New York Giants vs New York Jets
Some dubbed it the MetLife Bowl. Most referred to it as the Toilet Bowl given the state of the Giants and Jets this season. In the end, MetLife can be referred to as JetLife for now, as Gang Green was able to come away with the win, 34-27. Bragging rights aside, the real takeaway in what wound up being a competitive game, was that Sam Darnold had his best game in weeks.
New York Giants
Quarterback
- Daniel Jones: 26/40, 308 yards, 4 TD, 3 fumbles (1 lost), 6 sacks | 3 carries, 20 yards
The stat line (in real life & fantasy) was strong for Daniel Jones today. The Jets defense was able to put the pressure on, forcing six sacks on the day. The Jets have a bad offensive line, but I wasn’t aware the Giants share the same poor play from theirs. Injuries to the unit aside, Jones is always finding himself in rushed situations, which have been resulting in turnovers week in and week out. Today, he had three fumbles, one of which was straight-up stolen from his grasp and returned for a touchdown by Jamal Adams. Still, Jones was able to throw for four touchdowns in the losing effort, and at least in the realm of fantasy football, you’ll take those points any week; depending on your league’s scoring format, he may have posted 30+ points.
Running Backs
- Saquon Barkley: 13 carries, 1 yard | 5 targets, 5 receptions, 30 yards
- Wayne Gallman: 1 carry, 2 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 3 yards
No, that’s not a typo. Saquon Barkley ended up with just one rushing yard on 13 total carries. The five receptions barely made a dent in his fantasy day; 8.10 points in full-PPR formats. To his defense, he was without three starting offensive linemen, but since his return from his high-ankle sprain, he has struggled on the ground. He’s been held to under 65 yards in three of the last four games. Perhaps the upcoming Week 11 bye will do him right for the rest of the season.
Wayne Gallman was a non-factor as he has been since Barkley returned.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
- Darius Slayton: 14 targets, 10 receptions, 121 yards, 2 TDs
- Golden Tate: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 95 yards, 2 TDs
- Rhett Ellison: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 42 yards
I covered this game for QBL’s Sit/Start series, and my ‘Sleeper Spotlight’ candidate was Darius Slayton. You’re welcome. Multiple factors weighed into the decision. As a Jets fan, I know how bad our secondary is, and starting CB Daryl Roberts was ruled out too. Also, with Sterling Shepard (again) and Evan Engram out, Jones had to find someone other than Golden Tate to get the ball to. As predicted, Slayton shredded the defense, scoring twice, averaging 12.1 yards per catch, and his longest went for 39 yards. Good for 34.10 points in full-PPR leagues, look for the fifth round rookie to continue to be a target for Jones after the bye.
Tate himself also found the end zone two times. He caught half of his targets (four of eight) for just five yards shy of 100 total yards. Tate has been a true WR1 for this Giants offense ever since he made his season debut off of suspension and with the continued absence of Shepard. Speaking of absences, with Engram out, Rhett Ellison caught all three of his targets for 42 yards. If you were forced into streaming him this week, you came away with 7.20 points.
New York Jets
Quarterback
- Sam Darnold: 19/30, 230 yards, 1 TD, 2 sacks | 3 carries, 25 yards, 1 TD
No ghosts in this one for Sam Darnold. Finishing with a 97.9 QBR, Darnold was very protective and smart with the ball, which was a welcome sight given his bad play the last few weeks. He targeted eight different receivers. His first score was on the ground one yard out from the goalline; of his 25 yards, his longest was for 24, which happens to be the longest by a Jet this season. What I find satisfying too, were the two sacks only. Kudos to the offense line – and that’s saying it lightly because this unit is still bad – but to only be sacked twice was surely an improvement. Here’s to hoping Darnold can remain on track entering Week 11 in Washington. He’ll be on the streaming radar if you are in a bye-week bind.
Running Backs
- Le’Veon Bell: 18 carries, 34 yards, 1 TD | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 34 yards
- Bilal Powell: 7 carries, 15 yards
No one on this Jets team deserved to find the end zone more than Le’Veon Bell. A bright spot on the field, in the locker room and with the media in a rough season, Bell came away with a positive boxscore. The score came on a goal-line carry, and overall Bell struggled to get going on the ground in this one. Just 34 yards on 18 carries is certainly not a great day. However, the score did save his fantasy day, and you’ll take the points from a talent such as Bell that has not had a very favorable season. He does get the Redskins next week, and so his volume, especially in the passing game, should keep him on the RB2 radar.
Bilal Powell entered the game to spell Bell, who at times didn’t look 100%. He didn’t do much with his time on the field, only posting 15 yards on seven carries. Unless Bell were to miss a game, Powell is not a viable fantasy option.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
- Demaryius Thomas: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 84 yards
- Jamison Crowder: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD
- Robby Anderson: 3 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards
- Chris Herndon: 2 targets, 1 reception, 7 yards
- Ryan Griffin: 1 target, 1 reception, -2 yards
For weeks now, I’ve spoken to the fact that Adam Gase continues to implement Demaryius Thomas into his offense, in the year 2019, for some reason. Well, today it paid off. Thomas led the team in targets and receptions. It felt like Jamison Crowder, who was Darnold’s lone touchdown recipient, would have been on his way to another high-target game, but he was practically ignored all second half. Robby Anderson, who I called out as a ‘sit’, was indeed worthy of your bench. He only had one catch for 11 yards, and it’s looking like a lost season for Anderson, who the Jets will have to decide if they want to retain him in the offseason.
On the tight end front, Ryan Griffin has been a feasible streaming option in recent weeks. My call-out on anointing him a TE2 was a fail, as he wound up having one catch go for negative yardage. Chris Herndon made his season debut, but he was a non-factor as well. It’s unclear right now to determine who might be a streaming option of the two next week in Washington.
- Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ Twitter & Reddit)