New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers
After the two teams traded blows early on, the Giants shot themselves in the foot, turning the ball over on numerous occasions. The Packers took advantage of those turnovers and ran away with the game easily, winning 31-13, but didn’t move the ball as well as they could have. In the end, however, owners of any piece of the Packers passing attack was happy. The Packers held the ball for 28:43 and the Giants held the ball for 31:17.
New York Giants
Quarterback
- Daniel Jones: 20/37, 240 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT’s, 1 FUM (recovered)
Many are very down on Daniel Jones both in real life and fantasy. He throws turnovers at an unimaginable rate and makes some very poor decisions. However, I think Jones could sneakily be a league winner. Even with all his turnovers, Jones stood in the pocket and delivered darts all over the field whenever he had the slightest time to throw. I see a lot of traits in him that I like, including that ability to have a short memory and sling it downfield regardless. Jones gets to face the Eagles, Dolphins, and Redskins in the fantasy playoffs, all of whom have awful passing defenses. Jones has shown the ability to put up some week-winning numbers against bottom-half defenses despite his turnovers. If you don’t have the likes of Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes I would seriously consider Jones as a streaming option moving forward. He’s hard to trust for sure, but what quarterback isn’t these days?
Running Backs
- Saquon Barkley: 19 carries, 83 yards | 7 targets, 3 receptions, 32 yards
Fantasy owners of Saquon Barkley must have breathed a sigh of relief today. Barkley looked like his old self for the first time in ages, consistently breaking tackles and getting targeted in the passing game. Barkley’s upcoming matchups are not too scary, and he has the talent to take the ball to the house every time he touches it. I can’t say that Barkley did enough to make me feel as good as I did last year starting him, but he looks to be recovered from his earlier injury by now and getting the volume that will lead to viable production. No other running back touched the ball more than twice, and if Jones hadn’t turned the ball over, he could have had an even bigger day. What may be a tiny worry, however, was that on some critical short-yardage situations went to fullback Elijhaa Penny and Jones himself, perhaps indicating that the Giants don’t trust Barkley fully yet in every situation.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
- Darius Slayton: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 44 yards
- Sterling Shepard: 7 targets, 3 receptions, 40 yards, 1 TD
- Cody Latimer: 3 targets, 1 reception, 43 yards
- Kaden Smith: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 70 yards
Darius Slayton is going to be a star. He is Daniel Jones’ favorite target in all situations, especially on 3rd and 4th down. Slayton made some tough catches today and was the most targeted wideout for the Giants, although it was Sterling Shepard who caught the lone touchdown of the day. Slayton has very good chemistry with Jones and the size, speed, and separation ability to make a name for himself. I’m not sure it will happen in the fantasy playoffs, but I do think that next year he will be a sleeper I’ll be sure to grab. It’s hard to tell which Giants WR could benefit from their upcoming schedule, but if you want a safe floor, Golden Tate could be a good option if he’s active. However, Slayton offers the most potential in my opinion, as he had the big play ability and connection with Jones to have big weeks. Sterling Shepard could also be a viable flex option moving forward, although I’d be less confident in him. Kaden Graham had a nice day, although he cannot be used moving forward if either or both of Rhett Ellison and Evan Engram are back next week. Both of them are ahead of him in the depth chart.
Green Bay Packers
Quarterback
- Aaron Rodgers: 21/33, 243 yards, 4 TD’s
The final stat line looks good, but this was not Aaron Rodgers’ best game. He was consistently under pressure and missed a few throws as well. The weather was snowy and wet, which did not help matters. Not to say he was bad at all; he was very good, but the offense was not dominating and didn’t move the ball as well as I thought they would against the Giants’ porous defense. Facing the Redskins, Bears, and Vikings is not the best schedule for the fantasy playoffs, but it’s not the worst either. If you have better options, then I would consider pivoting to them, but Rodgers is always a threat to put up a stat line like he did today, so it would have to be a very juicy matchup for me to not start Rodgers. Rodgers is not the same quarterback he once was, and the playcalling limits him somewhat, but he is still a top-tier option at the position that can be started with reasonable confidence.
Running Backs
- Aaron Jones: 11 carries, 18 yards | 6 targets, 4 receptions, 18 yards
- Jamaal Williams: 10 carries, 41 yards | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 26 yards
Once again, Matt LaFleur infuriated fantasy owners by using Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams interchangeably. There was a sequence towards the end of the third quarter that infuriated me even more. Jones was in, caught a pass, and was tackled at the 1-yard line. The Packers then ran play-action to no avail, ran Jones down the middle to get stuffed, the fourth quarter started, Jones got a touchdown, it was called back due to holding, they ran a screen to Jones that did not go anywhere, and then eventually Rodgers just threw it to Davante Adams. The next drive, the Packers were set up in the red zone following a Giants interception. Who was in? Of course, our good friend Williams. Then Jones comes BACK in, gets tackled at the one-inch line, and Rodgers throws another touchdown. Owning Aaron Jones is one of the most frustrating things in fantasy football. There’s the timeshare, and then there are times when Williams looks like the better back, like today. It seems like the good old days when Jones and Williams were used in packages where both on the field are over. Without an injury to Williams, Jones will still be devalued due to this maddening timeshare.
Of course, the elements didn’t help matters, but Jones and Williams have the same roles on this team. It just depends on the drive. If Williams is the back for a certain drive and they’re at a third down, he’ll be in there. If they get to the red zone, he’ll still be there. They do not often switch them out within drives. Jones will be a risky play in the fantasy playoffs; of course, if you’ve ridden him this far, you’re not going to bench him now. But he could make or break your chances of winning. Williams will be even more inconsistent, but if you are desperate or a Jones owner he is worth rostering/starting.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Davante Adams: 10 targets, 6 receptions, 64 yards, 2 TD’s
- Allen Lazard: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 103 yards, 1 TD
- Jimmy Graham: 1 target, 1 reception, 16 yards
- Marcedes Lewis: 2 targets, 1 reception, 1 yard, 1 TD
The Packers pass-catchers were quiet yardage-wise today, but many of them were able to catch a touchdown or 2. Marquez Valdez-Scantling has been phased out of this offense entirely, as has Geronimo Allison. Allen Lazard seems to be the second option in this offense behind Davante Adams. Speaking of Adams, he had himself a game, establishing himself as Rodgers’ primary red-zone option and reliable target. He easily led the team in targets and looks to be back from his early-season injury. Anyone worrying about Adams hopefully had their mind alleviated by this game, and he can be fired up with confidence to help win you a fantasy championship. Lazard can also be used as a flex play if you need to, but he is more boom-or-bust. I wouldn’t stream a Packers tight end moving forward, as Jimmy Graham and Marcedes Lewis combined for 3 targets. Lewis scored a touchdown, but that means next to nothing.
-Ryan Comeau