he Patriots top back and will see the m
he Patriots top back and will see the m
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - There have not been a lot of positives for the New York Giants this season. The exception is rookie receiver Odell Beckham Jr.Week in, week out, Beckham has become an offensive catalyst with one-handed catches, key plays and touchdowns.Beckham added to his impressive collection of highlights by catching three touchdown passes and coming within one reception of tying the teams single-game record in a 24-13 win over Washington that might have gone another way had the Redskins not lost a touchdown on the final play of the first half on a video review.This guy fuels the entire team, fuels the entire stadium, Giants defensive captain Antrel Rolle said of Beckham. Hes an exciting guy to watch. Hes a hell of a player. He goes out there and makes plays and plays beyond the Xs and Os.Beckham had 12 receptions for 143 yards, with touchdowns covering 10, 35 and 6 yards. He has a team-high nine touchdowns and his 972 yards receiving are a team record for a rookie, beating Jeremy Shockeys 894.Hes always upbeat walking around and has that energy, said Eli Manning, who completed 23 of 34 passes for 250 yards, targeting Beckham 15 times. Its exciting when the ball gets in his hands.After missing the first four games with a hamstring injury, Beckham has 71 catches, including 61 in his last seven games.The way weve played the last couple of games gives us a better feel for how were going to play. For me, its making the most of my opportunities, Beckham said.The win was the second straight for the Giants (5-9) after seven consecutive losses.The Redskins (3-11) simply found a new way to lose. They blew a touchdown and command of the game on a fumble by Robert Griffin III as time expired at the end of the first half.Griffin scrambled for an apparent 8-yard touchdown and a 17-7 lead, diving over the pylon, and then running on to the field and spiking the ball with emphasis.But a video review by referee Jeff Triplette showed that Griffin lost control of the ball diving over the pylon and the play was ruled a touchback. The lead stayed at 10-7.We shouldnt have let that play alter the game for us. Ultimately, it did, