BREAKING DOWN THE GIANTS

by Robb Perkins

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Current FA's: John Carney (K), Amani Toomer (WR), Anthony Wright (QB)

Gains: Allen Patrick (RB), Shaun Bodiford (WR), Lee Vickers (TE), Dwayne Wright (RB)
Losses: Plaxico Burress (WR), Reuben Droughns (RB), Derrick Ward (RB)

Fantasy Offense Draft Picks:
1st Rd-Hakeem Nicks (WR) North Carolina
3rd Rd-Ramses Barden (WR) Cal-Poly
3rd Rd-Travis Beckum (TE) Wisconsin
4th Rd-Andre Brown (RB) North Carolina State
5th Rd-Rhett Bomar (QB) Sam Houston State

Depth Chart: (updated 7/8/09)
QB-Eli Manning, David Carr, Rhett Bomar (rc), Andre' Woodson
RB-Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, Danny Ware, Dwayne Wright, Andre Brown (rc), Allen Patrick
FB-Madison Hedgecock
WR1-Domenik Hixon, Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks (rc), David Tyree,
Ramses Barden (rc), Micah Rucker
WR2-Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss, Derek Hagan, Shaun Bodiford, Taye Biddle
TE-Kevin Boss, Michael Matthews, Darcy Johnson, Travis Beckum (rc), Lee Vickers
K-Lawrence Tynes
Notes: The following players have been placed on IR-
The following players have been placed on Reserve /Non-Football Injury-
Practice squad-

2009 Weekly Schedule (all times EST)
Sept. 13 Washington 4:15
Sept. 20 at Dallas 8:20
Sept. 27 at Tampa Bay 1:00
Oct. 4 at Kansas City 1:00
Oct. 11 Oakland 1:00
Oct. 18 at New Orleans 1:00
Oct. 25 Arizona 8:20
Nov. 1 at Philadelphia 4:15
Nov. 8 San Diego 4:15
Nov. 15 BYE
Nov. 22 Atlanta 1:00
Nov. 26 at Denver 8:30
Dec. 6 Dallas 4:15
Dec. 13 Philadelphia 8:20
Dec. 21 at Washington 8:30
Dec. 27 Carolina 1:00
Jan. 3 at Minnesota 1:00

Strength of Schedule Rankings:
Team schedule (based on '08 records)-10th (132-120)
Passing-5th-207.2 yards allowed per game
Rushing-10th-113.6 yards allowed per game

2008 New York Giants Percentages
Total Passes	491	49%
Total Rushes	502	51%
Total Plays	993

	Target	%	Rec	Yrds	TD
Amani Toomer	89	18%	48	580	4
Steve Smith	82	17%	57	574	1
Domenik Hixon	72	15%	43	596	2
Plaxico Burress	66	13%	35	454	4
Kevin Boss	55	11%	33	384	6
Derrick Ward	54	11%	41	384	0
Madison Hedgecock	15	3%	8	52	1
Sinorice Moss	15	3%	12	153	2
Brandon Jacobs	12	2%	6	36	0
Trown Away	10	2%	0	0	0
Ahmad Bradshaw	6	1%	5	42	1
Mario Manningham	6	1%	4	26	0
Darcy Johnson	6	1%	4	46	2
Michael Matthews	3	1%	2	26	0





Totals	491	100%	298	3353	23

News and Notes:

Eli Manning lost his top two receivers from last season in Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer but the Giants have potential in Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon, Mario Manningham, Sinorice Moss, and Hakeem Nicks. Hixon and Smith are the leading candidates to take over for Burress and Toomer and both have good fantasy potential, especially Smith who could end up as a super value. Nicks is a rookie with arguably the most talent of the bunch and I expect him to be a special receiver in the future that could very well have a fantasy impact even this season. He was a standout at Giants mini-camp showing great hands with an awesome combination of size, strength, and toughness. Manningham was hyped last season coming out of Michigan but he only gained 26 yards on four receptions as a rookie. I do like his chances to contribute more in 2010. Moss has shown little in three years so I would not expect anything out of him at this point. One guy that is worth keeping tabs on, especially over the next couple of years, is Ramses Barden, the Giants third round pick this year. He has had impressive moments in training camp according to cbsspports.com.

