Seamus Carr breaks down a few of the underrated moments from Week 5, including some bounceback performances and a changing of the guard at running back.
Giants on the Rise
The Giants took on the Packers in London on Sunday in what most figured would be a fairly routine victory for Green Bay. However, Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones spoiled the trans-Atlantic trip for Aaron Rodgers and the Pack, leading the Giants to a 27-22 win. For Jones, it wasn’t an outstanding performance from a fantasy perspective, but he made several critical plays, converting first downs with his legs and arm; keeping the offense on the field and on schedule. This allowed Barkley to get enough opportunities to break some big plays. Once again electric, he ripped off two separate plays of 40-plus yards, one rushing, one receiving. In what’s becoming a staple of New York’s offense, he also took a direct snap for a rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter to put the Giants on top for good.
One of the things that stands out for the Giants this season is that the new coaching staff puts their key players in positions to succeed. So far this year, it’s been mainly Saquon, as the WR corps for New York has been ravaged by injury. However, this leaves a big opportunity for two young WRs who hopefully will be healthy soon. Kadarius Toney and Wan’Dale Robinson don’t have much competition in front of them if they could get on the field. For Toney, it’s been a frustrating stretch of missed games which may continue a bit longer. While he seemed to be getting close to a return from a hamstring injury, this week in practice he hurt his other hamstring, in what seems like a cruel punchline. Robinson has been out since leaving New York’s Week 1 contest with a knee injury. Getting in two limited practice sessions this past week, it appears he may be in line for a Week 6 return.
Robinson lacks elite athleticism, but Blair Andrews helps you understand just how good his college production really was. He was the first WR drafted by the Giants under this regime, signaling they have plans for Robinson’s skill set and will manufacture looks to him. With Sterling Shepard out for the season with a torn ACL, Robinson could catch a lot of balls out of the slot once he returns. After transferring to Kentucky for his junior season, Robinson garnered an impressive 42.5% of the Wildcats’ receptions. Brian Daboll has had success with players in the slot in his offenses, getting career years out of the likes of Cole Beasley and flashes from Isaiah McKenzie. Both those players match closely to Robinson physically but neither had anything close to the college production he had during his final year. If there were any team and coaching staff to draft Robinson that will be able to maximize his skill set, it’s this Giants team headed by Daboll and offensive coordinator, Mike Kafka.
Toney is
