Vegas Projected Win Total - 8.5

The Giants had a down year last season missing the playoffs and going 6-10. They look to rebound this year after finding out they hit a home run with their first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. That breakout rookie will be joined by more offensive talent, and Tom Coughlin has historically done a great job of getting the most out of his defenses. The G-Men should challenge for the NFC East crown in what figures to be a competitive division.

Impact Fantasy Players

Odell Beckham Jr.

Even the stoutest supporter of OBJ (not ODB, seriously, don't even get me started on this) couldn't have foreseen the type of rookie season he'd have. The LSU product was hurt for the first four weeks of the season, and then he totaled 10 receptions for 106 yards receiving and three touchdown grabs in his first three games. After that, he became an unstoppable force who totaled 90 or more yards receiving and a minimum of six receptions his last nine games played. In all, he finished with 91 receptions, 1,305 yards receiving and 12 touchdown snags. He ranked fourth in Pro Football Focus (PFF) WR Rating among wide receivers who totaled 25% or more of their team's targets, and he tied for fourth in yards per route run (YPRR) with 2.74. An argument can be made that's already the best wide receiver in the game, and as you'd expect, he's a DFS beast who will be on many cashing rosters this season. The scary thing is, he wasn't 100% healthy at any time last year, and the best might be to come

Eli Manning

Manning has the best receiver he's ever played with in his career with second-year OBJ serving as his number one. Things get better, though, as Victor Cruz returns from a season-ending injury, Larry Donnell emerged as a solid pass-catching tight end who stands out in the red zone, and the club added pass-catching back Shane Vereen in free agency. Manning has an embarrassment of riches to work with, and he's coming off of a solid season. Manning ranked 11th in PFF QB Rating, he took care of the football throwing only 12 interceptions, and he piled up yardage, 4,247 (fifth in the league), and touchdowns, 29 (ninth in the league). With more weapons to work with, it's conceivable the 34-year-old quarterback could be in line for a career year.

Storylines

The biggest storyline of the offseason revolves around the health of Cruz. He tore his patellar tendon and missed most of last season, but he's participating in team drills and the hope is that he'll play in at least one preseason contest. He'll now be the second fiddle in the passing game, and with OBJ such a talented outside threat, the club could play him in the slot more with Rueben Randle or offseason addition James Jones on the outside opposite OBJ. The offense has a chance to be a high-octane group, and there is little pressure on the club to ask Cruz to do too much. That said, if he returns at a level close to pre-injury, it would be tremendous for an offense on the upswing.

Stock Watch

Up - Eli Manning

I've already gushed about all of the options Manning has to work with this year as well as his strong work in 2014. What I did not point out is that this will be year two with Ben McAdoo serving as the Giants offensive coordinator. The former Packers assistant coaxed a lot out of Manning last year, and a second year of having Manning in his system has to be viewed as a plus.

Down - Rashad Jennings

Jennings continued to struggle to stay healthy, an overriding theme of his career, and he played in only 11 games last year. The team added Vereen to the backfield mix and Andre Williams, the team's leading rusher last year, enters his second season in the NFL and should put pressure on the veteran for touches. The G-Men's backfield has committee written all over it, making it impossible to rely on Jennings out of the gate. He'll have to prove his worth and carve out a sizable role for himself before DFS gamers should consider rostering him.

Projections

QB

Name Pass Attempts Passing Yards TD Yards Per Attempt Fantasy Points Per Game
Eli Manning 588 4476 30 7.61 19.29


RB

Name Rush Attempts (#) Rush Attempts (%) Rushing Yards TD Yards Per Attempts Passes Caught (#) Fantasy Points Per Game
Rashad Jennings 186 46 750 8 4.03 23 16
Shane Vereen 118 29 482 6 4.08 52 11.11
Andre Williams 89 22 341 3 3.83 6 4.12


WR/TE

Name Targets Receptions Yards Per Reception Receiving Yards TD Fantasy Points Per Game
Odell Beckham Jr. 155 98 13.76 1348 11 18.92
Victor Cruz 92 61 13.39 817 5 10.74
Ruben Randle 90 56 13.63 763 5 10.24
Larry Donnell 79 52 10.94 569 5 8.55


DEF

Sacks Interceptions Fumbles Recovered Def. TD Fantasy Points Per Game
46 15 10 2 7.03

Daily Fantasy Outlook

When you think of a Coughlin led squad, you don't think of aerial fireworks. It's time to adjust thinking with the team coming off of a season in which they totaled 607 pass attempts and 449 rush attempts. There is star power on this team as well as some intriguing secondary options. Whether you're looking for big ticket items to power your DFS squad or glue guys with reasonable prices, the Giants have a little bit of something for everyone. Expect Giants to be sprinkled in on many winning DFS teams this season.





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