Kevin Boss only had 33 receptions last season but found the end zone six times and 20 of his 55 total targets came in the red zone. I expect Boss to be a bigger part of the Giants offense this season and he is a solid number two with number one fantasy potential. Michael Matthews and Darcy Johnson are second and third on the current depth chart but current fourth string rookie Travis Beckum looks to have the most upside outside of Boss regarding fantasy potential down the road.

Manning continues to improve and should put up similar numbers to last season. If Eli is injured, however unlikely, David Carr has proven to be a capable backup and the Giants drafted Rhett Bomar out of Sam Houston State who has the potential to be a future NFL starter. I am not a fan but this is a person that was listed ahead of Sam Bradford on the depth chart while he was at Oklahoma a couple of years ago, so he has some talent.

The Giants strength on offense will once again be their running game with Brandon Jacobs leading the way. Derrick Ward is now in Tampa so Ahmad Bradshaw becomes Jacobs's primary backup and offers some solid fantasy value. Rookie Andre Brown is a major sleeper with the potential to win the backup role and I love his future upside. Danny Ware and Dwayne Wright also have DEEP sleeper potential. The Giants have shown in the past that as many as three backs can have solid fantasy value on this team. At this point, it would not be a shock to see all five drafted in huge leagues and it is definitely worth monitoring the battles during training camp. The fact that Ware is currently listed as the third back on the depth chart intrigues me. The former Georgia Bulldog has two combined carries in his two-year career so the Giants must have seen something this off-season and at practice, that has impressed them.

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I.D.P. and Defensive Notes
by Jon Rascon

Base defense: 4-3

2008 Fantasy leaders:

Tackles: Antonio Pierce (95), Michael Johnson (72), Danny Clark (70)
Sacks: Justin Tuck (12), Mathias Kiwanuka (8), Fred Robbins (5.5)
Interceptions: Aaron Ross and James Butler (3), Michael Johnson (2)

Ascending: Kenny Phillips. This will be his breakout year.

Descending: Antonio Pierce. Tick, tock, tick, tock.

Notes:

The Giants had a very good team defense in 2008, but like the Eagles, you wouldn't know that by looking at the individual stat lines. The Giants ranked fifth in the NFL in yards allowed and points allowed, but other than Justin Tuck, they did not have a viable fantasy starter. Tuck was a monster in 2008, with 12 sacks to go along with 67 combined tackles. Normally, Tuck is a "lock" as a bonafide number one defensive end option, but with the plethora of defensive line talent the Giants have, it may be asking a lot for Tuck to approach last year's numbers. Osi Umenyiora returns from injury and Giants also have Mathias Kiwanuka to provide depth. Tuck and Umenyiora are solid starting material, and Kiwanuka should play enough to be a high end bye week option. The defensive tackles are a solid group, but there simply won't be enough sacks and tackles to go around making any of them fantasy relevant over the long haul.

I personally think the Giants linebackers are the weak link in the defense, and the recent injury to projected weakside linebacker starter Michael Boley does not help matters at all. Boley just underwent hip surgery and early reports point towards a late August return. If you take into account the time Boley will need to get back up to speed, this is a significant blow to the Giants. I would steer clear of Boley until around week 5. He could provide value as a midseason pickup so pay attention to his rehab. Antonio Pierce remains the best option, but he is going to be 31 this year. This year, Pierce works as a low end number two linebacker option or high end number three. I think the rest of the linebacker battles won't be settled fully until late into training camp. And regardless of who wins the strongside linebacker position, recent history shows that it is not a position with consistent stats. Steer clear of Giants linebackers not named Pierce, unless Boley returns earlier than expected.

Michael Johnson led the Giants defensive backs in 2008, but I think 2009 will be the year Kenny Phillips establishes himself as a bona-fide fantasy starter. Johnson will remain fantasy relevant, but he may serve your team better coming off the bench as opposed to being an every week starter. Aaron Ross and Corey Webster are good coverage cornerbacks, but neither is fantasy starting material. Use only in bye week situations.

