Bears at Giants
Game Info
Kickoff: August 15th, 2019, at 7:30 PM EST
Location: Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Betting Odds: NYG -2 via Oddsshark
Network: NFL
Chicago Bears
Trubisky for…MVP?
A lot of Bears fans have been betting on Mitchell Trubisky for MVP because he has shot up to being tied for eighth in the Vegas MVP odds via Oddshark. Trailing only the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Baker Mayfield, and a few other favorites, Mitch finds himself amongst the elite company, paving the way for a top ten QB finish in fantasy, right? Wrong. No matter what the odds say, he currently has a higher chance via the Vegas odds to win MVP than Deshaun Watson, Russel Wilson, and Matt Ryan, and that is in no way representative of what is going to happen in the fantasy world. Trubisky had as many games in the 100-yard passing range as he did the 300-yard passing range last season. While he does have great pieces around him, this is a run-first team with arguably the top defense in the NFL. Trubisky is a streamer at the moment, and unfortunately, we won’t get to see him throw a preseason pass in this one.
Running of the Bears
David Montgomery, the third-round rookie out of Iowa State, stirred the pot in a big way in the first preseason game. He rushed three times for 16 yards and a touchdown, adding three catches for 30 yards through the air. If there wasn’t a hype train going for the rookie before, there is now. He is currently going around the turn at the end of the third round in drafts, a full two rounds ahead of backfield partner Tarik Cohen, who many believe is built for a scat-back role than a workhorse. As the preseason unfolds, keep a close eye on this battle as most likely the hot hand will get the first crack at the starting gig, unless the keys have already been handed to Montgomery.
New York Giants
No Taters for a while
News broke on Tuesday that Golden Tate would not win his appeal and will have to serve his four-game suspension to begin the season. We will begin to see who will be getting all of the targets in New York while he is away. All signs are pointing to Evan Engram and Sterling Shepard. Bennie Fowler and Cody Latimer have both been showing off highlight-reel material in camp, so we will be looking to see if either one can start to steal some of the spotlight in order to be on the deep-league streamer map in the first few weeks, or at the very least, steal targets from the top line guys.
Keeping Up with the (Daniel) Joneses
The football world was in shock when the Giants took Daniel Jones with the sixth pick out of Duke University in the draft. Well, he responded by going and spinning a perfect stat line in his first audition for the NFL – 5/5 passing with 67 yards and a beautiful touchdown to Bennie Fowler. Eli Manning is getting old, we can all accept that, and a breakdown or injury is bound to happen at any point. We all know that the centerpiece of this offense is the running game, but it will be interesting to watch in this game how he handles another go at it and whether or not he can start to put pressure on the Giants to use him earlier rather than later this season.
-Matt Dean (@MattDeanQbList)