The Monday Night Football game between the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins is the final game of Week 13 and the last chance for fantasy owners to win their matchups.
As fantasy football enters the playoffs, every game, every snap, every matchup becomes important. This game features a host of important and exciting players that will greatly affect fantasy leagues around the country.
Here are some of the top stars in the game and what to expect in regard to fantasy. Scoring for this article is based on a Yahoo fantasy league with one point per reception, one point for every 30 passing yards, one point for 10 rushing yards, one point for 10 receiving yards and six points per touchdown.
QUARTERBACKS
Eli Manning - New York Giants
Eli Manning has been one of the best fantasy quarterbacks this season apart from a recent three game stretch in which he did not throw a touchdown pass.
Manning has been accurate and smart with the ball this year, passing for 2,890 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Washington defense is ranked 31st in opponents passing yards this season, giving Manning a prime matchup.
In their last meeting four weeks ago, the Giants won the game 27-23 behind 337 yards and one touchdown form Manning. The one touchdown was crucial, as the 77-yard pass to Victor Cruz helped win the game for the Giants.
Manning posted only 12.63 points that game, but is coming off of a 24.50 performance last week against the Green Bay Packers. He had three straight single digit performances in the middle of those two games, but all players have slumps. Apart from that three game stretch, Manning has had double-digit fantasy points in every game this season.
Washington gives up the third-most points in fantasy to quarterbacks and have given up the seventh-most in the past five weeks. Manning should be expected to throw for over 220 yards with two touchdowns against the Redskins on Monday night.
Robert Griffin III - Washington Redskins
No rookie has brought more excitement to his team than Robert Griffin III. Okay, maybe Andrew Luck, but still, Griffin has been amazing.
The rookie has thrown for 2,497 yards with 16 touchdowns this season and has only thrown four interceptions. He has been as accurate as anyone in the league, completing over 70 percent of his passes. Griffin has proven even more valuable due to his rushing statistics, as he has gained 642 yards and is tied for the team lead with six touchdowns.
Griffin has earned 254 fantasy points this season and is ranked fifth out of every player in the league. He posted 31 fantasy points last week and has had double-digits in every single game this season apart from one. In the past two games he has earned 66 fantasy points, both wins for the Redskins.
In the last matchup against the Giants, Griffin had 24 fantasy points while passing for 258 yards and two touchdowns. Expect another line like that, with at least 25 fantasy points.
RUNNING BACKS
Ahmad Bradshaw, David Wilson - New York Giants
I list both these running backs together for this game due to the fact that Andrew Brown broke his fibula and was lost for the season in last week's win against Green Bay.
Bradshaw is the starting running back, but has dealt with injuries for years. Wilson is a rookie, but has yet to prove to the coaches that he deserves their trust. His first chance to show his worth as a first-round pick likely will come on Monday night against the Redskins.
Wilson has only rushed for 102 yards and one touchdown this season and has added two receptions for eight yards. He was a sexy late round pick in most fantasy drafts (including by this writer-ouch), but will finally get the chance to touch the ball more. This season he has earned only 17.73 fantasy points.
Wilson has primarily been relegated to kickoffs, where he has gained a solid 1,011 yards, but many expected him to be a big part of the Giants offense. The best stats he has put up this season came in cleanup time against the Browns when he rushed for 44 yards on two carries and scored his first-career touchdown.
Bradshaw is the more consistent play, but if he gets banged up, Wilson will get the majority of touches. The sixth-year player out of Marshall has gained 733 yards and five touchdowns this season and has added 19 receptions for 183 yards.
Bradshaw has earned 136 fantasy points this season, but hasn't had 100 yards rushing in a game since Oct. 14 against the San Francisco 49ers, when he had 116. He gained 17.87 fantasy points last week against Green Bay after rushing for 58 yards and one touchdown to go along with two receptions for 61 yards.
Bradshaw hasn't notched double-digit fantasy points since Oct. 21, but that game was also against the Redskins. He put up 15.77 fantasy points in that game after rushing for 43 yards and a touchdown. Expect a similar line for Bradshaw in tonight's game, along with another touchdown.
Alfred Morris - Washington Redskins
Apart from Griffin, Morris has been the best rookie and one of the best running backs in the NFL. He has gained 982 yards and six touchdowns this season and has been a fantasy surprise, gaining 142 points this year, ranking 32nd overall.
Morris posted 17 points in the win against Dallas, which followed a tough stretch of three games with single digit fantasy points.
The last time Morris had double-digits before the Dallas game came against the New York Giants in the last matchup of the teams. He had 13 fantasy points in that game while rushing for 120 yards and catching two balls for 10 yards.
Expect about 60 yards rushing a touchdown against a tough defensive front from the Giants.
WIDE RECIEVER
Victor Cruz, New York Giants
Victor Cruz has been one of the most impressive players in both fantasy and the NFL this season. He is ranked in the top 50 of all offensive players and has made 63 receptions for 779 yards and eight touchdowns this year.
Cruz has been valuable in PPR leagues, but he has also proven himself in other leagues due to his eight touchdowns. He has gained 162 fantasy points this season and had 11 fantasy points against Green Bay last week, including a touchdown.
The matchup against the Redskins is favorable for Cruz, due to the low-ranked secondary of Washington. Cruz could break out big on Monday night if Eli Manning is able to get time in the pocket to get the ball downfield.
Last time the two teams played Cruz scored the game-winning 77-yard touchdown and also added 21 fantasy points. In three games before Green Bay, Cruz suffered from Manning's slump and only put up single digit fantasy points in each contest.
Cruz has only had double-digit receptions in one game this year, but hasn't had less than three in any one game, proving himself valuable as a player who never put up a zero-point performance.
He has only scored one touchdown in the past four games, but could be posed for a big breakout on Monday night. Expect at least six receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown.
