Thursday night’s game between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants doesn’t appear to be a big matchup at first glance. The Redskins are 1-1 and the Giants are 0-2, and neither has shown a lot of spark yet this year, but the game should actually be quite exciting. First of all, Eli Manning is much more talented than most people give him credit for. This could be a big game for him, and daily fantasy sports players should take note of this before finalizing their teams. Also, Odell Beckham, Jr. is one of those players that cannot be underestimated at wide receiver. Put this together with Manning at QB, and the Giants have a ton of potential.
This won’t happen if the Redskins have anything to do with it. Their defense has only allowed 13.5 points per game this season, ranking them as third best in the NFL right now. With the Giants struggling to score points and Manning showing less than his best so far, this could be problematic. Still, the sports books have declared the Giants as the favorites. They are 3.5 points ahead of the Redskins according to most sources, giving them a tiny edge over the traditional 3 points that home team typically have. New York will need to play better than they have been to make this happen, though.
Do not count out the running backs in New York. They currently rank third in the NFL for average rushing gains per back, which is pretty impressive in light of their slow start. If Manning can find his groove, this would create a deadly combination, especially given the fact that WR Beckham’s numbers have suffered because of Manning’s poor start to the season. Expect this to be a heavy running game, but if Manning does find his arm Thursday, Beckham has shown that he’s ready to explode. This would be a good game to take advantage of that.
Manning and Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins are both struggling, but Manning has shown superior numbers. Cousins’ biggest asset is his dual running back team of Alfred Morris and Matt Jones. Both have had great performances in both of their games so far this year. Cousins will definitely be relying heavily on them, and if the Giants’ defense can put a stop to them, New York will easily win. Given the fact that they have allowed an average of 25.5 points per game this year, this doesn’t seem likely to happen. That’s more than 10 points per game more than what Washington has allowed. Manning being a better QB should compensate for this, but there’s no guarantee that this will happen.
For Washington to have a realistic chance of winning this game, they would need an exception showing from wide receiver Jordan Reed. This hasn’t happened yet. He’s averaging 72.5 yards per game right now and only has 1 touchdown. He’s talented, but Cousins needs to rely on him more to move the ball faster down the field. Given that this doesn’t look likely to happen yet, the Giants stay ahead of the Skins, although there’s a decent chance that Washington could cover the spread.
As far as daily fantasy football goes, look to Washington’s RBs. If your league offers them at a low price, they are good additions. New York’s defense has struggled, and the Morris-Jones combo is getting a lot of action right now. It’s likely that this will keep happening. New York QB Manning might post good numbers, but he’s too unreliable right now to be a sure bet. The same goes for WR Beckham as a result, unfortunately.
Alfred Morris photo credit.
