The New York Giants are without Victor Cruz, but Odell Beckham and Rueben Randle are very strong fantasy football replacements and Eli Manning has said that the team has time to work things out this season and that he is ready to get things going without Cruz and he has been helped along by Andre Williams, Daniel Fells, Larry Donnell and Preston Parker in the Ben McAdoo system this season into Week 8.
The Giants are into the bye week at 3-4 on the season and while that isn't great, it leaves them right in the mix and Eli Manning said he thinks the team has time to turn it around. According to Pro Football Talk, Manning said that there is more football to be played and that with half the season still left to go, the playoffs are within reach. At this time last season the Giants had started 0-6 and won a terrible game against the Vikings for their first win and now they head into the bye week still alive for a playoff spot.
Manning and the Giant offense will have to make up for the loss of Victor Cruz and that will be very tough, but the team has the personnel to do it. Odell Beckham has gotten off to a great start to his career after being injured to open the season, as he had three TDs in his first three games. If Beckham can step up and produce in place of Cruz, the Giants will have a shot at getting things done this season. The team has not made the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl and Manning is hoping to change that this season.
The schedule gets very tough for the Giants and they need Rueben Randle, Beckham and Preston Parker to step up, as Cruz is out for the season and RB Rashad Jennings is also banged up. Beckham should get some work in the slot and that could be big and this all comes as the team is on a bye and then they have the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers all in a row. Those three teams were in the playoffs last year and this is now the most daunting stretch for the Giants this season. The chance of the team making the playoffs likely rests on how they perform in these three games and the team likely needs to win two, but one would be okay as long as it's not three losses.
Beckham has now played in three games this season and he already has 10 catches for 106 yards and three touchdowns. Beckham has blazing speed and the team used him on a reverse play as well and that is something that Manning and McAdoo want to use more. Randle has size and could be a great option for the team in the redzone and he has to find a way to be more productive now that Cruz is gone. If Parker and Corey Washington can contribute just a little, it should great help Manning and the offense keep things going.
