Patriots @ Giants
Final Score: Giants 10, Patriots 7
Writer: Adam Nardelli (@adamnardelli on Twitter)
In one of the most anticipated matchups of the year…wait I’m being told that’s not quite the case. The unfortunate reality for both these franchises is that their fanbases are already looking towards the NFL Draft in the hope that a quarterback or another highly-valued prospect will help steer these organizations back to relevancy. But before that, we still had a football game to be played! The first half was highlighted by Patriots QB Mac Jones‘ poor decision-making resulting in two interceptions. Tommy DeVito and the Giants offense took advantage of the second interception after WR Isaiah Hodgins caught a 12-yard touchdown pass. Bill Belichick saw enough of Mac Jones and decided to bench him for Bailey Zappe at halftime. While Zappe saw some early success, he threw an interception of his own early in the fourth quarter leading to a Giants field goal, which proved to be enough for Big Blue to get their fourth win of the season. If I told you yesterday the final score would be 10-7 you’d probably say, “That sounds about right.” Regardless of the Giants destroying their 2024 draft pick, chicken parm for everyone at Tommy D’s house!
Three Up
- Jalin Hyatt – looks to be developing a nice connection with DeVito after a few explosive plays today
- Rhamondre Stevenson – out-carried Ezekiel Elliott 21 to 9 and got in the endzone
- Giants defense– Has forced nine turnovers the last two games and appears to be a decent streaming option
Two Down
- Saquon Barkley – 12 carries is underwhelming in a low-scoring battle and very little involvement in the passing game
- Mac Jones – not that he was a popular fantasy option, but today emphasized the Patriots likely don’t have their QB of the future on the roster
New England Patriots
Quarterback
Mac Jones: 12/21, 89 yards, 2 INTs, sacked once
It was an uninspiring start for the former first-round pick, to say the least. Jones’ first two drives under center resulted in two punts, with the third ending in an interception by Giants rookie CB Deonte Banks. Jones was looking for Demario Douglas, but forced the ball into double coverage and he paid for the bad decision. Late in the second quarter Jones was under pressure by Giants LB Isaiah Simmons and seemingly threw the ball right into the hands of another Giants linebacker in Bobby Okereke who returned the interception 55 yards, which later led to a Giants touchdown. As color analyst Jonathan Vilma noted, he can’t make a bad play worse. The worst-case scenario should’ve been a sack, but another bad decision by Jones led to another turnover. The first half couldn’t have gone any worse for a quarterback who seems to be hanging onto the starting job by a thread. The disappointing first half by Jones led to a halftime benching, opening the way for second-year quarterback Bailey Zappe to come in.
Bailey Zappe: 9/14, 54 yards, INT, sacked once
After a disastrous first half for Mac Jones, Bill Belichick opted to go with Zappe for the second half. At least initially it looked like this was the clear right decision. Zappe led an extremely efficient 11-play 60-yard drive resulting in a 7-yard Rhamondre Stevenson touchdown. Offensive Coordinator Bill O’Brien did a good job of getting Zappe comfortable with an emphasis on a short and easy throw that allowed the receivers to do most of the work. Zappe’s average target depth was -1.5 yards on the touchdown drive, according to Evan Lazar of Patriots.com, so I wasn’t joking when I said short and easy throws were an emphasis on his first drive. The honeymoon period didn’t last too long. however, when Zappe threw an interception to Giants’ Xavier McKinney early in the fourth quarter. The pick looked way too easy for the veteran Safety. It led to a Giants field goal and put them in the lead 10-7, which was the final score. As discouraging as Mac Jones played today, Zappe didn’t exactly take hold of the starting quarterback job.
Running Back
Rhamondre Stevenson: 21 carries, 98 yards, TD | 5 targets, 5 receptions, 9 yards
The Giants were without star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, and when the Patriots decided to run they took advantage of the absence. The usage is what fantasy managers would like to see after getting 10 carries for 44 yards in the first half. It didn’t prove to be fruitful after Mac Jones threw two interceptions in the first two quarters, but the volume was encouraging. That usage paid off with a 7-yard touchdown run on the opening possession of the third quarter, tying the game at 7. Stevenson now has two straight games of 20+ carries, and it wasn’t like the efficiency wasn’t there either. 4.7 yards per carry today is impressive considering the amount of carries he got. While he may not live up to his ADP this season, he’s at least becoming a reliable running back option. 5 receptions today also helped his floor, but unfortunately, he wasn’t able to break away for any big plays in the passing game.
Ezekiel Elliott: 9 carries, 46 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 6 yards
Elliott looked fresh today when he got the ball, averaging over five yards per carry. The problem is he carried the ball 12 fewer times than Stevenson. His lack of involvement in the passing game along with Stevenson continuing to separate himself as the main ball carrier severely limits Elliott’s fantasy upside. It felt like there was some meat left on the bone for Elliott in the running game today. For a team that massively struggles to score points and has considerable questions at the quarterback position, running with Elliott should be more of an emphasis. Ride those two running backs as far as they will take you, Billy O.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
DeVante Parker: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 42 yards
Parker had one of the few explosive plays early on for New England when he took a wide receiver screen 19 yards. He was heavily involved in a mid-second quarter drive, which was highlighted by a 17-yard reception on 3rd & 15. Unfortunately, that summed up most of Parker’s day, as he was minimally involved after these two plays. With all of the questions at quarterback, Parker continues to not be an option for fantasy.
