WFT @ Giants
Something had to give in this NFC East battle of two teams that had combined for just one win, right? This game reminded me of football from a time forgotten. A slow-paced, methodical game that featured both defenses forcing turnovers, but I feel that would give either coaching staffs’ credit for having a game plan. Ultimately, the Giants got the victory when HC Ron Rivera decided to go for the win on a two-point conversion attempt following a late touchdown that made the score 20-19. This decision left me with my jaw on the floor. You make this type of decision when your defense has struggled to stop the opposing offense, not when your defense hasn’t allowed the opposing team to score since midway through the 2nd Quarter. Let’s dive in and see if we can take anything away from the Giants 20-19 victory over the Washington Football Team.
Washington Football Team
Quarterback
Kyle Allen: 31/42, 280 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 3 sacks, 1 fumble lost | 2 carries, 8 yards
Kyle Allen’s day was a mixed bag. Washington started the game off with a 12-play drive that took over 6 minutes off the clock that ended in a missed field goal. The next drive was short, with Allen throwing this pick.
James Bradberry continues to be a beast with an interception off of Kyle Allen! pic.twitter.com/lixNUHi4np
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) October 18, 2020
Listen, I love Terry McLaurin too, but bro, there are 4 – count them!!!! – 4 Giants in the immediate area of that pass. That’s a bad pick. It gave the Giants a short field, and that led to a touchdown. Allen turned it around with two nice drives leading to a field goal and Washington’s first touchdown of the game when he connected with Logan Thomas.
Logan Thomas at the pylon. #FantasyFootball | #WashingtonFootball pic.twitter.com/TteTCSsP9A
— QB List (@TheQBlist) October 18, 2020
After leading the WFT on a 14 play, 70-yard drive that ended with a field goal, Allen took this brutal sack and fumbled.
Tae Crowder was this year's Mr. Irrelevant. He just scored a TD.
Never say never.
via @thecheckdownpic.twitter.com/FEJbuOStEU
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 18, 2020
The Giants scored 20 points today. 14 of those came off those two Kyle Allen turnovers. Despite seemingly shooting himself in the foot, Allen led the WFT on a 10 play, 75-yard drive that ended with this dime to Cam Sims.
Cam Sims. First career TD.#FantasyFootball | #WashingtonFootball pic.twitter.com/AhxjQxnPe4
— QB List (@TheQBlist) October 18, 2020
Running Backs
J.D. McKissic: 8 carries, 41 yards | 6 targets, 6 receptions, 43 yards
Antonio Gibson: 9 carries, 30 yards | 5 targets, 4 receptions, 25 yards
Peyton Barber: 4 carries, 6 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards
The trend of J.D. McKissic out-snapping Antonio Gibson continued this week.
Football Team final HB snap count
J.D. McKissic 39
Antonio Gibson 27
Peyton Barber 8
Out of 73 plays— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) October 18, 2020
Honestly, I’m not sure this gets much better. McKissic did his job well, catching all of his targets and he looked quick. He’s going to see passing down work when the WFT trails and, spoiler alert, this is not a good team. I’d expect this type of split with Gibson to continue moving forward. Frankly, I wish they would eliminate those 8 for Peyton Barber. His last two touches were carries that went for zero yards apiece.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Terry McLaurin: 12 targets, 7 receptions, 74 yards
Dontrelle Inman: 5 targets, 5 receptions, 45 yards
Logan Thomas: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 42 yards, 1 TD
Isaiah Wright: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 25 yards | 1 carry, 1 yard
Cam Sims: 1 target, 1 reception, 22 yards, 1 TD
Coming into the week, the narrative of Terry McLaurin vs. James Bradberry was in full effect. Is it possible to be disappointed and encouraged at the same time? No, this was not the greatest game for McLaurin. However, I love that the workload was still there. Kyle Allen knows who his best receiver is and targeted him 28.5% of the time despite a difficult matchup.
