Camp Notes, Volume 13: New York Giants

Curtis Patrick Posted On September 1, 2017

Dynasty fantasy football is our beloved stripped-down approximation of the NFL. We are the head coaches and general managers of our teams, choosing who stays or goes, and who plays or sits. NFL Training Camps are perhaps the best opportunity we have on the dynasty calendar to project how useful our assets will be in the coming season, particularly when it comes to managing the bottom third of our roster. The better you know the rosters of every NFL team, the more prepared you’ll be to execute the corresponding dynasty moves when camp news breaks. I’m mining all the beat reports, team websites, and post-practice press conferences to bring you a comprehensive overview of what’s going on this summer in all 32 training camps.

New York Giants

Our 13th stop on the 2017 DLF Training Camp Tour is with the New York Giants. The Giants have continued to invest in offensive weapons and remain a very interesting team for fantasy targets. The most noteworthy additions were Brandon Marshall (via free agency), Evan Engram (via NFL Draft), and Wayne Gallman (via NFL Draft).

The Giants were a pass-first offense in 2016 and that doesn’t appear to be on schedule to change this season. The team finished eighth in the NFL in passing attempts last year and 22nd in rushing attempts. The selection of Engram was a much-needed measure; in combination, tight ends accounted for just 15 percent of the team’s receiving yards and 12 percent of receiving touchdowns despite receiving 19 percent of the team’s targets. Engram will present matchup issues, allow the team to own the middle of the field, and keep teams guessing in the red zone.

The Giants are a sneaky target for major fantasy regression, to the positive side. In 2015, the team ranked sixth in the NFL with 420 points scored. In 2016, the team scored just 310 points, which was good for 26th in the NFL. Considering the additions the team has made, you don’t have to squint too hard to see why many of the Giants players could be discounted right now versus their probably production.

screen shot 2017 08 31 at 22.53.38

New York Giants rookies and veterans reported on July 27.

Eli Manning has perhaps never had better surrounding talent. I like him to post near-career-best numbers this season. He’s not a player to go buy in dynasty, but if you already own him, he may help you more than in a typical year. Davis Webb was drafted to get a long look as a possible heir-apparent and thus should be owned in every dynasty league. Yes, you do want to own the person who might throw the ball to Odell Beckham Jr. during his prime. This is essentially a redshirt year, as he’s been getting limited snaps while the team evaluates Geno Smith as a backup option. Smith has been predictably inconsistent throughout the preseason. He should be owned in 2QB leagues (just in case), though.

The running back position is shaping up to be a two-headed attack, with Paul Perkins manning early down work and Shane Vereen operating as the change of pace back and getting most of the receiving looks. If Perkins stays healthy he could approach 1,000 total yards. Rookie Wayne Gallman hasn’t found much running room this preseason on 22 carries, but has flashed receiving ability. He should be owned everywhere and could approximate Perkins’ production if the lead back were go down with injury. I can envision all three backs performing at a RB2 level at some point this season.

The wide receiver room is perhaps one of the better three-deep situations in the league. Beckham Jr. remains the overall number one asset in dynasty and I don’t expect that to change for several seasons. He may take a slight cut in volume this season, but should also benefit from improved matchup situations due to opposing safeties not being able to totally ignore the tight end. Marshall has been an elite fantasy performed throughout his career and now gets to operate against inferior players across from Beckham. He’ll have some big games this season. Sterling Shepard had a scary moment in camp in early August and it was feared he may miss significant time. However, he returned less than a week later and is back to full speed. We occasionally see quarterbacks support three top 36 fantasy WRs in a single season. I’m not predicting that this will happen, but of all the situations in the NFL, this is on the short list of possibilities.

Engram is the first true weapon the team has had at the tight end position in a long while. Boasting a hybrid skill set, he will be able to abuse linebackers and nickel corners with his impressive size-speed combination. The rookie has six receptions for 75 yards through three preseason games.

Possible Cuts (among dynasty relevant players): none

Projected ADP Risers

Players Who Will Rise 1 or more rounds in startup ADP by the end of the 2017 Season: Evan Engram, Wayne Gallman

Projected ADP Fallers

Players Who Will Fall 1 or more rounds in startup ADP by the end of the 2017 Season: Brandon Marshall

Waiver Wire Watch List (players with ADP >240): Davis Webb