Predictions Summary Projections by Position Projection Team Boxes

table td.bg-light-yellow {
background: #ffffcc; }

Prediction: NYG 14, BUF 31 (Line: BUF by 6)

UPDATE: Marquise Goodwin, LeSean McCoy and Sammy Watkins are all out this week. Victor Cruz also remains out.

The Giants finally avoided a late game collapse and notched their first win versus the Redskins. The Bills move to 2-1 after their surprisingly easy dismantling of the Dolphins. Though the Bills have a few injuries, playing at home should be enough to win this game.

The Giants finally did not collapse in the fourth quarter and walked away with a solid divisional win over the Redskins. The offense finally saw someone, anyone, turn in a good game besides Odell Beckham when Rueben Randle finally showed up. This week’s contest faces a very good defense but the schedule is pretty light overall and there’s enough soft spots that this offense should generate better fantasy points. The rushing effort remains anemic though and everything is up to Eli Manning passing for the Giants to compete.

QUARTERBACK : Eli Manning finally connected with someone other than Odell Beckham (even if it was a lucky score to Randle) and he’s posted back-to-back solid fantasy performances with 280+ and two touchdowns. The potential return of Victor Cruz would improve the receivers though his impact cannot be expected to that much initially. While it is a problem for the Giants that their rushing effort remains below average, it is a good thing for Manning’s stats.

RUNNING BACK : The Giants rushing offense is below average and since it includes splitting the work into three parts, there is nearly no fantasy value. No runner has topped 52 yards and there is no consistency in who does what each week. Shane Vereen is the receiving back though in Week 3, Rashad Jennings caught three passes for 25 yards while Vereen was blanked on his three targets despite turning in eight receptions for 76 yards in the loss to the Falcons. Andre Williams has been the least productive but last week he took the one-yard touchdown plunge and suddenly had 14 carries that only gained 29 yards. Minimal production. No consistency.

WIDE RECEIVER : The Giants dumped Preston Parker last week is a sign not all is well here. Odell Beckham scored twice so far and had one big yardage effort but is still well below expectations after shredding the NFL at the end of last year. Rueben Randle came to life in the win over the Redskins with seven catches for 116 yards and a score but only totaled four catches for 28 yards coming into Week 3.

Victor Cruz may return this week from his serious knee injury last year. But even if he does, he’ll be eased back into the workflow and there is a reasonable question whether he’ll ever be the same again. I’ll add him in later if it appears he can play but there is no expectation that he will jump back in and play to his old level.

TIGHT END : Larry Donell scored once this year but is locked around 30 yards per week. He doesn’t even qualify as a decent bye week filler.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: The Bills rush defense is their strength and there is no reason to start any of the three backs for the Giants any time soon, much less on the road versus a top ten rush defense. But the Bills have allowed good yardage and two scores or more to quarterbacks. They just gave up 6-113-2 to Rishard Matthews last week playing the same flanker as Beckham. There is a chance for a score to Donnell but he’s too unreliable to hope for that one play to happen. Manning and Randle are moderate plays this week and Beckham always starts. No one else merits consideration this week.

The Bills are exceeding expectations and making the AFC East fun again. The defense remains great when they are not facing the Patriots and the offense is clearly better with Tyrod Taylor at the helm. The Bills are struggling with the problem that their pricey free agent running back doesn’t seem to measure up with their rookie back who was only supposed to be depth but that’s a good problem to have. There are no superstars here but as a team they are putting together a very credible offensive effort each week.

QUARTERBACK : After Tyrod Taylor threw for three scores and ran in a fourth touchdown versus the Patriots, he landed on a lot of fantasy rosters last week searching for a replacement. Good timing – he threw for 277 yards and three more scores in Miami. Taylor is not only an effective quarterback, he is spreading the ball around very well. His seven passing scores were divided among six different receivers. Hard to imagine he started the summer as the #3 quarterback.

RUNNING BACK : LeSean McCoy is likely to miss this week because of the hamstring injury that limited him last week. McCoy scored his first touchdown of the year on his only reception but he only gained 16 yards on 11 carries and spent the game on the sidelines on a bike trying to stay loose. Karlos Williams has scored in each game and ended the Miami win with 110 rushing yards on just 12 carries. He is merely averaging 7.8 yards per carry and could be a very nice Daily Fantasy play if McCoy misses the game. Updates if warranted but the assumption is that McCoy takes the week off.

WIDE RECEIVER : Sammy Watkins is likely to miss this week with the calf injury that forced him from the game last Sunday. That leaves Robert Woods and Percy Harvin and both have scored this year. None of the wideouts have turned in a big game but all of them are offering moderate stats nearly every week. As a unit, the wideouts have caught four touchdowns already though none have topped 79 yards in any game.

Chris Hogan helped replace Watkins last week and ended with a touchdown. This is a diverse group with no one standing out, not even Watkins.

TIGHT END : Charles Clay is the leading scorer among the receivers with a touchdown for the last two weeks. He even gained 82 yards on five receptions in Miami for the best game by any Buffalo receiver this year.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: The Giants have limited runners to no more than 65 yards in any game though have been bombed by backs catching passes. The Bills don’t use their backs that way often but at home Williams has a great shot at his fourth straight game with a touchdown and good yardage if McCoy remains out. Tight ends have also fared very well against the Giants with around 70 yards or more each week to the position along with a total of three touchdowns. Taylor, Williams and Clay are strong starts this week. Expect the same moderate stats from the wideouts with none of them meriting a start. No opponent has passed for fewer than 316 yards on the Giants.

table td.bg-light-yellow {
background: #ffffcc; }