The New York Giants are coming off a victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 of the preseason and now heading into Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, the team has a number of players they are focused on watching develop on both sides of the ball, including Andre Brown, Marvin Austin, Rueben Randle and David Wilson.
The team is hoping that Wilson and Brown can be a nice duo all season like Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw used to be and the team also is hoping that Randle can be the number three wideout. The Giants have a number of players that will get significant time against the Colts and Austin will be one defensive player to watch, as the team feels he could be ready to start soon.
Randle showed some flashes last season and he is showing strides in his development and he could be the number three guy the Giants have needed since losing Mario Manningham. Last season he had 19 receptions for 298 yards and three touchdowns last season and his best game came against the Browns when he had six receptions for 82 yards. He added four more against the Eagles and if Manning gets into a good rhythm with him, it could mean big results on offense.
Randle said he is more confident and along with Jerrel Jernigan and Louis Murphy, the receivers have been able to work with Manning on a daily basis. The quarterback said that everyone has stepped up and that could mean big things later in the season. The running back situation will be different without Ahmad Bradshaw, but with young stars David Wilson and Andre Brown stepping up, the team could actually improve its rushing attack.
Last season the rookie Wilson started off in the dog house, but he broke out big time after having a 300-yard all purpose game and showing flashes of speed and explosiveness. Brown was looking like a starter when he broke his leg and if he can stay healthy he will have a big role on offense this season now that Bradshaw is gone. Wilson showed explosiveness against the Saints, rushing for 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a 52-yard score to put the game away in the second half. He became the first player in NFL history to have 200 kickoff return yards and 100 yards in the same game. If he continues to play on special teams he will be a dual threat for fantasy owners.
Brown made the most of his playing time before getting hurt, leading the Giants with eight touchdowns while rushing for 385 yards on 73 carries. With Bradshaw hurt, he started his first-career game against the Panthers, rushing for a career-high 113 yards on 20 carries to go with two rushing touchdowns. He also added three receptions for 17 yards in the game as well and proved to be a solid receiver out of the backfield.
Last season Wilson showed some flashes of greatness when he busted out with a 300-yard all-purpose game and now that Ahmad Bradshaw is gone, he will be splitting the carries with Andre Brown and the team likely will be trying to get him into the passing game as well. Wilson was a sleeper as a rookie, but his real value may come this season and he could end up with over 800 yards rushing and 40 receptions as the Giants try to work him into the offense. Wilson also may still be returning kicks and that could give a boost to fantasy teams as well.
Wilson is one of the top young options at running back and owners who draft him may want to take Brown as well to keep the production on their team and while a 60 percent to 40 percent split may be in the cards that is still plenty of production to go around. Wilson has dynamic speed and if can get into the open field he has the chance to score touchdowns and while Brown may not be picked as high, he could be even more valuable than Wilson, as he likely will get the bulk of the carries if he can remain healthy.