Demario Douglas: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 49 yards
Douglas continues to look like the clear WR1 for this Patriots offense as he dominated the target share among receivers. Listed at just 5’8, he’s used much more underneath than downfield as his 8.3 average depth of target indicates, according to playerprofiler.com. This accentuates his short-area quickness and shiftiness. He, unfortunately, left the game in the fourth quarter with a head injury after he was essentially clothes-lined on a punt return in the fourth quarter. His status should be monitored throughout the week, but it looks to be paying off for those who added him on the waiver wire over the past few weeks. He’s the only true option at receiver among the Patriots for fantasy.
Tyquan Thornton: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 19 yards, 1 carry, 3 yards
He flashed his speed on a screen pass he took for 15 yards in the second quarter. That was it for Thornton, though, as he only caught one of his four other targets. He hasn’t shown any reason to think he has fantasy relevancy for the foreseeable future.
Juju Smith-Schuster: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards
Another dud of a day, which was highlighted by a heated exchange with WR coach Troy Brown.
Kayshon Boutte: 2 targets, 1 reception, 8 yards
New York Giants
Quarterback
Tommy DeVito: 17/25, 191 yards, TD, 5 carries for 6 yards, sacked six times for 29 yards
The New Jersey native had an impressive start to the game with a 29-yard pass to a wide-open Jalin Hyatt, but two plays later Giants fans were reminded why this team is 3-8. DeVito and WR Wan’Dale Robinson botched a handoff and the fumble was recovered by Patriots safety Jabril Peppers, a New Jersey native himself. Following a Mac Jones interception, DeVito found WR Isaiah Hodgins for a 12-yard touchdown, the first score of the day for both teams. Sure Tommy D didn’t totally blow it out of the water in the first half, but the main difference between him and Mac Jones was decision-making. The quarterback who still has his mom make his bed wasn’t forcing throws into tight windows and wasn’t putting his defense in bad spots by turning the ball over. He did just enough to put the Giants in position to win, not much more and nothing less. That’s all you can really ask for from an undrafted rookie quarterback. He was a much better real-life quarterback than fantasy quarterback today, and that might be the case more often than not. Also, he doesn’t face the Commanders again. which would be lovely for his fantasy prospects.
Running Back
Saquon Barkley: 12 carries, 46 yards, 3 targets, 1 reception, 6 yards
Barkley had a highly efficient start to the day as he was averaging almost seven yards per carry on six totes halfway through the second quarter. A 19-yard run helped get the Giants into Patriots territory late in the first quarter, but the drive resulted in a punt. It was surprising and a bit concerning that Barkley only had five carries in the second half. The game script was there for the Giants to ride Barkley down the field. An ugly low-scoring matchup feels like the perfect spot for Barkley to get a hefty workload, but with the Giants only having four possessions in the second half (two of them being three and outs) the volume wasn’t there like it has been for the former first-round pick. He was also barely utilized in the passing game, which was at least somewhat due to Barkley himself. Sideline reporter Shannon Spake notably mentioned that Brian Daboll told her it’s Barkley’s decision to come out on third downs, which he did on at least a few occasions. That unquestionably limited his upside in the passing game today.
Matt Breida: 2 carries, 6 yards, 1 target, 1 reception, 10 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jalin Hyatt: 6 targets, 5 receptions 109 yards
The rookie was involved early when DeVito connected with him on passes of 29 and 22 yards on the Giants’ first two drives. The explosive plays continued in the second half when Tommy D found Hyatt on a 41-yard pass along the sidelines. It’s boom or bust for Haytt, as in the last two weeks he had one catch for 7 yards combined. In a season-long league, he’s tough to trust especially down the stretch as we move towards the fantasy playoffs. He can explode at any moment, but when that happens is anyone’s guess. If you play DFS or a pick’ em contest he might have some more value there.
Isaiah Hodgins: 1 target, 1 reception, 12 yards, TD
The former Buffalo Bill caught a short pass from Tommy D in the red zone, impressively broke a tackle, and tranced into the endzone for the first touchdown of the day. A touchdown on one target is some nice efficiency, but obviously not something fantasy managers can rely on. It’s his first touchdown since week 2 and he also hasn’t had more than 22 receiving yards since week 4. He, like most Giants receivers, has little fantasy relevance.
Wan’Dale Robinson: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 26 yards
It was another underwhelming performance from the second-year receiver. His role is pretty much limited to underneath routes capping his fantasy upside. Robinson hasn’t surpassed 35 yards since week 5 and also hasn’t had more than five targets since that game either. He’s a low-ceiling desperation play at this point.
Darius Slayton: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 16 yards
Daniel Bellinger: 1 target, 1 reception, 8 yards
Sterling Shepard: 3 targets, 1 reception, 6 yards
Parris Campbell: 1 target, 1 reception, -2 yards