The New York Giants’ fantasy football preview looks to evaluate their lone remaining relevant piece in Saquon Barkley, while the Washington Commanders‘ fantasy outlook puts some context around what Brian Robinson Jr. is doing.
New York Giants at Washington Commanders
- Spread: Commanders -9.5
- Total: 37.5
- Giants implied points: 14
- Commanders implied points: 23.5
Quarterbacks
Sam Howell: Some players are placed in perfect spots for our game and others are Bijan Robinson. Howell has cleared 40 pass attempts in six of his past seven games and has posted five top 10s in his past six.
In addition to cruising past 300 passing yards in each of his past three games, Howell’s on pace for nearly 300 yards on the ground.
At his price, he’s a great DFS buy against the fourth-worst pass defense in terms of yards per attempt allowed. It’s difficult to rank his mean outcome better than QB12 this week, but that’s more a product of plus-matchups for this range of quarterbacks.
MORE: PFN Consensus Rankings
Here’s how I have the back end of the QB1 tier stacking up this week:
- 9) Jared Goff vs. CHI
- 10) C.J. Stroud vs. ARI
- 11) Kyler Murray at HOU
- 12) Howell vs. Giants
- 13) Brock Purdy vs. TB
- 14) Trevor Lawrence vs. TEN
Running Backs
Saquon Barkley: The star running back is coming off his worst week of the season (RB36), but the one-sided nature of that game certainly factored in.
The Giants’ offense pretty clearly caps Barkley’s upside, but they weren’t exactly elevating talent in the month prior to the Week 10 dud, and his average positional finish over that stretch was RB14.
Barkley racked up 118 yards and a touchdown in the Week 7 meeting with the Commanders, a game in which he and Darren Waller combined for 56.1% of the Giants’ offensive yardage. Now, with Waller out, Barkley’s usage rate alone makes him a usable fantasy piece.
Thanks to his one-play potential, Barkley comes in as a strong RB2 for me.
Brian Robinson Jr.: I’m running away if I can.
I don’t want to say that Robinson’s stock is destined to experience a GameStop-like drop.
But I’m not not saying that is an outcome that I’m considering. How worried am I?
Would you trade Brian Robinson FOR Tony Pollard (half-PPR)?
Consider …
Scoring equity ROS
Schedule (byes and opponents)
Talent
Hope— Kyle Soppe (@KyleSoppePFN) November 14, 2023
Through 10 weeks, Robinson is scoring once every 17.6 touches. That number might not be shocking without context, but allow me to help.
- Robinson, 2022: TD once every 71.3 touches
- Barry Sanders, 1991: TD once every 22.5 touches
Yes. This season, Robinson’s per-touch scoring rate is 22% greater than Sanders’ highest-scoring season of his Hall of Fame career. That’s a real stat.
Robinson is a fine player. He’s also the lead back (barely last week, 31-29 snap edge over Antonio Gibson) in an aggressive offense. Understood. But what he is doing is so far beyond unsustainable.
Robinson has one game with more than 10 carries since Week 4, and yet, he’s finished as a viable fantasy starter in every game over that stretch thanks to crossing the goal line.
When (not if) the TD luck dries up, there are major floor concerns. Due to committees and tough matchups, Robinson still finds himself inside of my top 25 (barely), but there isn’t a player in the sport I’m more aggressively shopping.
Antonio Gibson: Three straight games with five receptions and a snap count trending in the right direction have Gibson back on PPR rosters, and I understand it.
Last week, he held a 23-20 advantage over Robinson in routes run and has caught 17 of 18 targets over the past month-plus.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
If I have a powerhouse PPR team, I’m throwing Gibson at the end of my bench. I’m not expecting to play him, but in that situation, his floor is palatable for an offense that ranks in the top five in pass rate above expectation.
Wide Receivers
NYG WR: There’s no reason to roster any of these receivers. At all.
Tight end Daniel Bellinger led the G-Men in receiving yards last week with two catches for 34 yards. Why would we expect anything to improve?
If you want to buy the dip on Jalin Hyatt in dynasty, by all means, go for it. Otherwise, this WR room requires zero of your brain cells.
Terry McLaurin: Process over results. McLaurin has seen at least eight targets in five straight games (a total he hit just once in his first five games), and that seems unlikely to change anytime soon with Washington operating at a top-five rate in terms of pass rate above expectation.
McLaurin earned 25% of the targets when these teams met in Week 7, and that has his floor projecting well for me this week. He caught six passes for 90 yards in that game, one in which Howell played well below expectations (his second-lowest QBR of the season).
McLaurin’s a fine Flex play if Howell were to struggle again, but I think him accessing his ceiling is far more likely. He’s yet to finish inside the top 15 at the position this season, but I think that changes on Sunday.
Jahan Dotson: Washington’s second-year WR flopped in a major way last week in Seattle — zero catches on two targets — after earning 26 targets over his previous three games. Can he regain that usage level and move past the dud of Week 10?
I think so. That spike in targets started with eight opportunities against these Giants in Week 7. He only managed to turn those looks into five catches and 43 yards, but if you’re telling me that I get eight targets, I’d happily roll the dice on a skill set like Dotson’s.
MORE: 2023 WR Fantasy Football Rankings
Per the Week 11 Cheat Sheet, he ran a route on 93.6% of Howell’s dropbacks last week, and with us expecting big things out of this pass game, Dotson should be viewed as a Flex play with a wide range of outcomes. For reference, I prefer him to Jordan Addison (potential Patrick Surtain matchup) and Gabe Davis.
Curtis Samuel: In his return to action, Samuel turned six targets into six yards in a reminder to us all that he needs to not be rostered. The creativity in getting him the ball is long gone, and the per-target production is nowhere near fantasy-friendly in any format.
Tight Ends
Logan Thomas: Props to you for consistently reading! I’ll throw you a changeup to reward your loyalty … drop the beat!
They call him LT, but he’s no Lawrence Taylor
Rostering Thomas isn’t exciting, but it’s not a failure
A handful of points is all you need, it’s a near lock
Six finishes as TE13 or better is something of a shock
I’m not here to tell you he’s great or a game-breaker
But a high floor is part of the recipe, call me the fantasy baker
Here to get you a W in Week 11, pick your team off the deck
Plug in the Commander of the field, playing at FedEx
Maybe you liked that. Probably not. Either way, it kept my editors entertained, and I’m just here to spread the smiles as best I can!
Should You Start Sam Howell or Trevor Lawrence?
In August, I would have told you that this wasn’t close.
In November, I’m telling you it’s not close — but with a completely different answer. Howell’s volume supports both a floor and ceiling that Trevor Lawrence simply hasn’t flashed in 2023. The matchup with the Titans is great for Lawrence, but it’s not as if Howell is facing the ‘85 Bears; given his stability through 10 weeks, Howell has my trust in this spot.
Should You Start Jahan Dotson or DeAndre Hopkins?
Dotson is certainly trending in the right direction, and DeAndre Hopkins’ value has taken a hit lately as Will Levis comes back to earth (0 TD passes on 78 attempts) after his impressive debut.
That said, I still think Hopkins’ volume is more stable than that of Dotson and I like his per-target upside. The future Hall of Famer is a strong WR2 for me against the Jaguars while Dotson is a Flex option with a wide range of outcomes.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!