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NY Giants Rush Fantasy Football Update: Giants vs. Eagles

Adam Nardelli | Fantasy Contributor

Week 6 @ Eagles

Coming out of the nail-biting 30-27 victory over the 49ers last Sunday, a healthy amount of Giants offensive players contributed nicely to their fantasy owner’s squads.  Eli Manning led the charge with his 441 passing yards and 3 touchdowns.  He’s quickly becoming a must-start in many leagues with his supreme 10 touchdowns to just two interceptions through this young season.

Odell Beckham Jr. didn’t fail to disappoint either with his 7 catches for 121 yards and 1 touchdown.  However, tweaking his hamstring towards the end of last Sunday’s game, did keep him out of practice today (Thursday).  Beckham was seen jogging as the rest of the team practiced at Quest Diagnostics Field, which according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com noted as a positive sign.

Raanan noted that when players work out on the side field during practice, it’s usually an indication they’re coming back soon.  Monitor his injury status throughout the weekend. Rueben Randle did practice today and if OBJ does not suit up, Randle holds significant Fantasy value and become Manning’s #1 target, which brings Dwayne Harris into the “flex” conversation.

Whether Odell Beckham Jr. plays or not, Shane Vereen is a tremendous option either as your second running back or at the flex position, particularly in a PPR league.  The Giants seemed to have finally found out how dynamic and impactful Vereen can be in this offense after his 8 catch 86 yards and 1 touchdown performance last Sunday.

If Odell does in fact play on Monday, it’s unlikely he’ll be 100%, but because of who he is teams will still have to dedicate a large amount of attention to him, possibly giving Vereen more opportunities in the open field.

Eagles Fantasy Players:

With the Giants injury issues on defense and the lack of any consistent pass rush, the Eagles can offer a few quality options for your fantasy lineup this week.  The Giants pass defense ranks dead last in the NFL allowing 304 passing yards per game, and with Prince Amukamara’s status uncertain (pectoral injury), a guy like Jordan Matthews looks even more attractive for your fantasy lineup.

Matthews hasn’t exactly had an overwhelming season, but the Eagles always try to start and score fast, in comes Matthews.  He actually just has one less catch than OBJ for the 2015 season, and based on his past performances, he could accumulate a handful of catches if the Eagles offense gets in a rhythm.

Speaking of rhythm, Philadelphia’s offense sure found itself in the second half last week against New Orleans.  Albeit it was against the Saints, who are last in the league in total defense (yards given up), it was still a positive for Eagles fans to see, especially when their big free-agent acquisition, Sam Bradford tossed  2 Touchdowns.  Of course that was after his 2 interceptions in the first half that looked wildly out of sorts, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Bradford’s confidence continues into Monday night and the quarterback puts up big numbers.

Regarding the question over who will get the bigger workload, DeMarco Murray or Ryan Matthews, can only be answered by looking at history. Murray had his best game last week as an Eagle coupling 83 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.  That was after missing  several big holes formed by the offensive line.  He will get better as the work load increases.

Although a lot of Eagles fans and those close to the organization believe Matthews is a better fit for the offense, until he starts getting more work I’d have to stick with Murray when deciding who to start.  Murray has also gathered more attention in the passing game, grabbing 7 receptions last week in addition to his rushing yards.

The NY Giants defense ranks 4th in the NFL when defending the run so Murray’s stock rises with his ability to catch the rock.  Murray over Mathews.