Week 9 at Tampa Bay
Eli Manning had a crazy good game against the Saints last week. In what turned out to be a losing effort, Manning threw for 350 yards and six touchdown passes in a shootout. This week, Eli has another nice matchup against the Bucs. Tampa Bay has been average in passing yards allowed this season, but they have given up the second-most touchdown passes in the league with 17 this year. Eli shouldn’t have a hard time putting up solid numbers again, but don’t expect another six touchdown performance. Still, solid top-10 numbers are reasonable, making him a safe starter in all formats.
Week 7 at New Orleans
Eli Manning did not do well against the Cowboys last week. While the Giants ended up victorious, they did it mainly off a pick-six in the third quarter and a kickoff return for touchdown in the fourth. Manning ended up with only 170 yards and completed only 54 percent of his passes. This is atypically bad for Eli, though he’s never been the most consistent player in the league.
This week, Eli will face an opportunistic, but vulnerable Saints defense that ranks 26th in the league in passing yards allowed per game and 27th in touchdown passes given up. Expect Eli to bounce back in a nice matchup to try and give the Giants a more steady lead in the NFC East. Just inside our top-10 this week, Manning is a solid starting option in all leagues.
Week 7 vs. Dallas
Eli Manning had a rough day against the Eagles last week. He was sacked three times and wound up with just 189 yards, a touchdown, and two picks. He has also probably been having nightmares involving Fletcher Cox all week, who was in the Giants backfield more than Andre Williams on Monday night.
This week, Eli will try to get back on track against a Cowboys team that has ranked in the top-10 in both passing yards and passing touchdowns allowed this season. Because Eli can be prolific and has actually played fairly well most of this season, he remains a solid weekly option in fantasy, but he’s not an elite option. He’s hovering around our top-10 this week and should be active in most leagues.
Week 6 at Philadelphia
Eli Manning is quietly having a pretty good season. He’s top-5 in the league in passing yards and touchdowns, and he has a triple-digit QB rating through five weeks of the season. He’s also coming off a three-game winning streak, including throwing for 441 yards and three touchdowns against the 49ers on Sunday night.
This week, Eli faces a vulnerable pass defense. The Eagles rank in the bottom half of the league in passing yards and touchdowns allowed and haven’t played the hardest of schedules so far. Eli should have no problem putting up solid top-10 numbers against Philly in what could be a shootout. He’s a nice starter this week for fantasy owners looking to stream quarterbacks.
Week 5 vs. San Francisco
Eli Manning had a pretty good game against the Bills last week. Despite facing a fearsome front seven, Eli threw three touchdown passes and the Giants won in a convincing fashion. Manning finished with 212 yards and a pick as well.
This week, Eli faces a 49ers team that has really struggled since their Week 1 victory over the Vikings. They got crushed by the Steelers and Cardinals in consecutive weeks, and seem lost in the secondary at times. Eli is always a little bit of a risk because of his lack of consistency, but he’s got a pretty good matchup this week and has played fairly well thus far this season. We have him right around our 10th spot this week, and he’s a borderline QB1.
Week 4 at Buffalo
Eli Manning had a solid, albeit not spectacular outing against Washington last week, putting up 279 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Most importantly, he didn’t turn the ball over and completed over 70 percent of his passes.
This week, Eli has a tough matchup against the Bills. While Buffalo has given up points in the passing game this year, they picked off three of Ryan Tannehill’s passes last week and should be considered a threat to be the first team to pick off Eli this season. Manning is a fringe starter, ranked just outside our top 12 -- which makes him a bye week filler, injury replacement or QB2 in most leagues.
Week 3 at Washington
Eli Manning bounced back a bit in Week 2, throwing a pair of touchdown passes against the Falcons to go with 292 yards. He looked more comfortable in the pocket against Atlanta than he did in Week 1, even though the Giants still couldn’t pull out a win.
This week, Manning faces a Washington defense that has been surprisingly good through the first two weeks of the season. Part of it could be the competition, but Washington has allowed less yards through two games than any other team in the league. These division battles are always hard-fought, and Manning should be considered a borderline starter in most leagues.
Week 2 vs. Atlanta
Eli Manning was disappointing against the Cowboys last week, finishing with just 193 yards and no touchdowns. Additionally, he failed to close the game out for the Giants, despite a late lead, causing the New York press to chastise the team’s play-calling. If Manning picks up one more first down, the Giants win.
This week, Manning should rebound against a Falcons defense that struggled to put pressure on Eagles QB Sam Bradford on Monday night. Atlanta gave up 336 yards and a touchdown to Bradford, though they also forced two picks. Manning is always a slightly concerning option because of his erratic consistency, but we have him just outside the top-10 this week, making him a borderline starter in most leagues.
Week 1 vs. Dallas
Despite supposed contract holdups, Eli Manning will take the field for Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys. Manning didn’t look particularly sharp in the preseason, but with the regular season lights on, the Giants offense should look different and more like it did to finish the 2014 season. Manning enters his second year in a West Coast-style offense and he has excellent weapons to help him continue to improve his career completion percentage, which went up to a career high 63.1 percent a year ago.
The Cowboys gave up a lot of yards through the air last season, but managed to intercept 18 passes as well. The team looks different after the offseason, but they should still be a solid, playmaking team. We have Manning ranked just outside the top ten, but we only have 0.6 projected points separating him from our number seven quarterback, making him a decent, but not elite option to start the year.
The Giants may have finished 6-10 last season, but Eli Manning quietly put up 4,410 yards and 30 touchdown passes, while only throwing 14 interceptions. Those numbers were a vast improvement over his 2013 campaign, and he set a career high in completion percentage with 63.1 percent in his first year under offensive coordinator Bob McAdoo. Manning has been erratic throughout his career, but he remains the unquestioned leader of this Giants team with 169 consecutive starts under his belt, the longest current active streak in the league.
Fantasy Upside
Eli found another elite target last season in rookie Odell Beckham Jr. With a full season of OBJ and the return of Victor Cruz, who suffered a season ending injury in Week 6 last year, Eli may have the best supporting cast of his career. Additionally, Manning will be entering year two in McAdoo’s system, which should be a good sign for a team that won three of their last four games in 2014.
Fantasy Downside
Manning’s accuracy has always been subpar and we’ve seen him come off solid finishes before, only to come back and lay an egg the following season. While he had a limited number of turnovers a year ago, he’s had three seasons in his career with 20 or more interceptions, and his career completion percentage is sub-60 percent. Erratic Eli is always in danger of returning to ruin fantasy seasons.
Bottom Line
Manning is a borderline top ten fantasy quarterback with a high element of risk/reward in every game he suits up for. In an ideal world, Manning would be a top fantasy backup for a roster with an elite starter. However, as has always been the case with Manning, he’ll likely be a fringe starter that fantasy owners will buy on the cheap and use as a lead member of a QBBC system. Either way, he’s more valuable than some might think going into year two of the Bob McAdoo-Odell Beckham Jr. era in New York.
