Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, December 8, 2024, 1:00 ET
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Network: FOX
Writer: Matt LaMarca (@MattLaMarca on Twitter)
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Derek Carr: Sit, QB2
Even with six teams on bye this week, it’s hard to justify using Derek Carr in anything but Superflex formats. He’s finished as better than QB17 in just one of his past seven outings, and he’s been QB21 or worse five separate times. The team has minimal supporting talent available for Carr to lean on at receiver, and he offers almost nothing with his legs. The Giants do represent a decent matchup, but you can likely do better elsewhere.
Running Back
Alvin Kamara: Start, RB1
Alvin Kamara is one of the most sure-fire things in fantasy football. His workload is absolutely elite. He’s racked up 65% of the team’s carries this season, and he’s also posted a 23% target rate. No running back in football has earned a higher share of his team’s pass attempts this season, giving him an elite floor on a weekly basis. His ceiling is also higher than usual vs. the Giants, with this being one of the few games on the Saints’ schedule that they’re expected to win. Running backs tend to get more work in games where their team is winning, so Kamara is one of the strongest options at the position this week.
Wide Receiver
Marquez Valdes-Scantling: FLEX Option, WR4
Nothing that Marquez Valdes-Scantling is doing right now feels particularly sustainable, but he can be used in a pinch on a week with so many teams inactive. His underlying utilization leaves a lot to be desired — he has just a 12% target share over his past four games — but he does bring some big-play upside to the table. He’s racked up at least 29% of the team’s air yards in three straight games, and his deep speed is what he’s known for. The Saints are desperate for playmakers behind Kamara, so he should continue to get a handful of opportunities each week. Just don’t expect him to continue to score touchdowns forever.
Tight End
Juwan Johnson: Streaming Option, TE2
Foster Moreau: Sit
The injury to Tasyom Hill opens up even more opportunities in the Saints’ passing attack. With Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed also out of the picture, someone is going to have to catch the ball for New Orleans.
Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau will both likely get some opportunities this week, but Johnson stands out as the preferred option of the two. He ran a route on 79% of the team’s pass plays last week, while Moreau was at just 44%. He also has better marks in target share and targets per route run throughout the season, so he has more upside as a pass-catcher. Unfortunately, the Giants have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends this season, so neither player is in a particularly good spot. Johnson checks in at around TE15 for me this week, with Moreau closer to TE25.
New York Giants
Quarterback
Drew Lock: Sit
Lock has been tabbed as the Giants’ starting QB for the second straight week. Lock may be one of the swaggiest backups in football, and he should get more reps with the first-team offense at practice this week. Still, his production in his first game as a starter left a lot to be desired. He’s also playing behind a horrid Giants’ offensive line, and he was sacked six times vs. the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. The Saints’ pass rush isn’t quite as good, but Lock still figures to spend most of his time running for his life. You might need to start Lock out of desperation in Superflex leagues, but he’s quite literally my lowest-ranked starting quarterback in Week 14.
Running Back
Tyrone Tracy: Start, RB2
Devin Singletary: Sit
Tyrone Tracy has had some issues holding onto the ball this season, which has cost him some playing time in certain weeks. That said, the Giants have nothing to play for at the moment, so getting their young running back as many snaps as possible seems like the correct decision. He played on 71% of the team’s snaps vs. the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, and he racked up 53% of the rushing attempts. Tracy has also dominated the short-yardage and pass-catching opportunities out of the Giants’ backfield, which are the two most important areas for fantasy scoring.
Devin Singletary is the clear No. 2 running back in this backfield, and he did handle seven carries on Thanksgiving. However, unless Tracy fumbles the job away again, he doesn’t bring nearly enough upside to the table to actually consider starting.
Wide Receiver
Malik Nabers: Start, Low WR1/High WR2
All Other WRs: Sit
It hasn’t mattered who is at QB for the Giants this season; the top priority has been to get the ball to Malik Nabers. He had a 40% target share in his first game with Lock at QB, and he responded with eight catches for 69 yards. Unfortunately, Nabers hasn’t scored a touchdown since all the way back in Week 3, but the volume is simply too good to ignore. His 36% target share leads the league, and his 40% air yards share ranks fifth among receivers. Perhaps his luck will change vs. the Saints, who have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points per game to opposing receivers.
After Nabers, no one on the Giants is worth starting at receiver. Wan’Dale Robinson has had some flex appeal at times this season, but he saw a season-low two targets last week with Lock under center. Even if his target share does bounce back a bit, he offers virtually no upside in any department but receptions. You can do better elsewhere.
Tight End
Daniel Bellinger: Sit
Theo Johnson has served as the Giants’ top tight end this season, but he went down with a season-ending injury on Thanksgiving. That opens the door for Daniel Bellinger, but it’s unlikely he will make an impact for fantasy purposes. The Saints have also been far better at defending tight ends than receivers, so there’s no reason to add him to your lineups.