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PRELIMINARY (VERY) O-LINE ANALYSIS
by Chris Graley

The Giants have been one of the healthiest lines for the last 2 years, but that means that an injury is bound to happen this year. Yeah, I know that's not how it works. Just a hunch. Keep that in mind when you're drafting Giants. If they stay healthy yet again, they will be a top offensive line. Maybe not top three, since the passing game is suspect, but I think they stay top 10 barring injury. But you heard it here, somebody on this line is gonna get hurt.

David Deihl is the LT and is overachieving at the spot. He's more suited to RT and a much better run blocker than a pass blocker, but has more than held his own at LT.

Rich Suebert has stayed pretty healthy at LG the last 2 years, but consider that before that, his career was thought to be over and I believe that the surgery count is up to 5 now.

Shaun O'Hara is the anchor of the line and a better pass blocker than a run blocker. He's small, but smart, a hard worker and versatile enough to play any spot in the middle, but he is also long in the tooth . If he goes down, it could be huge because Adam Koets is trying to make the transition from tackle to center to back him up this year.

Chris Snee is turning into an exception run blocker. He's good in space despite his speed when it comes to the running game. His slow feet hurt him in the passing game though. He hasn't been hurt since he's been on the roster (like Diehl), so the law of averages may just catch up to him this year.

RT Kareem Mckenzie has looked like a different player since arriving on Giants roster. He's probably one of the better RT's in football. He's a much better run blocker than a pass blocker though and loses against speed rushers. He has a history of back problems and if his back acts up again, it will hurt his run blocking and he'll suddenly look less than average.

For the Giants, I don't think I'm going out on a limb predicting that somebody is getting hurt on this line. They do have a little depth a the tackle spot though, and 2009 2nd round pick Warren Beatty can fill in if needed. They will be hurting more if somebody in the middle gets hurt for a while Especially at Center. While not to the same extent as the Cowboys, teams will be playing the run against them until Eli Manning can make them regret it. If anyone in the middle of that line gets hurt, Jacobs is going to have a much harder season. Again I'm downgrading the run and pass games, but don't expect a free-fall in the run game.

Position-by-position grades with rush/pass blocking unit rankings coming in July.
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PLAYERS TO WATCH/AVOID (at his A.D.P.)
by Stan Feldman

Undervalued: TE Kevin Boss. The longer the Giants go without getting their big-play receiver, the more attractive Boss begins to look. The Giants' offense is going to operate largely in first gear (that is, their usual deliberate rushing attack and station-to-station passing game), and Boss stands to benefit greatly. Boss' ADP is sixteenth among tight ends, and while he won't ever be a prolific yardage end, his size and sure hands will make him a major red-zone target this season.

Overvalued: WR Hakeem Nicks. The Giants' receiving corp is fairly deep, if uninspiring, and it's likely that the rookie Nicks will be spending the majority of his time on the sidelines this season. Even if the Giants fail to acquire the big-name wideout they seem to covet, veteran wide receivers Domenick Hixon and Steve Smith are tough and fully capable of solidifying the position for the Giants.
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BURNING QUESTION
by Rick Perkins

Q: With 2008 starters, Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress gone, who stands to benefit the most?

A: Take your pick. That's the problem facing most fantasy owners when attempting to unravel the G-Men's WR corp this year. Robb rattled off six names above without batting an eye. That's why you have me along though isn't it?

No Giants receiver is being selected in recent mocks until Domenik Hixon (10.08) as the 44th WR overall. I realize they no longer have a receiver of Plaxico's caliber in the fold, but if no Giants WR cracks the top 30 this year, I'll print this edition out and eat with hot sauce. That's how sure I am that the wisdom of the crowd is shanking this situation BADLY.

What surprises me most, honestly, is that we don't even need to dig that deep to come up with the likliest culprit. We already have the blueprint for life without Burress staring us in the face. The final 5 "targets" logs from 2008.

Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. But teach a man to fish... you know the rest. So I'm gonna let you go the last leg of this conversation on your own. Here, I'll even bait the hook for you.