2006 RECORD: 8-8  -  2007 RECORD: 10-6  -  2008 RECORD: 12-4

Fantasy Stats Scoring System

Total Team Fantasy Points (TTFP): 1433.1 FP – 24 of 32

KEY ADDITION: NONE

KEY LOSS: RB Derrick Ward (TB)  Plaxico Burress (UFA)

KEY DRAFT PICK: WR Hakeem Nicks – North Carolina

COACHES: Tom Coughlin returns for his sixth season as Head Coach of the G-Men. Kevin Gilbride is back for his third season as the Giants offensive coordinator. The Giants lost DC Steve Spagnuolo to the Rams as he takes over as their new Head Coach. Bill Sheridan moves up, after four years as the Giants linebackers coach, to become the new defensive coordinator in NY.

STATS SLANT: These guys have solid credentials, we just don’t believe in them from a Fantasy perspective. You will be taking your chances drafting anyone in this coaching system. Need proof? The Giants highest scoring player in Fantasy 2008 was QB Eli Manning at 36th OA. That’s not very impressive when you consider that Manning finished just 14th best out of all FF QB in 2008.

QUARTERBACK (QB): Eli Manning returns as the undisputed QB1 for the Giants in 2009. This version of Manning is a game manager as opposed to being a game winner like his brother Peyton. Apart from what we touched on above, there are many more reasons why you should avoid Eli in 2009. He ranked fourth OA among Fantasy QB in his first season in 2005 with 283 FP. Since then he’s had back–to-back 14th place rankings with a 12th place ranking sandwiched in there in 2006. We will touch on more reasons why Eli should not be your Fantasy QB1 as this preview moves along. David Carr is back for his second season as the backup QB for the Giants.

STATS SLANT: We don’t recommend drafting Eli in any Fantasy format. If you must, select him as a spot starter and no higher than a high end QB3.

RUNNING BACK (RB): The Giants lost RB Derrick Ward to the Bucs in the off-season. That leaves Brandon Jacobs as the unchallenged RB1 for the Giants in 2009. This is good news for Jacobs but can he handle the extra wear and tear? If the past is any indication, the answer is a resounding NO! Jacobs played in 13 games in 2008 and just 11 in 2007, which was his first full season after Tiki Barber retired. Until he shows he can stay healthy we are recommending Jacobs as a “buyer beware” commodity. Ahmad Bradshaw is currently listed as the Giants RB2 but will be challenged in camp by rookie Andre Brown. Danny Ware is also in the mix in NY. This situation needs to be monitored during camp to determine the true RB2 for the Giants. Manning loses some value because of this situation.

STATS SLANT: We don’t see how Jacobs can handle an additional 100 or so touches in 2009. We suggest you should just leave him to another owner unless you can get him with a value pick. We currently have Jacobs as a low end RB2 and Bradshaw as a low end RB4.

WIDE RECEIVER (WR): The Plaxico Burress experience is over in NY and so is the Amani Toomer era. They are both currently UFA and looking for work. It’s definitely out with the old and in with the new for the Giants at the WR position in 2009. Domenik Hixon is currently listed as the WR1 and Steve Smith (the other Smith) is listed as the WR2 but he will face a battle from rookie Hakeem Nicks. Mario Manningham and Sinorice Moss are in the mix here as well. Those five guys have a combined 341 FP in their entire careers. This situation is also going to take a full camp and preseason before the picture is completely clear. There is some talent here but very little experience. This situation is another strike against Manning.

STATS SLANT: This is a murky mess at this juncture and it may not get sorted out anytime soon if at all this season. We currently have Hixon as the top ranked WR for the Giants as a high end WR4. We have Hicks next as a high end WR5 and we have Smith as a high end WR7. We will monitor how this shakes out in camp and keep you posted. As it stands right now though, we would just avoid this all together. With that being said don’t be surprised if Nicks emerges as the go to WR for the Giants and finishes as their WR1.

TIGHT END (TE): Kevin Boss will have an entire training camp and preseason to prep for the coming season. Last year he was thrown into the fire when the Giants traded Shockey to the Saints in August. Boss had an up and down year in 2008 but it was more down than up. 2009 doesn’t promise to be much better. He will be pushed in camp by rookie Travis Beckum and is also going to be asked to do more blocking in 2009. As well as pushing Boss, Beckum will also steal looks and touches from him in 2009 because he’s a receiving TE, not a blocking TE.

STATS SLANT: Neither Boss or Beckum will have much Fantasy value this season. Consider Boss as a mid range TE2 but keep an eye on Beckum as he could become a “security blanket” for Manning.

PLACE KICKER (PK): PK Lawrence Tynes spent the 2008 season rehabbing from a knee injury but still ended up getting a contract extension in November. He is the undisputed PK1 in NY and the Giants will struggle to score TD’s in 2009. Being as such, Tynes could return to his 2005 form when he notched 141 FP and was the fifth OA Fantasy PK.

STATS SLANT: We haven’t trusted anyone from the Giants thus far and we’re not about to start with their PK. Tynes is mid range PK2 at best.

DEFENSE-SPECIAL TEAMS (D/ST): The Giants will return healthier on D/ST this season and they will need to be as we see them spending a lot of time on the field. They will also face some powerhouse offenses in the Cowboys (2), Eagles (2), Saints, Cardinals, Chargers, Falcons and Vikings to name a few.

STATS SLANT: We don’t see this working out good at all. Many will have the Giants D/ST ranked in the top ten OA. We don’t see them as anything more than a high end D/ST2.

RED FLAG: The entire Giants team is a GIANT red flag.

Keep a pre-season eye on: RB and WR looks and touches.

Stats Sleeper: WR Hakeem Nicks

Strength Of Schedule: 10 of 32

Summary: The Giants finished 24th in Fantasy scoring in 2008. We don’t see them getting any higher in 2009. If anything, they could slip further into the abyss during the Fantasy Football 2009 Season.

StatsGuru

Photo Credit: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/fantasy/10/09/oden/index.html