Fantasy Football Analysis of Redskins-Giants
Burress and Jacobs Shine in First Game of Season
Here is how each team’s main offensive weapons performed for fantasy football owners, and what this opening contest means for their fantasy fortunes for the rest of the season:
Eli Manning, Giants: Winning the Super Bowl hasn’t changed Peyton’s little brother much. He still throws off his back foot and is not as accurate as he should be, and he continues to zone in on his favorite target, Plaxico Burress. Against a banged-up Redskins secondary, Manning could only muster 216 passing yards, one rushing touchdown and one interception. Giants fans might allow Manning to get away with bad games now that he is a hero, but fantasy owners will not be as forgiving.
Jason Campbell, Redskins: Washington’s starting signal caller looked like a young quarterback not comfortable with the new playbook new coach Jim Zorn has implemented. Campbell seemed unsure of who to throw to on certain plays and checked down to safety valve receivers constantly when the called plays were supposed to go downfield. He was 15-for-27 for a paltry 133 passing yards and one touchdown. Let’s hope Campbell’s fantasy numbers improve in the coming weeks as he grasps the offense better.
Plaxico Burress, Giants: Sign a $35 million contract, catch 10 passes for 133 yards in your first game of the season. Burress must have felt like he hit the lottery, and his fantasy owners must have felt the same way. Plax got himself open over and over again, and Manning threw in his direction about as much Manning threw to all of the other Giants receivers combined. With Burress happy and injury-free there should be no stopping him. 1,200 and 10 touchdowns look like a lock.
Santana Moss, Redskins: Better than Sinorice, worse than Randy, Santana is the second-best receiver named Moss in fantasy football. He remains Washington’s top option in the passing game, and he caught five balls for 37 yards and the Redskins’ lone touchdown in the contest. The new West Coast offense should help Moss get a lot of YAC (yards after catch) because he will be running more crossing routes that he can break for big gains. If Moss keeps his hamstrings healthy he should have a 1,000-yard campaign.
Brandon Jacobs, Giants: Jacobs barreled over defenders like a Zamboni resurfacing an ice rink on his way to 116 rushing yards. He was awesome running between the tackles and had plenty of room to roam as his offensive line dominated Washington’s defensive line. Jacobs will get the bulk of the rushes in New York’s offense, especially down by the goal line. Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw will cut into Jacobs’ workload some as the season progresses, but this battering ram is the main man of the rushing attack.
Clinton Portis, Redskins: His offensive line did not open many running lanes for him, his quarterback did not keep the Giants defense honest, yet Portis still managed a respectable 84 yards on 23 carries. He should be commended for fighting for extra yards the whole game. It looks like Zorn is going to ride Portis and allow backup Ladell Betts to ride the pine (one carry, one reception for Betts).
Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants: Except for a 19-yard kickoff return, Bradshaw was as quiet as a church on a Tuesday morning. Ward was the one getting the non-Jacobs rushing attempts (nine carries for 39 yards). That means Bradshaw is relegated to third-string duty. Jacobs and Ward get nicked up a lot, so Bradshaw will get his chance soon rnough, but for now his fantasy value is nil.
Chris Cooley, Redskins: Speaking of silent fantasy performances, Cooley was virtually shut out by the Giants, held to only one catch for seven yards. Campbell looked his way a couple times but either Cooley could not get open or Campbell could not pull the trigger. Cooley also had a 20-yard play called back because of offensive holding. Cooley is one of the top five tight ends in fantasy football, so no need to panic yet.
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles