NFL Week 7: New York Giants vs. Atlanta Falcons
Week 7 features a Monday Night Football matchup between the New York Giants and the Atlanta Falcons. Although this game has two teams at the bottom of their respective divisions, both have a lot on the line.
Let’s dive into both of these teams as they look to get back on track with a prime-time victory in this week’s TSJ preview.
Injury Report
New York Giants
The Giants enter this week relatively healthy, with only tight ends Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison not participating in practice. Engram, the bigger name, has missed the last three games due to a concussion he suffered against the Houston Texans in Week 3. While Engram did start the week not participating in practice, there is a chance he will clear injury protocol and make his return to the Giants’ lineup.
Both wide receiver Russell Shepard and tackle Nate Solder were limited to start the week with neck injuries. One other notable limited practice participant is outside linebacker Olivier Vernon with a rib injury. Vernon has not played much this season, but he was second on the team last year with seven sacks and would be a huge upgrade to a struggling defense.
Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta starts this week with a few key players listed on the injury report. Both wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Mohamed Sanu were listed as non-participants in practice. Ridley and Sanu both left last Sunday’s contest with injuries, Ridley with an ankle and Sanu with a hip injury. Kicker Matt Bryant also left last week’s game pulling a hamstring while attempting a 57-yard field goal, making him doubtful to go against the Giants.
The good news for Atlanta is the return of there stud defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. Jarrett who has missed the last two games was listed as a limited participant this week with the optimism of returning to action Monday night. Although Jarrett has missed two games this season, he is still tied for second on this defense in tackles for loss.
Key Matchups
Saquon Barkley vs. Atlanta’s Run Defense
Saquon Barkley will enter this matchup with 438 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Barkley is the definition of an explosive play waiting to happen, leading all running backs with seven rushes of over 20 yards.
This Falcons defense will have a tough time with him as they are ranked 24th in the NFL allowing 121.7 rushing yards per contest. Look for the Giants to lean on Barkley in this game against a below average defensive unit.
Fantasy Implications
New York Giants
Although this offense has only scored more than 20 points twice this season, they will have some success against this Falcons defense. As always Saquon Barkley will have a huge game, with the second most targets out of all Giants receivers. Barkley should score double-digit fantasy points once again, going up against a bad rush defense.
Odell Beckham Jr. will show up big this week, with at least one touchdown and over 100 receiving yards. Although this should be a high scoring game, no other players are worth starting as this offensive unit has been hard to watch.
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons enter this week averaging 27.8 points per game, priming them up for another big time performance. With Devonta Freeman put on IR this week, running back Tevin Coleman should be a fantasy starter. Coleman will be facing a Giants run defense that is allowing 4.4 yards per carry and nearly one rushing touchdown per game.
Wide receiver Julio Jones is always worth a start, being targeted nearly double the next receiver. Although Jones has yet to score a touchdown, his targets and yardage totals are worthy of WR1 play. One sleeper to look out for is tight end Austin Hooper, a player who is the 6th TE in ESPN’s fantasy scoring rankings.
Hooper is the second most targeted Falcons receiver and averaging 11.9 fantasy points per contest. With both Ridley and Sanu on the injury report to start this week, Hooper will see a rise in targets.
Prediction
This year has started so poorly for both the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons with both teams being last in their division. One silver lining is both are only 2.5 games out of first place. The Giants and Falcons will battle hard Monday night to try, and turnaround abysmal starts to this season.
As much as the Giants need this win, it is hard to see them going into Atlanta and winning. Although Barkley and Beckham will put on a show, the Falcons offense will score too much. In the end, the Falcons will be victorious in an exciting edition of Monday Night Football 35-24.
Date: Monday, October 22nd, 2018
Time: 8:15 pm Eastern
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta GA
Team Records:
New York Giants: 1-5-0
Atlanta Falcons: 2-4-0
Photo Credit
Featured Image courtesy of Officialize
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