Fantasy Football Friday: Giants vs. Falcons Preview
by cjmulrain on Nov 20, 2009 4:35 PM EST
in Fantasy Football
1 comment
The Giants get back to action on Sunday after an excruciatingly long bye week on the heels of four straight losses. While the Giants were resting up, our fantasy teams were chugging along without them (and mine suffered its worst loss of the season - I need you Steve Smith!). What can we expect from them this weekend? Here's some advice:
Start
Brandon Jacobs, RB, NYG - Fully rested after the bye week and coming off four straight good performances only limited by the Giants not giving him the ball, I think the Juggernaut breaks free this weekend. The Falcons have the #25 ranked run defense, so there should be some holes for Jacobs to exploit. The only people that will stop Jacobs this Sunday are the Giants coaches.
Steve Smith, WR, NYG - Did you know Smith is the #6 receiver in points-per-receptions leagues and only drops to #10 in non p.p.r. leagues? Even in his "quiet" weeks he's been a solid option. The Falcons have the 28th ranked pass defense, so I expect another good week from Mr. 3rd Down.
Hakeem Nicks, WR, NYG - After scoring in four straight games, Nicks has quited down a bit, but everytime he touches the ball he's a threat to take it to the house. Call it a gut feeling, but against a bad pass defense I think the Giants will be able to spread the ball around a bit, and I think Nicks could actually have a better game than Smith.
Tony Gonzalez, TE, ATL - Maybe the best tight end in NFL history, the big guy's still got it. 44 catches for 501 yards and 4 TD's through 9 games - he's no longer the best TE in the league, but he's still in the top 10 and should be starting in almost any league.
Jason Snelling, RB, ATL - Just because the Giants shut down LaDanian Tomlinson's corpse doesn't mean I'm ready to trust their run D. They always seem to struggle against backup running backs (Tashard Choice & the Eagles fullback are just two of the more recent examples), so Snelling scares me a little bit.
Roddy White, WR, ATL - He's one of the best fantasy receivers in the league, and has really only had two subpar performances this year. He's coming off of two straight games without a TD, and I wouldn't be shocked if that changed against the Giants secondary.
Eli Manning, QB, NYG - I debated this one a bit. On the one hand, Eli had three terrible performances in a row before a very good game against the Chargers. On the other hand, he looked great against the Chargers, has had two weeks to rest up his foot, and is going against the #28 pass D in the league. Ultimately I felt like the pros outweighed the cons, so I think he'd be a good bet to start and at least have a passable game this Sunday.
Sit
Matt Ryan, QB, ATL - Ryan has thrown an interception in his last 6 games, and at least two INT's in 4 of those games. He definitely seems to have regressed after his brilliant rookie year and a strong start to this season. The Giants pass D is still statistically one of the best in the league (I know: lies, damn lies, and statistics), and looked a bit better without CC Brown against the Chargers (until the final drive, anyway). They're also should be getting Aaron Ross back. Matty Ice still has a great future ahead of him, but I don't think you'll be able to tell this weekend.
Ahmad Bradhsaw, RB, NYG - He's been pretty awful lately, averaging under 3.0 YPC over the past three games. I don't trust his ankle right now, and until he proves on the field that he's healthy and can make the cuts that make him so effective, I wouldn't start him.
Michael Jenkins, WR, ATL - He hasn't caught a TD all year and has been flat-out mediocre at best. That could change this weekend, but I wouldn't bank on it.
1 comment | 0 recs |
TC still has sense of humor
by Ed Valentine on Nov 20, 2009 2:52 PM EST
in News
2 comments
You might not be laughing about the state of the New York Giants these days. Head coach Tom Coughlin, though, showed Friday he still has a sense of humor.
Check out this exchange talking about how healthy his team is heading into Sunday's game.
Q. Everybody made it through the week healthy, all 53 guys?
A. So far. We haven’t showered yet.
Sarcastic, yes. But also funny.
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New York Giants notes: Hating the Dallas Cowboys isn't hard
by Ed Valentine on Nov 20, 2009 8:40 AM EST
in News
48 comments
Hating the Dallas Cowboys comes almost as naturally to New York Giants fans as rooting for our own team. In fact, it's pretty much a requirement.
