Dynasty Recap – Week 4 – Giants trounce Redskins, 45-14

Don’t call it a comeback but Giants quarterback Eli Manning looked decent, throwing for 300 yards, four touchdowns and an interception plus a rushing touchdown. He’s still no better than a low-end QB2 but his arrow is point up.
On the other side of the field, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins threw four picks. Cousins appears to be turnover prone and shouldn’t be counted on for anything yet.
Giants receiver Victor Cruz had his second 100-yard game in a row and is looking like the WR2 he was before the season. As Eli goes, so goes Victor.
Breaking out was Giants tight end Larry Donnell with seven catches for 54 yards and three touchdowns. If Donnell keeps this up, he’s a low-end TE1.

Dynasty Recap – Week 17 – Giants beat Redskins, 20-6

Redskins running back Alfred Morris had 62 yards on 16 carries for a shade under 4.0 YPC. Morris was one of the few bright spots in Washington, most likely finishing in the top five in rushing yards.
Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon had six catches for 56 yards and will finish in the top ten in receiving yards and over 100 catches. Garcon will be 28 entering 2014 and should be a high-end WR2 in dynasty leagues.
Giants receiver Jerrel Jernigan had another nice game replacing Victor Cruz in the slot. He caught six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown and added 57 rushing yards and a touchdown. Jernigan figures to be in the Giants plans next year after Hakeem Nicks moves on.
Giants end Justin Tuck added two more sacks for 11 on the year and is sure to cash in during the off-season. The Giants probably won’t bring back the 30-year old but Tuck is sure to land somewhere else and be a decent DL2 option in dynasty leagues.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford did not have a good day, going 25 of 42 for 222 yards and two interceptions with no touchdowns. He had a largely ineffective Calvin Johnson going which shows, yet again, how Stafford performs without him. It’s an interesting case for 2014.
Lions running back Joique Bell took over the running back role in Detroit with 91 yards rushing on 20 carries and a touchdown along with ten catches for 63 yards. If Stafford fails to get anything going downfield, Bell is looking like his safety valve.
Giants linebacker Jon Beason continues to play well with his new team, racking up 11 more tackles. He’s had 84 tackles in 10 games in New York. His cap number in 2014 shoots up so don’t expect Beason back.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning was just bad. Going 18 of 31 for 156 yards, a third of his incompletions were interceptions (five). If your dynasty league success is contingent on Eli, you need to upgrade. Now.
Giants running back Andre Brown was equally as bad, going 17 yards on 11 carries. This will do nothing to dispel the notion that Brown can’t carry the load.
Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch struggled in the running game, only getting 47 yards on 16 carries but made up for it in the passing game with 73 yards on six catches. Lynch should still be a low-end RB1 or high-end RB2 heading in to next year.
Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner had another outstanding day with 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a tackle for a loss. He’s a LB1 in all dynasty formats.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers continues his comeback season, going 21 of 28 for 249 yards and three touchdowns with one fumble lost. Rivers has excelled under new offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and should pray he comes back in 2014. If not, Rivers value should not be as highly regarded.
Giants running back Andre Brown had 81 yards on 16 carries for a 5.1 YPC. Brown has played well without platoon partner David Wilson, sporting a 4.3 YPC for the season and 424 yards in just five games. Keep an eye on the Giants backfield in 2014 because if there’s a bell cow, he’ll be extremely valuable. Brown could be it.
Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks had five catches for 135 yards and an insane 27 YPC. Nicks hasn’t put up a ton of stats but when he’s in the zone, there’s not many better. He’s averaged 16.1 YPC and, if extrapolated, would eclipse 1,000 yards again. He’s sure to sign somewhere else in 2014 and, if he can stay healthy, Nicks can be a decent dynasty WR2.
Giants defensive end Justin Tuck had two more sacks, giving him seven in three games. However, Tuck is 30 and a free agent and is unlikely to reproduce his 2013 production.

Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III had a decent night, going 24 of 32 for 207 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 88 yards. However, these games have been few and far in between. Year three for RG3 will be the real test on just how good he can be.
Redskins receiver Pierre Garcon led the team in targets (again) with 12, hauling in nine for 61 yards but did lose a fumble. At least Garcon’s play hasn’t suffered along with RG3’s. As long as he’s the top target in Washington, he’ll get his.
Giants linebacker Jon Beason had 17 tackles along with a tackle for a loss. Since being traded from Carolina, Beason has put together 57 tackles in seven games and played well. However, with a huge raise in store for 2014, Beason will likely be cut and on the move. Beason put together good seasons when healthy and needs to do that again if he’s going to regain his Pro Bowl form.

Giants running backs Andre Brown and Brandon Jacobs took advantage of, quite possibly, the worst defense in football and ran all over the field. Brown had 21 carries for 127 yards and added four catches for 11 yards. Brown’s a free agent after this year but at just 26, he could still be part of a long-term committee with the injured David Ware.
Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant had 102 yards on nine catches after being targeted an incredible 16 times. Personally, I view Dez as the second best receiver in dynasty circles.
Cowboys safety Barry Church continues his impressive 2013 campaign with 13 more tackles, taking him up to 93 for the year. Church is well on his way to 130+ tackles for the year. Church is signed to a team-friendly deal through 2016 so he should continue to see opportunities. However, if the Cowboys defense improves in the slightest, there won’t be so many runners and receivers open in space for Church to tackle.