Game Info
Kickoff: Monday, November 2nd at 8:15 PM ET
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Betting Odds: TB -10.5, 46 total via Oddsshark
Network: ESPN
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterback
Tom Brady (Start, QB1)
Depending on your league’s scoring settings, Tom Brady had quite the Week 7, posting over 45 fantasy points against the Raiders. Completing 33 of 45 passes, Brady threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns. He even punched one in with his infamous Brady-sneak from the goal line. No interception blemishes either, which makes it a clean three games in a row since his last game with a pick. There are many mouths to feed in Tampa Bay – and it’ll get even more crowded with the potential debut of Antonio Brown Week 9 – but Brady has been spreading the wealth. It may not be a total repeat performance against the Giants, but he should have no issue finishing with QB1 numbers in prime time.
Running Backs
Ronald Jones II (Start, RB2), Leonard Fournette (Start, FLEX)
The Bucs backfield is turning in a timeshare, yet a rather supportable one. After three missed weeks, Leonard Fournette played a pivotal role in Sunday’s win against Las Vegas. He led the Tampa Bay backfield with 40 snaps, and while he only rushed for 50 yards on 11 carries, his six catches for 47 yards made for a nice fantasy stat line. Out-snapping Ronald Jones II was unexpected, to say the least, but this could mean Fournette’s stock is on the rise. I would comfortably FLEX him against the Giants and hope he remains involved in the pass-game. Jones’ 4th quarter touchdown saved his fantasy day, as he only rushed for 34 yards on 13 carries. New York should be a nice get-right spot. The odd man out in all this appears to be LeSean McCoy.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Mike Evans (Start, WR2), Scotty Miller (Start, FLEX), Rob Gronkowski (Start, TE1), Cameron Brate (Sit)
Mike Evans has gone ghost in back to back weeks. He was only targeted twice against the Raiders – four total targets in the last two games – and he caught both passes for 37 yards. When Chris Godwin is on the field, Evans appears to be the victim. However, news broke Tuesday morning that Godwin fractured his left index finger against Las Vegas, and is already ruled out for MNF. Start Evans with confidence and hope that he overtakes the target share. Another Bucs receiver who had more targets than Evans last week was Scotty Miller, who caught six of nine for 109 yards and a touchdown. With Brown expected to join this group Week 9 and Godwin ruled out, this is is another good spot to start Miller. I think you could do worse than him if you needed a FLEX this week.
Is that the Gronk of old? Rob Gronkowski has put together back to back eight target, one score per game weeks. He’s producing after a slow start to the season and should be treated as a TE1 going forward. Cameron Brate isn’t a viable start at this time.
New York Giants
Quarterback
Daniel Jones (Sit)
The turnover woes continue for Daniel Jones, who had an interception and game-losing fumble against the Eagles last week. He hasn’t thrown for over 250 yards since Week 1 and hasn’t amassed 300 yards at any point this season. He is however doing more with his legs, yet in a somewhat embarrassing fashion; you already know what happened. The fantasy stats haven’t been there like they were last season, and against a stout Bucs defense, I would continue to shy away from Jones this week.
Running Backs
Devonta Freeman (Sit), Wayne Gallman Jr. (Sit), Dion Lewis (Sit)
Devonta Freeman had two decent weeks since signing with the Giants, but overall it’s been lackluster. He left the Eagles game with an ankle injury and never returned. Even if he’s healthy for Monday night, you can’t trust starting him against the run-stuffing Bucs defense. The same can be said for Wayne Gallman Jr. and Dion Lewis. The Bucs just held Josh Jacobs – a far better back than any of the Giants three – to 17 yards on 10 carries.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Darius Slayton (Start, WR3), Golden Tate (Sit), Sterling Shepard (Sit, FLEX if you must), Evan Engram (Start, TE2)
The Tampa Bay secondary will be a tough task for the Giants receivers. In my opinion, Darius Slayton is the best option of the three, but even he should be treated as the WR3/FLEX option this week. It’s worth noting his target share has gone down from the 11 he saw in Week 5, and it doesn’t help that Sterling Shepard is back in the mix. Golden Tate doesn’t possess any real fantasy relevance, so he’s a sit for me. I’d recommend sitting Shepard as well, though if you were in a scenario where you had to pivot to him, I suppose he can be a dart-throw FLEX this week.
Evan Engram, who is the subject of trade rumors this week, is still a TE2 worth starting. His downfall though is he has found the end zone just once this season; and it was on a rush. His nine targets against the Eagles were his most on the season since the 10 he had Week 4, and so you hope that number continues to rise in what should be a pass-heavy game for the Giants.
–Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ Twitter & Reddit)