So, when The Washington Post's football blog, The League, asked me to weigh in on why the Cowboys are one of the most loathed franchises in sports, I was only too happy to oblige.
Here is a small snippet of what I wrote for the Post.
Dallas hasn't won a playoff game since 1996. Yet, ask Cowboy fan and he will tell you his team was the best in the league each and every one of those seasons. Everybody else just got lucky. In the eyes of Cowboy fan, the team has not yet been created that deserves the privilege of stepping on the same field with Dallas.
(Read the full piece here.)
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Do you know what time it is? It's Ernie P. time
by Ed Valentine on Nov 20, 2009 7:00 AM EST
in News
18 comments
It's Friday, and that means time for my weekly swap of questions with long-time New York Giants beat writer Ernie Palladino. My answers to these same questions are over at Ernie's Giants Beat.
Ernie and I have largely been on the same page with most of our answers this season. Interestingly, The Aaron Ross question below (which was Ernie's question) is the first time I can remember where we completely disagree.
Ernie wants to see Aaron Ross at corner with Terrell Thomas moving to safety. I want Ross at safety, since Thomas is doing a good job, Ross has some experience at safety and I am afraid doing the opposite might cause problems at two positions.
I will be interested to see how you guys feel about this one.
1. We haven't seen much of the no-huddle offense this year. Do you think a return to it in spots could help the Giants' offense?
Ernie's Answer: Absolutely. This subject caused quite a spirited and divided debate at my place (http://
2. Just how big is this game with Atlanta?
Huge. Bigger than the San Diego game. Why? Because this is a conference game that could figure into a tie-breaker situation at the end of the season. Let's say the Giants finish 9-7 and are in the wildcard hunt. A win here gives them a head-to-head over Atlanta. Plus, the division tie-breaker includes conference record as the fourth criteria. In fact, if they're going to throw away any game from here on out, the Thanksgiving night matchup with Denver would be the one. All the rest are conference and division games, and they're all basically must-win games.
3. Now that Danny Ware can carry the ball, how would you use him?
Sparingly. Well, maybe that's too strong a word. I'd throw him in there in the fourth quarter when leading to kill the clock, much as the Giants deployed Ahmad Bradshaw for the most part. Look, Ware seems like a pretty strong runner. But there is still an issue with the elbow he dislocated on the first kickoff of the season. Until the coaches stop worrying about his ability to secure the ball, I'd be very cautious about overusing him. Besides, what this offense needs is not Danny Ware, but more Brandon Jacobs. I've long held that Jacobs needs to get the ball between 20 and 25 times. With Bradshaw penciled in for another seven to 10 carries at least, there would be few carries for Ware, anyway. The fact that Kevin Gilbride and Jerald Ingram just can't wait to put the kid in concerns me. They should be more worried about getting Jacobs in there more. I'm not saying Ware won't someday become a great back. But at this point, he's an extra, not a star. And he should be used as such.
4. Assuming Aaron Ross will be able to play, would you put him at cornerback or safety?
I stick him at corner. If he'd been playing all along, I'd have switched him to safety three games ago. He played a bit there in college and, to me, seems like a good enough tackler to handle the job. But there's a learning curve that goes with switching a guy over, and having been out since the summer with that hamstring problem, putting him at safety right now would be a bit of an overload. I'd rather see him work his way back at corner, with Terrell Thomas going to safety. Remember, we don't know how much Ross can play. Chances are he's going to have to start with a limited workload -- a few snaps -- to prove to the staff he's back all the way. After a couple of games and a possible return to starter, then you can think about switching him if necessary. But I have a feeling that if Thomas goes over there, Ross won't need to move, anyway.
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New York Giants Notebook: 11.19.09
by Jim Schmiedeberg on Nov 19, 2009 9:15 AM EST
in News
38 comments
Good Morning Giants fans, only 3 more days until the Giants take the field and get this whole thing turned around. 
Here is your morning news and notes from the world of the New York Giants:
In speaking with the media yesterday, Eli Manning said the bye week gave the Giants time to take a fresh look at this season: (click link for full transcript)
We looked at the whole season. You look at the good things, you look at the bad things. You make some corrections, you see what you are doing well and what you need to improve on. You learn from all those things. It is a good time to analyze your play and where you can improve and what you need to fix for the next seven weeks.
