2017 Fantasy Football Preview: New York Giants

Fantasy Recap

The New York Giants had a very successful 2016 campaign under rookie head coach Ben McAdoo, finishing the year with an 11-5 record. That record brought a wild card game to the Giants where they would ultimately lose to the Packers. Many thought that their offense would be the highlight of the season but that wasn’t the case at all. New York went from a Top-10 offense to finishing 25th overall in the league that season. With the addition of a game-changing offensive threat such as Brandon Marshall, this squad could be lethal from a fantasy perspective in 2017. I’m expecting their defense to be just as good if not even better this season, so things are looking up in New York!

Key Additions and Losses:

Additions:

• Brandon Marshall
• Evan Engram
• D.J. Fluker
• Geno Smith
• Shaun Draughn

Losses:

• Victor Cruz
• Rashad Jennings

Quarterback Fantasy Outlook

The Giants are notorious for slinging the ball all over the field, keeping things interesting for our fantasy lineups. Over the last three season, Eli Manning has attempted at least 606 passes per year, which is exactly what we should expect once again for 2017. Last season, Manning completed 63% percent of his passing attempts for 4,027 yards, 26 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. This year, Eli will have three explosive wide receivers that will without a doubt thrive in McAdoo’s offensive scheme, so I’m expecting big things overall. The one negative factor that Manning will face in 2017, is his lack of a solid offensive line. New York did very little to improve a bad group of offensive linemen in the offseason, so he could be on his back more times than not. I could easily see Manning surpass 4,500 passing yards and 30+ touchdowns this year with this lethal group of receivers, regardless!

Grade: B-

Running Back Fantasy Outlook

The running back position has been very iffy for the Giants over the last few years and probably won’t change much from that in 2017. Yes, the loss of Rashad Jennings will actually benefit this New York offense this year. Now, the Giants can turn the young Paul Perkins loose, who can actually really do some damage when given an opportunity. In three years at UCLA, Perkins rushed for 3,488 yards and 29 scores. He also grabbed 80 receptions for 739 yards and three touchdowns for the Bruins also. Perkins is a speedy, three-down back that could surprise some fantasy owners in 2017. The Giants also have the always sure-handed Shane Vereen in the backfield once again this year too. In his first three games with New York last season, Vereen rushed the ball 39 times for 222 yards and a score before tearing his triceps in Week 3. Overall, this New York backfield could be a sneaky fantasy option in 2017.

Grade: C+

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlook

Wow, could this be a massive fantasy season from these three big-time New York wide receivers in 2017! Bring back both Odell Beckham and Sterling Shepard paired with the newly acquired Brandon Marshall, Manning will have plenty of guys to sling the ball to. I think the addition of Marshall will only help Beckham’s stats due to him losing some coverage along the way. Last year, Beckham has a down but impressive campaign, catching 101 balls for 1,367 yards and 10 scores. He also saw a career high 169 targets from his signal caller. In his rookie season, Shepard did well for his squad, catching 65 passes for 683 yards and eight scores. Last season with the Jets, Marshall caught just 59 passes for 788 yards and three scores. Now Marshall will have a legit quarterback throwing him the ball, so his numbers should drastically increase barring injury. I’m really expecting a special 2017 for each of these guys, especially Odell Beckham!

Grade: A

Tight End Fantasy Outlook

The tight end position overall just isn’t an illustrious position for fantasy purposes, especially in New York over the past few years. This offseason, the Giants finally drafted what could be a game-changing tight end though in Evan Engram! In four years with the University of Mississippi, Engram caught 167 passes for 2,320 yards and 15 touchdowns. He’ll be taking the place of both Will Tye and Larry Donnell, so he really doesn’t have big shoes to fill honestly. I’m expecting the young tight end to catch around 50 balls for 600 yards and five scores in 2017.

Grade: C-

Defensive Fantasy Outlook

This New York defense actually surprised a lot of people last season, especially their rush defense. The Giants ranked third overall in rush defense, allowing just 1,417 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2016. They recorded 35 sacks and had one of the best players in the NFL in their secondary in Landon Collins. In 2016, Collins recorded an insane 125 tackles, four sacks, 13 defended passes and five interceptions for the Giants. Even though New York ranked 23rd overall in pass defense, they were still an impressive group here and there with their explosive safety. The Giants have a rather impressive defensive line and a nice crop of corners but they do lack in the second level of their defense. Overall, we should see a similar fantasy output as last season, which is fine with me.

Grade: B-

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