Saints @ Giants
Final Score: Saints 14 – Giants 11
Writer: Geoff Ulrich (@thefantasygrind)
This was probably the worst game on the Sunday slate. It was 14-3 Saints late in the second half until New Orleans allowed the Giants to make a few plays downfield, with Malik Nabers coming through with a big 25-yard reception, which set up a Tyrone Tracy touchdown. The Giants then managed to get the ball back with some time and got a big run from Drew Lock to set up a short field goal attempt.
The Saints blocked the field goal and mercilessly saved us from overtime. The big news for the Saints is that Derek Carr had to leave late with a potential concussion and may also have a broken hand. Jake Haener is not a high-end backup so if he has to start next week every player on the Saints takes a hit from a value perspective for fantasy.
Three Up
- Tyrone Tracy – Managed to find the end zone. Had a stranglehold on early-down and long-down-and-distance work.
- Malik Nabers – Was healthy enough to grab five receptions and 79 yards and saw 10 targets.
- Juwan Johnson – Got more primary targets and cashed in a touchdown
Three Down
- Drew Lock – Went 21/45 for 229 yards. His days as the starter may be numbered if Tommy DeVito is healthy.
- Alvin Kamara – Poor day on the ground and lost 10 carries to Kendre Miller. Not good for the rest of the season outlook.
- Devin Singletary – Any chance for a late-season uprising seems lost after getting just two touches
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Derek Carr: 20/31, 219 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Carr did what he needed to do for the most part: make a couple of plays with his second-rate receiving core and get the Saints a lead against what may be the worst offense in the league at the moment. He doesn’t have much value for fantasy to begin with but his presence does lift some of the Saints receivers to fantasy relevant, which is why his late-game injury is a big deal for the likes of Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Juwan Johnson.
Notes
- If Carr is out next week, the value of every Saints offensive player takes a dip.
Running Back
Alvin Kamara: 17 Carries, 44 Yards | 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 35 Yards
It was a down day for Alvin Kamara. The Giants are one of the worst rush defenses in the league so the fact he couldn’t bust any big runs was disappointing. He maintained a decent target share and was second on the team in targets. Even if Miller takes more of the carries away, Kamara still figures to be plenty involved in the passing game
Notes
- His best run was a 16-yard gain, but other than that there were no holes for him to run through.
- Miller didn’t have any big runs himself so it’s more of an offensive-line issue than a Kamara issue
Kendre Miller: 10 Carries, 32 Yards, 1 TD | 1 Target, 0 Receptions
Miller was activated before this game and ended up getting a decent workload. It’s good to see the Saints finally giving him a chance, although with all their injuries they didn’t have many options and the game flow this week worked in his favor. Miller had a couple of nice runs and showed really good agility and power on his six-yard touchdown score. It’s hard to see the Saints not continuing to carve out a role for him as their season is essentially over with Carr potentially out indefinitely.
Notes
- Looked like an early down back and potential Kamara clone on a few plays.
- Will likely be limited in the passing game but a player to stash or keep an eye on into the fantasy playoffs
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 51 Yards
No touchdown this week for MVS but he was the primary target in this offense and led the team with seven targets. If Carr is out, however, his value will take a small dip. He has value going forward just because of how thin this Saints receiving core is but he needs a long touchdown to be relevant. If he doesn’t accomplish that feat, 9.1 fantasy points is about as good as it will get. Anyone who started him this week should be thankful this wasn’t worse.
Juwan Johnson: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 50 Yards, 1 TD
Had a very similar line and usage to Valdes-Scantling, but he was the one who came down with the touchdown this week. He has value as a tight end option for weaker playoff teams over the next two weeks, although you want Carr under center if you are using him. Right now, he’s the 1A in this offense, and as a bigger body is a good mismatch for the Saints to exploit against small safeties or linebackers downfield.
Notes
- Likely could have had a bigger day if the Giants kept this close and not allowed the Saints to be so conservative, he was open early and often against this weaker defense
New York Giants
Quarterback
Drew Lock: 21/49, 227 Yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT | 5 Carries, 59 Yards.
227 yards sound good until you realize Lock dropped back 49 times in this game. He was terrible at timing passes, dump-offs, and everything in between. His day was saved by a big run late and he continues to show good elusiveness from the pocket, which is a plus if you somehow need him in a two-quarterback league. The issue going forward is that this performance was bad enough to potentially get him benched. So if you do need to rely on him for Week 15, 16, or 17, getting DeVito is a must.
Notes
- He did target Nabers a ton when he was on the field, so while the connection will be rocky, if Nabers is 100% healthy next week he could be in for a heavy workload
- Also targeted the tight end position seven times and the running back position 10 times
Running Back
Tyrone Tracy Jr.: 16 Carries, 45 Yards, 1 TD | 10 Targets, 5 Receptions, 38 Yards
Tracy didn’t have a ton of room to operate but like he has all season, he made the most out of it. Even in a game where the Giants trailed he still managed to go for 16 carries and more importantly, rarely came off the field for Devin Singletary. His 10 targets was a career-high and if Lock stays under center, it’s at least bullish for him from the perspective of he’ll likely be in line for tons of PPR points (and somewhat game-flow proof).
Notes
- Tracy looks like a bell cow, every down back right now. Even with a terrible quarterback and poor game flow, he was able to produce some positive gains on the ground and through the air, so he’s about as matchup-proof as they come right now
- You need to bump him up your ranks for the playoffs
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Malik Nabers: 10 Targets, 5 Receptions, 79 Yards
Nabers’ day is impressive when you consider he played through injury, played limited snaps, and had Drew Lock as his quarterback. He did have a good matchup against a thin Saints secondary and also just missed a touchdown late in the game, after he was tackled at the one-yard line of New Orleans. If he can get healthy, he’ll be a big asset for the fantasy playoffs as the Giants are going to be behind a lot for the rest of the season.
Notes
- Just about had a touchdown , which would have put him in line for a relatively big day
- It’s all about the injury with Nabers. If he’s healthy and can play big snaps going forward, he should be a good bet for a big day or two in the fantasy playoffs
Wan’Dale Robinson: 11 Targets, 4 Receptions, 38 Yards
Proved that when Nabers is out or not on the field every snap, he’ll be the primary target in this offense. His connection rate with Lock was god-awful however and he was rarely targeted downfield.
Notes
- Robinson is just limited in route tree that you basically need Nabers to be out and for him to 8+ targets to be relevant. His touchdown upside is also lacking so even this blip up in targets isn’t that impressive or worth watching, unless Nabers sits.
- This was a typical Robinson effort. A bunch of short catches with little to show for it
Daniel Bellinger: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 45 Yards
Bellinger is a solid pass-catching tight end and proved that again today. He managed to convert on five of his seven passes from Lock which was by far the best conversion rate among the Giants pass-catchers. The Giants don’t have a deep receiver room as it is and with Nabers banged up, there could be some decent days ahead for him.
Notes
- Obviously benefited from the fact Lock dropped back 49 times but did well at finding holes and coming down with passes from an inaccurate quarterback
- Deserves a bump up based on this day but his upside is limited by the offense he’s in