The fantasy football landscape shifts each week, bringing fresh opportunities and unexpected challenges that separate the prepared from the pretenders. Savvy managers know that last week’s performance tells only part of the story, and diving deeper into the underlying metrics reveals the accurate picture.
This week presents some intriguing decisions. Here’s insight about key New York Giants players heading into their matchup with the Chicago Bears to help you craft a winning lineup.
Jaxson Dart, QB
Since 2015, three first-round rookies have rattled off a streak of four straight games with a rushing TD: Todd Gurley, Jahmyr Gibbs, and, after last week, Jaxson Dart.
His final stat line was helped some in garbage time, but a career-high in completion percentage (72.7%) and multiple TD passes for the third time in five games is impressive nonetheless.
On the first drive, he moved the chains with a third-down scramble and put a bow on the possession with a 15-yard TD pass to Theo Johnson. He’s executing the game script, and while some of the production can be spotty as things progress, there is no denying that his skill set is built for our game.
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The top three scoring QBs against the Bears this season have all been more pocket-focused than Dart (Jared Goff, Joe Flacco, and J.J. McCarthy), so it’ll be interesting to see how the rookie is defended, but I expect him to continue to put this offense on his back.
The total for this game could push 50 by kickoff, and while I don’t expect this to look like the Bears/Bengals chaos from last week, I do expect the game environment to be favorable enough for Dart to post a top-10 week.
Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB
We thought that Tyrone Tracy was going to fill a role similar to Cam Skattebo’s and thus provide us with low-end RB2 numbers, thanks to his versatility and a lack of surrounding talent.
Week 9 Usage
- Devin Singletary: 55.4% snaps, 15 routes, 10 touches
- Played all 6 red zone snaps (Tracy: 0)
- Tracy: 44.6% snaps, 19 routes, 8 touches
Six of New York’s first eight rushing attempts went to Singletary, a sign that the usage was planned and not a result of how the game was unfolding.
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In Los Angeles, following the Omarion Hampton injury, the Chargers felt conviction to what they had behind him and locked in Kimani Vidal as their new bellcow. That’s what we hoped would happen in this situation, but the G-Men are clearly indifferent as to which RB carries the mail, and that makes both parties unusable for us.
My hope is that, in this matchup against the fourth-worst pre-contact rushing defense in the NFL, we get some separation that provides clarity for the remainder of the season.
That’s probably wishful thinking on my part.
You’re holding whichever side of this backfield you have, but not considering playing either unless you are truly in a desperate spot.
Darius Slayton, WR
Not all steps forward carry with them strong production.
Darius Slayton caught five passes for 62 yards last week against the Niners, production that may not initially catch your eye, but upon further review, I’m a bit interested.
The catch count was the result of increased efficiency, which was made possible thanks to an aDOT that was his lowest since Jaxson Dart took over. It wasn’t low, but lower (13.3 after three straight games north of 14.5).
Given that the Giants lack healthy playmakers, a shallower route tree shouldn’t be surprising, and it opens up a more enticing profile.
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Include the fact that Slayton saw two end zone targets in the loss after having seen a total of one prior, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a receiver in the flex mix. The slight tweak in role gives us some stability, but it doesn’t remove the splash plays from his profile.
Wan’Dale Robinson remains the most reliable on this roster, but both are hovering around my top 30 at the position, and that means both can be played if you’re in need.
Wan’Dale Robinson, WR
Wan’Dale Robinson might be the most painful plug-and-play pick in PPR leagues, but with 6+ catches in three of four games and zero threats to his volume, he’s a viable play weekly, even if the upside is capped to what we saw on Sunday.
- 9 catches
- 11 targets
- 46 yards
- 48 air yards
None of what Robinson does is “fun”, but Jaxson Dart seems to understand that his options are limited and that getting the ball out of his hands is valuable.
In a non-PPR setting or one that overweights scores, Robinson isn’t a top-50 player at the position. In full PPR? I’ve got him flirting with top 30 status, in the same range as Khalil Shakir.
