Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, January 9th, at 1:00 PM EST
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Betting Odds: WSH -6.5, 38.5 total via Oddsshark
Network: FOX
Washington Football Team
Quarterback
Taylor Heinicke (Sit)
HC Ron Rivera has already declared Taylor Heinicke to be his starter this week against New York, but that doesn’t mean he holds fantasy relevancy. Heinicke is likely playing to secure his backup role in 2022, assuming the Football Team land a new QB in the offseason.
Running Backs
Antonio Gibson (Start if active, RB2), Jaret Patterson (Start only if Gibson is inactive, RB2)
Should Antonio Gibson return from the COVID-19 list, he’ll oversee RB1 duties again for Washington, making him a solid play against a Giants defense that just allowed Chicago’s David Montgomery to turn 22 carries into 64 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, adding two receptions for 17 yards as well. Jaret Patterson filled in nicely against the Eagles with Gibson inactive, but only holds relevancy if Gibson is out. At the time of writing though, Gibson has been limited in practice this week, so time will tell if Patterson is the guy to deploy against the Giants.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Terry McLaurin (Start, WR2), John Bates (Sit)
Short list, and that’s due to injuries and poor production all around. Terry McLaurin, who has had a down season to his standards, is WR2 capable against the lowly Giants. With tight end Rick Seals-Jones suffering a scary neck injury against the Eagles, John Bates is the next man up, but he can remain on the wire this week.
New York Giants
Quarterback
Jake Fromm (Sit)
There are no words to describe just how bad Mike Glennon was against the Bears last week. To put it into perspective, Nathan Peterman’s five interception game scored higher than Glennon’s putrid outing.
Nathan Peterman's @PFF grade in the infamous 5 INT game: 24.1
Mike Glennon's grade yesterday: 21.4
— Mike Renner (@mikerenner_) January 3, 2022
Glennon is set to undergo hand surgery, and so Jake Fromm is in line to start this week. Please try to forget he even exists on your leagues wire.
Running Backs
Saquon Barkley (Start, RB2), Devontae Booker (Sit)
If there’s any Giant I am starting this week, it’s going to be Saquon Barkley by default. If you’ve made it this far with him on your roster, and want to start him this week, consider him a volume-based RB2. He posted his first and only 100-yard (102 to be exact) game on the season against Chicago on 21 carries. Last week, Washington allowed Boston Scott to score twice on the ground, totaling 47 yards on just 14 carries.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Kadarius Toney (Sit), Kenny Golladay (Sit), Darius Slayton (Sit), Evan Engram (Sit)
Nothing to see here. With such bad QB play, none of the Giants pass-catchers are worth starting this week. Talk about a bust of a first-season for the likes of prized free agent Kenny Golladay, and letdown for rookie Kadarius Toney. Darius Slayton is an afterthought, and tight end Evan Engram hasn’t had fantasy relevance all season.
-Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ Twitter & Reddit)
Great analysis! I really appreciate the breakdown of each player’s performance and the insights on who to start or sit this week. It definitely helps with my roster decisions for the playoffs. Keep up the great work!