If Tom Coughlin is excited to finally have almost his whole defense back and ready to go: (click link for full transcript)
Well, obviously we have had some injuries and we have had guys we have had to get back. We have got them back. So we are excited about that. Now let’s hope we can build some endurance and some opportunities on the practice field to get these guys ready to play.
Atlanta coach Mike Smith talked about whether or not Matt Ryan is going through a sophomore slump: (click link for full transcript)
I think his numbers are comparable when you start talking about completion percentage and touchdowns to where they were at this time last year. Of course, Matt had an outstanding rookie season and playing quarterback in the NFL, to me, is one of the most difficult positions there is. We know that Matt has got to play better. He knows that he has got to play better. But there is a learning curve and it is not something that happens in a very short time. It is something that you have to experience and Matt is going through those experiences right now.
More after the jump.......
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A chat with The Falcoholic
by Ed Valentine on Nov 19, 2009 7:28 AM EST
in News
35 comments
The Atlanta Falcons come to the Meadowlands to face the New York Giants Sunday in a make-or-break game for both 5-4 teams. This week I chatted with Dave Choate, lead blogger over at The Falcoholic, about his team.
Dave Choate: I
Big Blue View: How
Also,
Dave Choate: That
With
Big Blue View: I'd
Injuries
So,
35 comments | 0 recs |
New York Giants News & Notes: Jeff Feagles a Pro Bowler?
by cjmulrain on Nov 18, 2009 7:15 AM EST
in News
37 comments
The 2007 Giants and Cowboys will both tell you that Pro Bowl balloting is a meaningless honor, but it's pretty funny that the only Giant who is currently leading his position in voting is punter Jeff Feagles, who has not been having his best season, to say the least. The Giants are a 5-4 team desperately clinging to their playoff hopes, so they shouldn't do as well as they did in Pro Bowl voting last year, but I have to think at least one of Chris Snee, Shaun O'Hara, or Justin Tuck deserves to be a starter.
Giants Enjoy Bye Week
With the Eagles and Cowboys losing and the Michael Turner injury, the Giants had their best Sunday in over a month. Ralph Vachianno recaps.
The bye also helped the Giants get refreshed, with reports that practice this week has been sharp.
Perhaps most importantly, Justin Tuck and Eli Manning were able to use the bye week to heal up some of their injuries. The Giants need those two as healthy as they can be if they want to contend for the Super Bowl this year.
Other Notes
- The Giants are lodging a complaint about having to travel to Denver to play on Thanksgiving on a shortened week.
- The NY Times 5th Down Blog continues its countdown of the top Giants moments at Giants Stadium with Tiki Barber's 206-yard game against the Redskins the Sunday after Wellington Mara passed away.
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For you Sirius subscribers, Reby Sky, aka NYGiantsGirl, is scheduled to be on the Howard Stern Show tomorrow. That also means with any luck she will be on Howard TV a day or two after that.
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Giants Schedule
Washington
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Sun 09/13 | W 23 - 17 |
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Dallas
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Sun 09/20 | W 33 - 31 |
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@
Tampa Bay
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Sun 09/27 | W 24 - 0 |
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Kansas City
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Sun 10/04 | W 27 - 16 |
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Oakland
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Sun 10/11 | W 44 - 7 |
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New Orleans
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Sun 10/18 | L 27 - 48 |
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Arizona
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Sun 10/25 | L 17 - 24 |
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Philadelphia
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Sun 11/01 | L 17 - 40 |
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San Diego
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Sun 11/08 | L 20 - 21 |
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Atlanta
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Sun 11/22 | 1:00 PM EST |
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Denver
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Thu 11/26 | 8:20 PM EST |
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Dallas
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Sun 12/06 | 4:15 PM EST |
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Philadelphia
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Sun 12/13 | 8:20 PM EST |
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@
Washington
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Mon 12/21 | 8:30 PM EST |
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Carolina
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Sun 12/27 | 1:00 PM EST |
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Minnesota
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Sun 01/03 | 1:00 PM EST |
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