You'd never have guessed it in August, but on Sunday, the Giants have themselves a patsy fantasy matchups against the Teddy Bear defense in Chicago. One look at what the Broncos -- specifically Andre Hall, Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler -- did last week in inclement weather against the Bears is all you need to know to understand just how far this once-elite defense has fallen.
Unfortunately, for fantasy owners invested in the Giants' backfield, it's going to be impossible to tell just which of their productive runners will have the best shot at running roughshod over the Cubby Bears. Brandon Jacobs looks like a no-go with his hamstring injury, but Derrick Ward is expected to return to practice, while Reuben Droughns remains the healthiest and safest play considering the rhythm he's in.
Having said that, Ward was a dual-purpose beast in Jacobs' stead earlier this season, and if ready, is the more dynamic player than Droughns. On the other hand, Droughns has been taking the shorties at the stripe ever since Jacobs went down in Week 1 and continued to do so even while Jacobs was churning out 100-yard games.
Practice is going to tell us virtually nothing in this case. Jacobs may do some work by the end of the week, but it will likely be in anticipation of a Week 14 return. Ward should do even more work, but that's hardly enough of an indication that he's ready to resume the role of 20 touches per game. Droughns should be the starter, but how many carries will he give up to Ward?
The only situation in which I can see fantasy owners using a Giants back without hesitation would be if Ward simply isn't ready and is declared inactive, along with Jacobs, on Sunday afternoon, paving the way for Droughns to carry the load. Or if you're in a TD-heavy scoring format, Droughns is certainly worth a look. However, with a Thursday game and a full slate of early Sunday tilts off the board before then, can you really afford to wait for news on Ward and Jacobs?
And you thought the Giants' passing game was a mess.
