursday and Mike Garafolo of the Newark Star-Ledger says that he is listed as probable for kick-off against the Cardinals.

Eli Manning needs to have a safety net at wide receiver because Victor Cruz is not likely to sidestep any defensive backs this week. Manningham might not be 100 percent, but his rapport with Manning will give him more confidence, and the offense will run much smoother as a result.

UPDATE: Thursday, Sept. 29 at 12:56 p.m. EDT

Great news for the Giants came today on the Mario Manningham front as Ralph Vacchiano reported that Manningham was able to practice today,

They need to get Manningham back in the lineup, despite the performance from Victor Cruz this past week.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 5:55 p.m. EDT

The New York Giants need their No. 2 wide receiver Mario Manningham back as soon as possible to make their offense run as sit should, and the news that is breaking now shows that he will be back sooner rather than later.

Manningham told ESPN New York about how he felt during and after practice on Wednesday:

"

I'm good. I went out there and practiced the individual. Did team. I did everything. Feel better.

"

While his return to the team is a great sign for the Giants, I wouldn’t rush him back into your fantasy lineup until he shows that he is going to be a serious threat again.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 1:20 p.m. EDT

The New York Giants need all the help they can get with a depleted lineup, and the team was happy to have wide receiver Mario Manningham back at practice Wednesday.

Rotoinfo.com is reporting about how Manningham was responding to his first practice back since sustaining a concussion in Week 2:

While it is great to see Manningham back on the practice field, there still could be setbacks so keep checking back for more updates on his playing time and fantasy impact.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 9:55 a.m. EDT

The New York Giants are as depleted as they can be right now, and getting a player like Mario Manningham back in the lineup would be huge for the team moving forward.

The official Twitter of the New York Giants is reporting about Manningham’s status with the team:

While Manningham is a stellar wide receiver, I wouldn’t be starting him on my fantasy team until I saw for sure that he was 100 percent and that he wasn’t going to lose catches to youngster Victor Cruz after his stellar performance against the Philadelphia Eagles.

UPDATE: Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 11:25 EST

Conflicting reports continue to fly about Manningham's status for practice this week. 

According to Ebenezer Samuel of The Daily News, he is still not cleared by Giants medical staff:

Expect Manningham to be back on the practice field by Wednesday if all goes according to plan.

Barring any set backs once on the field, he should regain his starting spot in the Giants' lineup and push Week 3 hero, Victor Cruz, back to the No. 3 spot.

In terms of fantasy, the Giants play a shaky Cardinals secondary in Week 4 so monitor his progress and consider him a possible start in the flex spot.

UPDATE: Monday, September 26 at 4:50 p.m. EDT

Despite rumors to the contrary, Mario Manningham has not yet been cleared to return to Giants practice. Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York confirmed the news this afternooon:

The latest report doesn't necessarily preclude Manningham from playing this Sunday at Arizona. However, with the NFL's strict new protocol for handling and evaluating concussions, Big Blue will have to proceed with caution until they get definitive word from team doctors that Manningham his fit to play.

Don't fret just yet if you have Manningham on your fantasy team. Assuming all goes well with his recovery, he should be back in time to face the Cardinals. Whether you have Manningham or not, keep an eye on Victor Cruz as a quality waiver-wire pickup.

With Domenik Hixon out for the season with a torn ACL, Cruz will serve as the Giants' starter opposite Hakeem Nicks until Manningham returns. Even then, Cruz will get plenty of looks from Eli Manning as New York's first receiver off the bench.

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