Monday November 3, 2014
Indianapolis Colts @ New York Giants

This week the Giants come off their bye week and take their roller coaster season to Monday Night Football. They take on the tall task of slowing down Andrew Luck and the Colts’ high-octane aerial assault. The Giants have looked great at times and just as awful at other times. The Colts’ defense struggled mightily last week against the Steelers and pretty much every time they’ve faced a decent offense. While the Colts are no doubt expected to win the game, Eli Manning and the Giants definitely have a fighting chance. They need to take advantage of a subpar Colts’ secondary and force Luck to make mistakes. This should be a good one.

Indianapolis Colts: Key Players

QB Andrew Luck
Luck is an MVP candidate this year. He has been a great fantasy QB. While he’s great in real life as well, he does tend to throw too many interception. He has thrown nine INTs already. The only QBs with more are Blake Bortles and the putrid Geno Smith. Nonetheless, if you drafted him for your fantasy team, you’re thrilled with his production.
Verdict: Start Luck. You should be starting Luck every single week. No matter what.

RB Ahmad Bradshaw
Bradshaw has been great this season. He has put up RB1 numbers and his ADP allows you to play him as a RB2 or flex even. The talented but injury prone back has badly outplayed the perennial disappointment that is Trent Richardson.
Verdict: Start Bradshaw. The Giants pass defense has been much more impressive than their rush defense. Expect to see a heavy dose of Bradshaw this Monday.

WR T.Y. Hilton
Hilton has been absolutely on fire. In the past five games, Hilton is averaging 7.8 receptions and 136 yards. Those numbers are rivaled only by Demaryius Thomas. He has been putting up elite WR1 numbers at a time when a lot of people are looking for elite WR1s.
Verdict: Start Hilton. He’s bound to cool down eventually, but until he does, ride this hot streak out. A few more TDs would be nice. However, Hilton owners have very little room to complain.

WR Reggie Wayne
Wayne is on track to return from injury this week from an elbow injury. He is ahead of schedule and we do not know if he will have any limitations. Wayne has been solid this year, especially for a WR that will turn 36-years-old in two weeks.
Verdict: Sit Wayne. The Giants pass defense has been tough and the injury is worrisome. It also doesn’t help that rookie Donte Moncrief is beginning to emerge as a viable weapon.

TE Dwayne Allen
Allen has been one of Luck’s most dangerous weapons this year in the red zone. While the yardage hasn’t been great, the TDs sure have been.
Verdict: Start Allen. He has caught a TD in six out of eight games this season. You can’t argue with that.

New York Giants: Key Players

QB Eli Manning
Manning started the season out awful, then got red-hot. He has since cooled down but has a great matchup this week. The Colts’ defensive numbers are a bit skewed in their favor due to subpar competition. When they have faced legitimate NFL QBs, they have been horrible.
Verdict: Start Manning. With six teams on a bye week, Manning is a solid option.

RB Andre Williams
This is expected to be Williams last week as the feature back in New York. Rashad Jennings should be returning next week. He has been a solid fill in. Not great but good enough. Perhaps a slight disappointment from a fantasy perspective.
Verdict: Start Williams. He’s not a great start, but with six teams on a bye, he may be a necessary start.

WR Rueben Randle
Randle hasn’t exactly exploded in to fantasy stardom as many predicted when Victor Cruz went down. However, he has caught at least four passes in every game, excluding the Giants’ Week 1 dibacle.
Verdict: Sit Randle. Unless you’re desperate, the numbers just haven’t been there. He’s not an awful start, nevertheless, hopefully for your sake you have a better option.

WR Odell Beckham Jr.
Since being activated, in just three games Beckham has three TDs. He has also shown the dynamic playmaking ability that made him the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft. We only expect Beckham to become more involved in the offense and continue to improve.
Verdict: Start Beckham. The kid is still developing but he has a ton of upside. Plug him in your lineup, he could have a monster game.

TE Larry Donnell
All Donnell’s momentum he gained from catching three TDs in Washington was squashed by back-to-back flops in which he totaled a combined six yards. He seemed to get a bit back on track in the Giants’ last game catching seven passes for 90 yards. This week he faces a Colts team that is very generous when it comes to allowing fantasy points to TEs. They allow the sixth most in the league.
Verdict: Start Donnell. Love the matchup against Indy. This is the week he finds the end zone again.

Predictions

Final Score
Indianapolis: 38
New York: 35

Best Play
Colts: Andrew Luck
Giants: Eli Manning

Sleeper
Odell Beckham Jr.

**Bonus Sleeper**
Watch out for Colts’ rookie wideout Donte Moncrief. They are going to try to get the ball in this kids hands early and often. He could have a nice game.