Let the Games Begin!

Everyone's fired up for tonight's showdown at the Meadowlands

Here it is!  The moment so many of us have been waiting for….some longer than others.  While most of us roto-geeks have been eagerly anticipating tonight’s Giants-Redskins matchup from the moment training camps opened, others have been agonizingly patient since Big Blue upset the New England Patriots on that glorious day seven months ago.  But the wait is over.  Finally.  The NFL opens its doors for business and, I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get inside. There’s nothing better than following your guys when the season starts.  122 rushing yards with 2 TDs, 68 yard bombs for a score, double points when you own the QB/QR tandem on a team, 100+yard bonus points, your no-name tight end actually doing something…all very exciting stuff!!  Tonight ’s matchup should be a good one too, so sit back, relax and enjoy.  Here’s a quick look at what I’m expecting from a fantasy perspective…

For starters, if you’re crazy enough to pick this game in your suicide/king of the hill pool, then I’m going with the Giants.  If you’re picking the game with the spread, I’m still sticking with Big Blue.  As for individual performances, here are some of the standouts:

New York Giants

Super pumped to defend the title

QB  Eli Manning — Emotions should be riding high for last year’s Super Bowl MVP.   He, obviously, wants to start the season off right, and knows that his success against the Redskins in 2007 wasn’t all that it should have been.  In 2 games, he was 39 of 89 (43.8%) with a total of 418 yards, 2 TDs and 2 picks and I’m sure he desperately wants to improve on that.  Unfortunately for him, if there’s a strength in the ‘Skins defense, it’s their secondary….well, their corners to be specific.  They will have problems at the safety position, so look for Eli to exploit some of the downfield coverage over the middle.  I see somewhere around 220 yards with a pair of scores.  I’ll throw in a pick or two just for good measure.

RB  Brandon Jacobs — This is where I think the Giants will assert their domination.  Not only is Jacobs big and bruising, but the Washington defensive line is highly suspect.  The defensive ends just don’t have the strength and speed to come in and stop Jacobs from pounding the ball between the tackles.  Sure, London Fletcher can come in and help, but I don’t see him doing enough against the guy who rushed for 130 yards on 25 carries against them in their last meeting.  Look for another 100+ yard performance with atleast one score.

Looking to crack the 100 yd barrier tonight

WR  Plaxico Burress — If you watched any of the Giants’ games last year, you’ll remember how Eli loves to throw downfield in the middle as Plax breezes by inferior coverage.  As I said before, the weakness of the ‘Skins secondary is at the safety position and Burress shoul dhave no problem exploiting it.  On more than one occasion he’s hauled in 40+ yard bombs and taken them in for a TD, and I don’t anticipate it going any differently this year.  It’d be nice to see him crack the 100 yard receiving barrier and I can’t see the game going by without atleast one TD from him.

WR  Amani Toomer — Once Eli’s favorite and most reliable target, look for Amani to be more of a possession guy with a lot of third down looks.  I can’t guarantee he’ll score (although that woul dmake my wife very happy), but he coul dcome up with some solid yardage.  I don’t really recommend him though if you have other viable options.  He’s just not the target that he used to be.

TE  Kevin Boss – This should be an interesting situation to watch all year.  With Jeremy Shockey off in New Orleans, this could be a good time for Eli to reacquaint himself with the position.  Nothing better than seeing an obnoxious mouth who can’t stay healthy leave your team.  Boss has pretty good hands and is a decent blocker, but he could find himself as a nice red zone target.  Maybe not today, but he’s definitely someone to put on your watch list.

How much will he be missed?

Giants DST — With Michael Strahan retiring and Osi Umenyiora out for the year, a lot of the burden is going to fall onto the shoulders of Justin Tuck.  While I think he’s definitely up for the challenge, he can’t do it alone.  The middle is not as strong as it used to be.  Also, the loss of Gibril Wilson in the seconday could be a pretty big deal, so while Big Blue is normally a sound play for your fantasy squad, I might look elsewhere until we can really get a better look at them.  Nothing worse than starting a team and then watch their opposition put 20+ points on the board.

Washington Redskins

QB  Jason Campbell — A lot of people are really high on Campbell, but I just don’t really see it.  Sure, if you can grab him in the 15th round or pay just a buck or two for him in an auction, then I could see the faith, but again…I just don’t see it.  The last time he played against NY he threw for 190 yards and a TD, but there was nothing spectacular about the performance.  He’s got the same RB and the same WRs and there hasn’t been anything I’ve seen in the preseason to make me think he’s suddenly going to break out tonight.  I’m sure you have a better QB to start this week, so why am I even bothering?

Best chance for success starts here

RB  Clinton Portis — Here’s where I see the Redskins having the most success.  Portis found success against a much tougher Giants defense last season as he rushed for 60 yards and a TD in their first matchup and then for 126 yards and a score in the second.  He’s a savvy veteran who has good speed and can find the holes when he goes between the tackles.  He also has good hands and should catch a few in the flat when Campbell runs into trouble.  Look for the ‘Skins to pound the ball up the middle early and often.  Portis should be a solid play this week and should do a little endzone dancing himself.

WR  Sanatna Moss — His big play ability always makes him a deep threat, so look for Washington to test the Giants secondary whenever possible.  All it takes is for Campbell to hit him with one bomb and you’ve made the right call.  Whether it actually happens is another story, but you can keep your fingers crossed.  I peg him as a WR3 in this matchup, so if you have other options, you might want to consider them.

The best hands and the worst haircut in the NFL

TE  Chris Cooley — Having a top 3 TE like Cooley is just as good as having a decent WR2 on your squad.  His numbers last year (786 yards with 8 TDs) were fantastic and he should build on those even more this year.  With Moss and Antwaan Randle-El as the team’s primary receivers, it’s no wonder that Cooley has become such a centerpiece of the Redskins passing attack.  He only totaled 53 yards and 1 TD against the Giants last year, but again…it’s a different defense.  I could see him putting up atleast those numbers in just tonight’s matchup.

Redskins DST –  Hmmm.  Let’s see.  Suspect defensive line, weak secondary, high octane Giants offense?  Sure, you coul dget lucky with a punt or kickoff return for a TD but are you going to put your eggs in that basket?  I wouldn’t.  Look elsewhere for defensive help.

Enjoy the game and good luck this season!!!