Limiting Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty is the Giants’ top priority this week.
John Schmeelk: Fiction – I was locked and loaded to write about Brock Bowers here and how he is the best tight end in the NFL even if the numbers might not show it right now, but then the Raiders put him on injured reserve Wednesday morning. But I can’t still go with “fact” here. Why? Despite what Jeanty did last week, the Raiders have the worst running game in football. They rank last in running DVOA, EPA per run, success rate, rush yards per game, rush yards per play, and rushes of 10+ yards. Maxx Crosby, on the other hand, is still one of the best edge rushers in the NFL and the effort level he plays with will not wane, even with the Raiders only having 2 wins through 15 games. Especially with the injury to Andrew Thomas, slowing down Crosby will be mission number one.
Dan Salomone: Fiction – With the way it looked last week, getting Jaxson Dart and the offense back on track is the priority. That starts up front, where the Giants were missing 60 percent of their starting offensive line by the end of the game. Dart was sacked five times while the offense netted just 13 passing yards.
Matt Citak: Fact – Even before the news of the Raiders placing Brock Bowers on injured reserve came out, my answer would have been fact here. Jeanty is coming off his best overall performance of the season with 188 total yards of offense, an average of 5.3 yards per carry, and two touchdowns, including an impressive 60-yard touchdown reception. While the Raiders’ O-line still struggles to create running lanes for him, the rookie back has still found a way to shine this season. Considering the Giants’ struggles at slowing down the run, containing Jeanty has to be the top priority this week.
WR Wan’Dale Robinson (906) and RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. (812) will both reach 1,000 yards from scrimmage with two games to go.
John Schmeelk: Fact – Tyrone Tracy jr. has been playing excellent football, with 70 or more scrimmage yards in five of his last six games, including at least 130 in back-to-back weeks against the Packers and Lions. The only game he failed to reach 70 yards was the one he left early with a hip injury. I expect him to be heavily involved against two weaker defenses in the Raiders and Cowboys. It will be tough to get to 188 yards over two weeks, but I think he does it late against Dallas in Week 18. Robinson has a much easier path, just needing 94 yards over two weeks.
Dan Salomone: Fact – They would be two bright spots in an otherwise difficult season. That would mean the first for Robinson while Tracy could start his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns. Who knows, maybe the former gets there with a run and the other with a catch?
Matt Citak: Fact – Robinson has an easier road to 1,000 as he sits just 92 total yards shy. Tracy has more of an uphill battle to get there, but with how he’s performed over the last six weeks, I think he can get there. Tracy will need to average 94 yards from scrimmage over the next two weeks to reach 1,000 yards. Over his last four full games, he’s topped 94 yards three of four times, including two games with 130 or more yards of offense. It won’t happen until Week 18, but both Tracy and Robinson will hit the 1,000-yard mark.