It’s ironic that Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Teams’ wide receiver, has garnered the nickname “Scary Terry” because he is fearless in the air.
Fear not, fellow football fans. Last week was not some lucid dream we collectively shared where Jameis Winston outgunned Aaron Rodgers or where Ronald Jones achieved negative fantasy points. Football is back.
Washington Football Team vs. New York Giants
Thursday, fans were treated to a game that, calendar-wise, didn’t seem eye-popping. Yes, the Washington Football Team and the New York Giants are divisional rivalries, but the game did not seem as if it were to be a battle of greats compared to last week’s Dak Prescott and Tom Brady matchup.
The game went down to the wire and was decided in favor of the Washington Football Team by a second chance, last-second field-goal by Dustin Hopkins.
It was a story of two halves. Washington seemed as though they were going to bulldoze through the match on the backs of Terry McLaurin, Taylor Heinicke, and one of the best front defensive seven in the league.
The second half showed the prowess and utility that Sterling Shepard will continue to have within New York’s offense. Unfortunately, it was not enough to overcome a late dropped pass from another WR and the previously stated field goal.
Fantasy Implications
I could go more into depth about the game, but we’re not here for in-game analysis in that way. We’re here to talk about fantasy football and see how the game will affect our teams. As Nacho Libre once said, “Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.”
Washington
Taylor Heinicke is behind the wheel now that Ryan Fitzpatrick will miss eight weeks due to a hip injury. Many saw this as a detriment to Washington’s offense but, as of now, it seems as if everything will continue according to plan.
Terry McLaurin
The man this article is named after. McLaurin was peppered with targets throughout the game, with 14 total. He caught 11 of those passes for 107 yards and an 11-yard touchdown. McLaurin looked electrifying each time he caught the ball.
At times, some of the passes dragged a little behind him but it didn’t stop McLaurin from reaching back and holding it in for yardage.
Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic
Washington is content on keeping McKissic as an integral part of the offense. He was continuously on the field throughout two-minute drills, third downs, and formations with five wide-outs. McKissic even ran a beautiful route to take a pass deep for major yardage.
The team also entrusted him to run in a two-yard touchdown with no timeouts left and 23 seconds on the clock. McKissic walked right in and put six points on the board. He ended the game with 20 fantasy ppr points while Antonio Gibson had nine.
Now, Antonio Gibson was featured heavily in the ground game and looked explosive and untouchable. However, McKissic will continue to be a thorn in the side of Fantasy Managers with Gibson on their team
The WR2
Many fantasy managers were predicting Dyami Brown to be a valuable option before Curtis Samuel was injured. Adam Humphries was the receiver that WFT drew out plays for. He ended the game with eight targets, catching seven of them. Humphries didn’t end with many fantasy points, but he is a player to keep your eye on — especially in deeper leagues.
You should still consider Brown as a stash, but it seems as though the consensus in the fantasy community is that he will be priced higher as opposed to Humphries. Humphries may be the cheaper option as well as available on waivers.
New York Giants
The Giants somehow fumbled away a game but what else is new. Daniel Jones looked like a dual-threat quarterback on the field and almost sealed away the game if not for a dropped touchdown pass. If you’re looking for QB streaming options, he should be one of them.
Saquon Barkley
It was a tough game before it even started for the slightly injured Barkley. He went up against a monstrous defensive line coming off a short week. That being said, Barkley broke off for a 41-yard run, which brought hope to fantasy managers and Giants fans alike.
Unfortunately, that is all the hope we were to get. Barkley ended the game with just 57 yards on the ground. On the bright side, he’ll be able to rest before the New York Giants take on a poor defense found in the Atlanta Falcons.
The Receiver Room
It appears that Sterling Shepard can continue to be the most reliable fantasy option of this receiving core moving forward. In back-to-back weeks, he’s had at least nine targets and is making the most of them.
However, managers may need to be concerned with Kenny Golladay. He saw targets come his way but, whether it be to misunderstandings or a lack of chemistry with his quarterback, I would steer clear of him for now.
Conclusion
Fantasy managers must be able to quell their hunger for Antonio Gibson’s receiving touches. On the ground, he looked great. However, J.D. McKissic will be here to stay as was demonstrated throughout the game.
Taylor Heinicke looks as though he’ll be able to keep the Washington Football Team on track as he’ll continue to target Terry McLaurin throughout the year. You may have to overpay for the receiver but if you’re interested in making an offer, I would do so.
If you don’t have Saquon Barkley on your team, now may be the time to make an offer. Other fantasy managers may become frustrated with his production the first two weeks but brighter days are ahead for the running back.
Thank you for reading! Follow me on Twitter at @FFCAnabalon, and if you enjoyed the random assortment of letters and punctuation marks above, you can find more of my work here at idpguys.org.
