Fantasy Football: Eli Manning A Nice Insurance Policy

The New York Giants are back in training camp, and Sterling Shepard decided to horrify the big blue diehards with a near serious leg injury this week. It turns out Shepard escaped with a mild ankle sprain, which is great news for the Giants, especially for Eli Manning. We’ve discussed here the Giants offensive weapons for fantasy usefulness, but it will be difficult to predict consistent production from anyone not named Odell Beckham Jr. When a team has so many weapons to choose from, sometimes the answer to consistency is simple; the QB.

Now Eli has been by no means "consistent" for a few years now, and I think it’s fair to wonder if his days as a franchise QB are dwindling. I personally think his arm is plenty live still, and if he can harvest some of the old confidence, he could have a big year.

In fantasy, I generally fall into the "wait on a QB" crowd. Load up on position players and ham’n’egg the QB spot to the playoffs. With the additions of Marshall and Engram, as well as more comfort in McAdoo’s offense, I like Eli as a late round/cheap draft target. Coupled with another mid-round target like Phillip Rivers, and you can play the matchups to low-end QB1 production. Definitely draft a viable starter with Eli on your roster, call it the "Eli face" insurance policy.