Cardinals@Giants
Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 20th at 1:00 pm EST
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NY
Betting Odds: NYG -3, 49 Total via Oddsshark
Network: FOX
Sleeper Spotlight: Daniel Jones
Arizona Cardinals
Quarterback
- Kyler Murray (Start/QB1)
Last week was Kyler Murray’s most efficient game. He went 27 for 37 for 340 yards, three touchdowns, and a 90.3 QBR. He added 11 carries for 32 yards on the ground. The game is starting to slow down for Murray and it is noticeable when watching him. A few weeks ago everyone was worried about the Cardinals passing offense, but Murray is now on pace to throw for 4,000 yards and run for 600. That is quite spicy for fantasy. His aDOT rose to 7.4 on the year, after bottoming out a few weeks ago. The Giants defense has been abysmal against the pass and has struggled to contain rushing quarterbacks for years (signed a Giants fan). Murray is in a great spot this week to continue his upward trend.
Running Backs
- David Johnson (Start/RB1)
- Chase Edmonds (Sit)
So far this season, David Johnson is a WR1, who just happens to get a few carries every week. DJ has been balling in the passing game and that has a lot to due with Kliff Kingsbury. DJ has a coach again that will line him up in the slot or out wide and let him go to work down the field. Last week, DJ had six catches for 68 yards (only one less than Larry Fitzgerald who led the team), a touchdown, and a long reception of 30 yards. When the Cardinals decide to run, DJ also benefits from Kingsbury’s desire to use four WRs. DJ’s stacked box percentage is a low 6.58%, which is sixth in the NFL. The Giants run defense is top 15, but DJ’s passing game work gives him a great floor every week. Chase Edmonds saw his usage go up the past two weeks and scored in both. He still is far behind DJ, but it is encouraging to see his role grow a little with the team. Kingsbury likes him. So if DJ goes down for an extended period, Edmonds is a premier handcuff stash.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
- Larry Fitzgerald (Start/WR1)
- Christian Kirk (Start if healthy)
- Damiere Byrd (Sit)
- KeeSean Johnson (Sit)
While the Cardinals passing attack has picked up, Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk are the only two receivers worth playing or even owning in fantasy so far this year. Running four WRs more than any other team has cut down on the other WRs impact because more receivers are seeing the field. Murray’s throws have gone to Fitzgerald, Kirk, and DJ over everyone else. Fitzgerald has had a nice bounce-back season after flirting with retirement this offseason. He has eight targets both weeks without Kirk and has a locked-in role as the lead slot receiver. Kirk usually handles the second slot role as well as a move outside some. If he can go this week, I would have him in my lineup against a poor Giants secondary. Damiere Byrd and KeeSean Johnson see the low volume and neither topped 40 yards last week. Tight ends? Keep moving, nothing to see here.
New York Giants
Quarterback
- Daniel Jones (Streaming Option)
Daniel Jones had a coming-out party in week three against the Buccaneers but slowed down in his next three starts. The Vikings and Patriots defenses proved a difficult test for the rookie, but he still managed to provide a few encouraging signs. Danny Dimes aDOT is 8.7 yards, which is 11th in the NFL (out of QBs with over 100 passes). His completion percentage is also 1.5% above expectation, which is 10th in the NFL (again for QBs with more than 100 passes) and leads all rookies. Dimes is not afraid to push the ball and has quieted his accuracy concerns so far. This matchup with the Cardinals’ 29th pass defense by DVOA is a welcome matchup after the past two weeks. Jones is a great streamer this week if your QB is on a bye.
Running Back
- Saquon Barkley (Start/RB1)
Saquon Barkley is not human and is returning this week from a high ankle sprain suffered in week three. We haven’t been able to see Barkley with Jones under center much, so it’ll be interesting to see how Pat Shurmur uses Barkley with Jones. More RPOs are likely and Barkley should see a good amount of targets with injuries to some of the Giants pass catchers. Barkley is always a must start and this is an easy matchup for him. So, you need to hope that the ankle is healed up enough.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
- Evan Engram (Start/TE1)
- Golden Tate (Start/FLEX)
- Darius Slayton (Sit)
The Giants will be missing Sterling Shepherd for a few weeks, so Evan Engram returns to the lineup as the focal point of the passing offense. Engram showed a nice rapport with Jones when he played and Jones likes targeting the middle of the field where Engram runs most of his routes. The Giants use Engram in shorter routes that allow him to get the ball in space. He has only a 5.8 aDOT but he averages 6.9 (nice) YAC per reception. Golden Tate is now the top receiver and gets to play in the slot without Shepherd. Tate ran 88% of his routes from the slot last week. He gets used similarly to Engram, with a focus on maximizing his change to create YAC. Other than his touchdown last week, Tate ran shorter routes. With a limited receiving corps and a weak defense, Tate can be started as a FLEX this week. Darius Slayton is someone that you should be monitoring in the coming weeks and can be grabbed if you are desperate for a WR. With Engram and Tate running short, Slayton has been a deep threat. His aDOT is 16.8 yards, which is 3rd in the NFL. He also saw his snaps rise to 100% last week with all the injuries to WRs. If Jones continues to progress, Slayton can end up being a decent bye week fill in as the season goes on. But Slayton likely draws Patrick Peterson in his first game back from a PED suspension, so I’m not expecting much from him this week.
-Frank Costanzo (@FrankQBList; Reddit: Zzzonked92)
You have Justice Hill listed as the handcuff, so I’m wasting a roster spot on Gus?
If something happened to Ingram, I think it’s fair to say that it would be a committee approach to replace him. Depends if you would prefer the workhorse and TD role of Gus or the passing game role with Hill. As someone who drafted Hill everywhere, I have long since dropped him. Gus is probably the safer handcuff in my opinion, Hill maybe has more upside in a PPR league.
Might be worth noting Josh Gordon had one target after he left the game with a knee injury in second quarter.
Odd that you’re taking that stance on Murray. Everything that i’ve read has said that Kamara possibly has a high ankle sprain and is most likely not playing. Even with Kamara playing last week, Murray spit out 10 points in my half ppr league.
Great breakdown of the QBs in Week 7! It’s really helpful to see everything in one place. Thanks for the time and effort you put into this post!