Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, November 7th, at 1:00 PM EST
Location: MetLife Field, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Betting Odds: LV -3, 46.5 total via Oddsshark
Network: CBS
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback
Derek Carr (Start, QB2)
Derek Carr and the 5-2 Raiders head to MetLife Stadium fresh off their BYE. When they last played Week 7 against the Eagles, Carr put in a clinic, completing 31 of 34 passes for 323 yards, 2 touchdowns, and one interception. With the Giants on tap this week, albeit paired with some devastating news that broke affecting the Raiders offense, Carr is in a prime spot to continue playing the best football of his career. The Giants have given up the 13th most fantasy points to QB’s this season.
Running Backs
Josh Jacobs (Start, RB2), Kenyan Drake (Start if Jacobs is inactive, Flex)
Josh Jacobs has not put in the work fantasy owners hoped for this season, but one rushing touchdown in each of his last three games has certainly saved his box score in recent weeks. He’s yet to amass over 55 yards on the ground, and actually escaped a serious chest injury against the Eagles, so the BYE week was certainly welcomed. Assuming he’s a go this week, consider Jacobs an RB2 against a Giants defense that has allowed the 11th most fantasy points to RB’s on the year. Kenyan Drake has been a middling backup to Jacobs, scoring twice between the last two games, and has more of a defined role if Jacobs were to miss time. If Jacobs were to miss this game, Peyton Barber would presumably be active, but I wouldn’t look to have him in my lineup.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Hunter Renfrow (Start, WR2), Bryan Edwards (Start, Flex), Darren Waller (Start if active, TE1), Foster Moreau (Sit)
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Henry Ruggs III was involved in a car accident earlier this week, in which the other vehicle involved unfortunately saw a casualty. This tragedy then prompted the Raiders to release Ruggs, as he is sure to face extensive legal trouble given the circumstances. It’s certainly a wild turn of events that is bigger than football.
That being said, look for Hunter Renfrow to continue to roll on, as he has put together a nice season overall, especially in PPR formats. The hope though, is he starts to find the end zone more; he only has two touchdowns on the year, one of which last came in Week 4. Bryan Edwards is poised for an uptick in targets and playing time with the departure of Ruggs. If you were lucky enough to snag him off the wire this week already, treat him as a fine FLEX option against a Giants team that is allowing the 11th most fantasy points to WR’s on the year.
Hit with a pre-game inactive tag against the Eagles, Darren Waller has had a week to rest his ailing ankle some. If he’s a go this week, he’s clearly back on the TE1 map, though the Giants are surprisingly decent against TE’s this year, allowing the 15th fewest fantasy points to the position. Foster Moreau filled in nicely against Philadelphia, but I don’t like him as a streaming candidate this week against New York.
New York Giants
Quarterback
Daniel Jones (Sit)
The narrative will be spun (in his favor) that Daniel Jones has not had a healthy supporting cast to work with much of the season. For fantasy purposes, he has not been a formidable streaming option most weeks because of said injuries. Even with Tom Brady on his BYE, I would hit the waiver and see if there are better options than Jones to start this week. The Raiders have given up the 13th fewest fantasy points to QB’s this season, and Jones ranks 13th on the season according to FantasyPros.
Running Back
Devontae Booker (Start, RB2)
News broke on Wednesday that Saquon Barkley tested positive for Covid-19, though he has a chance to be active for this game if he hits the proper negative testing milestones. That said, the other obvious concern is the health of his ankle, and Covid aside, I would have pegged Barkley to be inactive yet again this week. That leaves the door open for Devontae Booker to continue to operate as the lead back for the Giants, and since taking over Week 5, he’s put together a nice string of games that owners have been able to rely on. The Raiders have given up the 12th most fantasy points to RB’s this season, and so this lines up for another good spot for Booker to produce.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Kadarius Toney (Start, WR3), Kenny Golladay (Start, WR3), Darius Slayton (Sit), John Ross III (Sit), Evan Engram (Start if you must, TE2), Kyle Rudolph (Sit)
With Sterling Shepard (quad strain) set to miss time, this once again opens the door for Kadarius Toney to see a major uptick in targets and receptions. Toney himself hurt his thumb against the Chiefs on Monday night, but came back into the game. Kenny Golladay may be on track to return this week; his first game since Week 5. If he does, consider him a WR3 in an offense starved for healthy receivers. Even with the injuries around him, it’s hard to trust Darius Slayton, and the same goes for John Ross III. It’s also worth mentioning the Vegas defense is strong against WR’s this season, allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points.
Evan Engram was surprisingly not traded by Tuesday’s deadline, and thus you can consider him a streamable TE in an offense that is down healthy skill positions. Despite scoring last week, Kyle Rudolph would (potentially) only become a viable option if Engram were to miss time.
-Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ Twitter & Reddit)
“Henry Ruggs III was involved in a car accident earlier this week, in which the other vehicle involved unfortunately saw a casualty.”
aka
“Henry Ruggs III killed someone while drunk driving”
Everyone in America get high some kind of way rather it’s with drugs or drinking sad that this happened but things happen
Please don’t excuse his behavior like it couldn’t have been prevented by justifying it with a “things happen” comment. He made the choice to have the blood alcohol twice the legal limit, and chose to not only drive drunk but at high speed while intoxicated. He should have done the responsible thing and called for an Uber.