Up until their amazing playoff run, capped by Eli's escape and David Tyree's miracle grab, the New York Giants' 2007 season was a solid, but not spectacular one. Carried mostly by a defense that ranked 7th in the league, despite giving up 45 and 35 points in weeks 1 and 2 respectively, the Giants were able to play themselves to a 10-6 record. However, with an offense that ranked just 16th in the league, it appeared the Giants were headed for an early playoff exit and Tom Coughlin would be filing for unemployment. But, as they say, that's why the play the game, and after the games were played, the Giants were the ones who hoisted the Lombardi trophy.
Beware though, because come draft day 2008 you don’t want to be one of those fantasy football owners who remembers the Giants of 2007 for their playoff run. Those owners won't remember that Eli Manning ranked 15th among quarterbacks, behind the likes of Jay Cutler, Kurt Warner, or David Garrard, and finished the regular season with a TD to INT ratio of 23:20. Rather, they'll remember the drive he led the Giants on in the final minutes of the Super Bowl, and they'll remember his escape on that amazing throw to Tyree. The 5 games Brandon Jacobs missed due to injury or the fact that he found paydirt just 4 times during the regular season will take a backseat to the 3 TDs he had in 4 playoff games. Super Bowl champions often times will be overvalued. Heck, don't be surprised if some owner in your league takes David Tyree (3 fantasy points in all of 2007) or Kevin Boss (22 fantasy points) in this year's draft because of their contributions during the post-season. Just be sure that owner isn’t you.
However, with that warning in mind, also note that there are players on these New York Giants that won't be overvalued. Most notable of which are wide receiver, Plaxico Burress, and tight end, Jeremy Shockey. Burress won't be overvalued because he showed last season that he simply is as good as advertised. Playing with a banged up ankle, Burress still gave cornerbacks fits, going for 1025 yards and 12 TDs. Shockey’s value, meanwhile, won’t get that Super Bowl bump because he wasn’t part of it, but his 619 yards and 3 TDs in 14 games, means there’s no reason he can’t be a part of your 2008 fantasy gameplan.
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Key Departures
Michael Strahan (DE) - After 15 years in the NFL, Strahan, a seven time pro-bowler, has decided to hang the pads up and head off into retirement. Who knows? The charming DE could end up on the airwaves with former teammate Tiki Barber, though Tiki may be jealous of the Super Bowl ring Strahan can sport. Strahan may not be the dominant player he was in his heyday, but he was the heart and soul of the Giants D and will be sorely missed.
Gibril Wilson (S) - It’s never easy replacing a guy who racks up 92 tackles on the season and has more than a quarter of your team’s interceptions on the year, especially when his likely replacement will be a rookie. But, with Wilson leaving town for “richer” pastures with the Oakland Raiders, that’s what the Giants will be looking to do.
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Key Additions
David Carr (QB) – While Carr hasn’t quite found the success many envisioned he would in the NFL, he does make for a more suitable back-up to Eli Manning than Jared Lorenzen. However, we doubt that Carr will be asked to come in to solely to push the pile like Lorenzen was.
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2008 Bruno Boys Crystal Ball
Eli Manning (QB) – In measurable stats, 2007 was an average season for Manning. In fact, his quarterback rating was lower in 2007 than it had been in either of the two previous seasons. However, when it comes to the intangibles, Eli’s 2007 was monstrous. The question surrounding Eli since he arrived in New York was whether or not he was a leader. The way he guided the Giants through the playoffs to a Super Bowl victory ends all that. Look for Eli to play with a new found confidence in 2008; however, since the Giants will still rely heavily on the run, Manning should be drafted as your second quarterback, and you should play matchups with him throughout the season.
Brandon Jacobs (RB) – Jacobs is the perfect example of inertia. Once this back gets going, it takes a whole lot to slow him down. Granted the bruising type of running he does also leaves him susceptible to the injury bug, something that caused him to miss 5 games last season. Jacobs has the potential to be a stud, which he showed by going for 58 fantasy points in the last three games of the regular season last year. His durability though leaves him as a second tier runner, but still a great option for your fantasy football team.
