These rankings are based on fantasy football stuff.
The linebackers are ranked 7th in the NFL, best in the NFC East. I think this is a fair ranking though I hope we end up better (which we will if Arrington plays the way we hope he will).
The defensive line is ranked 9th with Strahan and Osi obviously leading the charge. Some nice things said about William Joseph as well. I agree with this ranking. It's tru that we don't know who will play nose tackle, but we have several possibilities.
Tight ends are ranked 11th behind Washington and Dallas. In fantasy terms this makes sense because Dallas will be using two tight end sets (with Owens and Glenn that's a potent offense) and Cooley is a go-to-guy for the Redskins.
The Giants' receivers being ranked 19th is lunacy. The Chargers, Dolphins, and Titams are all ranked higher. Oh and even the Vikings?
Ranking the Giants running backs at number 16 is even crazier.
The Giants QBs at number 15? I don't understand. Seriously if you were a fantasy owner would you be looking at the Redskins before the Giants?
Fantasy football draft is one of the best times of the year for the fan who likes to show off his skills at being a general manager, or something like that at least. The most integral part in having a winning team, for the most part, is to have a good draft. It may seem tempting to take Giants players with early picks in a honorable act of being a homer, but the smart thing to do is to take the best players available. This guide will tell you where to take your favorite Giant fantasy studs.
Tiki Barber – He was one of the best all-around backs in the league last year and there is no reason for fantasy owners to see a change coming. The Giants will most likely boast a powerful offense and Tiki will help anchor the load. While it is hard to take him too early, DO NOT pass up Larry Johnson, Shaun Alexander, or Ladanian Tomlinson for Tiki. Anywhere after that is a good.
Consensus – Tiki is a early to mid first-round pick. He can go as high as fourth in any draft.
Jeremy Shockey – What makes the Shockster so appealing to fantasy owners is how much better his production is than other competing players at his position. He is clearly the second best tight-end in the fantasy game today, next to Antonio Gates who is playing with a question mark quarterback this season (and we all saw how that went with the promise of Todd Heap when Kyle Boller stepped in.) That being said, a good wide receiver or running back will be much more valuable than any tight end in most cases (Gate’s had one freak season that made him the exception), so don’t draft Jeremy too early.
Consensus – Jeremy is probably a good pickup in the middle of the fourth round, if no other good skill players are available. He is a steal by the time it gets to the middle and later parts of the fifth round however, even if it is unlikely that he will be unselected by that point.
Plaxico Burress – There is no doubt that Plaxico is a talented and good NFL wideout. But his production has not been what a top fantasy receiver talent should be producing. Regardless of the reasons, the touchdowns have just not been there for Plax. His career high in a year in this category is seven. While it seems that Burress may finally enjoy double-digit scores this season, don’t pass up proven guys for him.
Consensus – A highly durable wide receiver, important at this position, Burress is a good option for owners in the late fourth and early fifth round.
Eli Manning – Eli started off last year posting some of the best fantasy numbers of any player at any position in the league, but a rough ending left question marks for fantasy owners. Inconsistent play never bodes well for a player in the fantasy realm, and Eli has a lot to prove. If he can toss at least a pair of touchdowns most games while keeping the interceptions down, which he is fully capable of in his offense and with his skills, then he is a fantasy stud and owners who draft him look like geniuses. But he still should not be taken too early; the only quarterback who should be is his brother.
Consensus – Quarterbacks are a weird position in fantasy football, I have won with less than average ones helming my fantasy teams. Any passer can have a miracle day on almost any given Sunday, including those found in free agency. Eli is a good early sixth-round pick but you are taking a risk by taking him earlier.
Those are the only four Giants players that should be considered being taken in the first six or seven rounds. Moss, Toomer, Feely, and the defense can all be taken with later selections (with Moss being the lowest picks as drafting rookies at any position outside running back is usually a bad idea early.)
But feel free to choose fantasy players wherever you want, you are the GM after all! Just remember to have fun, because that is what fantasy season is really all about!
This fantasy football analysis notes that Manning should be a good fantasy pick because the NFC East is going up against some bad defenses.
He also calls the Giants pass defense "toothless":
- Anquan Boldin, Cardinals. The true test of a schedule's teeth is examining the five out-of-division road games. Next season the Cardinals visit the Cowboys, Giants, Texans, Colts and Lions, all of which ranked 19th or worse against the pass in 2004. In a word: toothless.
Peyton might be setting the fantasy leagues on fire, but the suggestion here is not to start Eli. Of course this is more an indictment of the Giants passing game overall (receivers and line) than Manning himself. For more questions about Manning and the Giants passing game, see my previous post.
I don't write much about fantasy footabll, but when I saw this advice about not picking Shockeye because he'll never stay healthy I just had to link to it. And hope it's completely wrong, but we'll see.
I've been thinking about joining a fantasy football league so when I saw this fantasy football mock draft, I was pretty interested. The first round is all running backs, but Tiki Barber doesn't get picked until the second round. Considering that he's asking for a lighter workload, that certainly makes sense from a fantasy perspective. If he goes back to being a third down back he'll see fewer carries and that'll mean fewer yards. Plus if someone else becomes the short yardage back we might see fewer touchdowns from Tiki.
It's hard to say where Shockey will be drafted because of his foot. No one knows if he'll play every game at full strength... In this mock draft Tony Gonzalez is the first tight end taken and that's in the fifth round. I expect that Toomer will be drafted before the seventh in many leagues, but in this mock draft that's where he ends up.
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