If you just look at Dontrelle Inman’s line, you may come to the conclusion that it’s pretty pedestrian. However, from a real football standpoint, 4 of Inman’s receptions converted first-downs, including a 15-yard catch and run on 4th and 4.
So long as tight end is a dumpster fire, I’ll continue to hold out hope for the Logan Thomas breakout. Kyle Allen found him deep for a 26-yard gain and then found him in the end zone on the jump ball. It’s clear this guy is a talent that creates a defensive mismatch. They even tried getting Thomas a direct snap, but it was called back due to an illegal formation penalty.
New York Giants
Quarterback
Daniel Jones: 12/19, 112 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack | 7 carries, 74 yards
I know the Giants got the win, so no one in New York is going to complain THAT much, but what was this? I understand that the WFT has an awesome pass rush, but it seems like the Giants gameplan to combat that was to just not pass the ball. New York actually scored on their first three drives, and then didn’t score for the rest of the game on offense.
The lone offensive touchdown came on a beautiful pass to Darius Slayton.
Danny drops a dime to Darius Slayton. #FantasyFootball | #TogetherBlue pic.twitter.com/fTlSFHTmFZ
— QB List (@TheQBlist) October 18, 2020
You can see at the end Slayton’s clearly favoring that foot that kept him limited all week, but we’ll get to that later.
On the ground, the majority of Jones’ yards cam on this 49-yard run that faked everyone out.
Daniel "Hot Wheels" Jones 🔥
Even faked out the camera man 🎥
(via @Giants)https://t.co/uFiPK1mXjw
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 18, 2020
In the 3rd Quarter, Jones led the Giants down the field on a 14-play, 73-yard drive that ate up over 9 minutes off the clock. Unfortunately, it culminated in this interception in the back of the end zone.
On the Kendall Fuller interception:
Chase Young hit Daniel Jones as he threw. His pressure made the play possible. Kendall Fuller made an incredible diving snag. Looked like Jones was trying to throw the ball away. pic.twitter.com/18qBaA6usA
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) October 18, 2020
That interception could’ve easily been overturned, but honestly, there was probably not enough evidence to overturn no matter what call was originally made on the field.
Running Backs
Devonta Freeman: 18 carries, 61 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, -4 yards
Dion Lewis: 1 target, 1 reception, 10 yards
Fantasy managers that added Devonta Freeman to their team should be cautiously optimistic about this performance. Freeman dominated the snap share and it was clear that the Giants wanted the ball in Freeman’s hands.
Giants final HB snap count
Devonta Freeman 35
Dion Lewis 9
Wayne Gallman 4
Out of 48 plays— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) October 18, 2020
The WFT defensive front did a good job of controlling the line, while the linebackers slashed in. Eight of Freeman’s 18 carries went for 1 yard or less. Despite the failures, there were also successes. Freeman made three defenders miss on this 14-yard run.
The Chiefs could have just signed Devonta Freeman instead of using a 1st Round pick on him. pic.twitter.com/kgq5PQ5JeS
— Fusue (@DevyEusuf) October 18, 2020
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Darius Slayton: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 41 yards, 1 TD
Evan Engram: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 30 yards
Kaden Smith: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 15 yards
Golden Tate: 1 target, 1 reception, 11 yards
C.J. Board: 3 targets, 1 reception, 8 yards
Darius Slayton tried to tough it out this week, but it was clear that the foot injury was bothering him. He left the game multiple times and was seen in the game in the 4th Quarter. We’ll have to keep an eye on Slayton’s status because he’s the clear lead dog here when he’s healthy.
Evan Engram actually started the day on fire, catching a 22-yard pass on the Giants’ first play. That was the peak of his day as he saw just one target in the second half. Backup tight end Kaden Smith saw just as many targets as Engram, so that’s frustrating.
Golden Tate saw just one target, but the veteran brings so much more to the field. Early in the game, Tate identified that the cornerback covering him was coming on a blitz. The team was able to audible out of the play and gain a few yards. Unfortunately, it looks as though his role has been significantly reduced.
—Rich Holman (@RichardoPL83 on Twitter)