Derrick Ward (RB) – Ward came out of nowhere to help numerous fantasy teams early in 2007, going for 10 or more fantasy points in each of the Giants first 5 games. But, like with Jacobs, injuries limited him the rest of the year, including a broken leg that landed him on the IR, and brings his status of Jacobs back-up into question. Ward will, once again, best help you as a waiver wire pick-up if Jacobs goes down. Otherwise, stay away until the Giants reveal how they want to use both Ahmad Bradshaw and Ward.
Ahmad Bradshaw (RB) – Little known Bradshaw came out of nowhere to play a big part of the Giants offense down the stretch. When Jacobs got hurt in week 16 against the Buffalo Bills, Bradshaw took advantage of his playing time and torched the Bills for 151 rushing yards and one touchdown on just 17 carries; however, Bradshaw's role heading into 2008 is uncertain. He was supposed to battle Ward for the backup position, but instead he will be serving a jail term until July 14th. Still, Bradshaw combines good speed with suberb instincts and very well coult be the guy who spells Jacobs this season.
Plaxico Burress (WR) – A top 10 fantasy wide receiver in 2007, Burress should be on every fantasy football owners’ wish list for 2008. The wideout showed his big game ability last season with games of 14, 15, 15, 18, 19, 20, and 32 fantasy points. One concern though from last year was his inconsistency as he also had games of 0, 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, and 4 fantasy points. A big part of that was most likely the fact that Burress played through a few nagging injuries all season long. With a whole off-season to get healthy, look for Burress to be a consistent top performer in 2008.
Amani Toomer (WR) – At age 33, Toomer had his best year since 2004, going for 760 yards (400 more than he had in 2006) and 3 TDs. He then was even better in the postseason gaining 280 yards in 4 games while once more finding paydirt 3 times. Toomer is a vet and has Eli’s trust. He also benefits from the extra attention Burress is now attracting. He makes for a solid late round pick in a deep league to round off your wide receiving corps.
Jeremy Shockey (TE) - Despite rumors that Shockey was headed to the New Orleans Saints this off-season, he remains the Giants starting tight end for the time being. Coming off one of his worst campaigns of his career in which he produced his second lowest totals for yards (619) and TDs (3), Shockey’s value will be a bit lower than usual on draft day. Use that to your advantage, by stocking up on your other positions first and then snagging this top 10 TE late.
Lawrence Tynes (K) – Had the Giants lost their NFC Championship match-up against the Green Bay Packers, Tynes, who had missed 2 FGs in the game, would most likely be looking to latch on with another NFL team. However, that’s not how things played out. Rather, Tynes kicked the game winner in overtime of that game to get the Giants to the Super Bowl, and with that kick, earned himself a 5 year $7 million contract. However, while the Giants feel comfortable with Tynes, you shouldn’t when it comes to this upcoming season. Tynes showed some accuracy issues last season, missing 4 of his 27 FG attempts and 2 extra point attempts. Add the fact that he’ll be kicking in New York in the winter, and it’s best to avoid Tynes altogether.
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Rookies to Watch
Kenny Phillips (S) - The loss of safety, Gibril Wilson, forced the Giants to draft for needs with the 31st selection of the 2008 draft. To that end, the team went with Phillips, who comes to the NFL from the U. Phillips has athletic ability; however, he’s not polished when it comes to playing the safety position. Look for the rookie to make some amazing plays, but also to make some bonehead mistakes as he learns the NFL game.
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Other Team Capsules
NFC WEST - ARI I STL I SF I SEA
NFC SOUTH - ATL I CAR I NO I TB
NFC NORTH - CHI I DET I GB I MIN
NFC EAST - DAL I NYG I PHI I WAS
AFC WEST - DEN I KC I OAK I SD
AFC SOUTH - HOU I IND I JAX I TEN
AFC NORTH - BAL I CIN I CLE I PIT
AFC EAST - BUF I MIA I NE I NYJ