Fantasy Football: 2 Giants Sleepers May Payoff Big
The NFL regular season is just around the corner, and so is Fantasy Football! You can feel the tension beginning to mount at offices, warehouse floors, and construction sites as that “your league has been reactivated” notification reaches iPhones, Androids, and tablets worldwide. We all know about the fantasy impact of Odell Beckham, Jr. and Eli Manning. Here are two New York Giants’ sleeper picks who should be owned in all leagues.
"Rashad Jennings, RBADP: 126"
Sep 24, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants running back Rashad Jennings (23) runs past Washington Redskins linebacker Keenan Robinson (52) during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
According to NFL.com’s Fantasy Draft Center, Jennings is the 40th running back going in standard fantasy drafts. Shane Vereen will have an important role, but the vastly underrated Jennings is a dual threat who is poised for a big season. In his New York Giants’ career, Jennings has averaged 18 FPPG (fantasy points per game) in PPR (points per reception) leagues when he’s touched the ball 20+ times. Six of those games came in 2014.
Inexplicably, he received 20 or more touches just three times in 2015, despite playing in five more games. Word out of Giants’ camp is Jennings will be given an opportunity to be a lead back in 2016. The Giants’ improved defense and more balanced offense, with a returning Victor Cruz and rookie Sterling Shepherd taking pressure off of Beckham in the passing game, should lead to plenty of opportunities for Jennings. If the defense is even middle of the pack (as opposed to the NFL’s worst last season), they should get the ball back to the offense for a few extra possessions per game and allow them to play with a lead. This means more touches for Jennings.
"Sterling Shepard, WRADP: 105"
May 6, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard (87) during rookie minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports
Shepard has made an immediate splash in East Rutherford this summer. NFL executives have raved about him. Alongside Beckham, his ball skills and quickness give Manning a deadly combination, scarier on paper than Cruz and former Giant Hakeem Nicks in 2011. Beckham requires a defense’s full attention, which will leave plenty of opportunities for Shepard and Cruz to compete for the 90 targets Rueben Randle leaves behind.
That number may be even greater, as Randle often times could not get out of his own way. NBC’s Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper wrote in a post dated June 8, 2016 about Randle’s transition to the Philadelphia Eagles. “Miscommunication … They didn’t like my demeanor and some things … I was just judged wrong, read wrong. I gotta do better by that, learn from my mistakes … try to move forward here,” Randle was quoted as saying.
The soft spoken, but confident, Shepard has been the polar opposite of Randle thus far in training camp, and that should translate into more productivity.
The uncertainty surrounding Cruz also makes Shepard one of this season’s biggest fantasy x-factors. If Cruz can’t return to form after sitting out the better part of two seasons, Shepard stands to reap most of the benefits of Beckham being double-covered. He may not put up numbers similar to what Beckham did in his rookie year, but Shepard is a potential home run threat who is also shifty enough to do damage in the middle of the field. Even if Victor Cruz is healthy, Shepard may be more dangerous. He should be worth a mid to late-round pick.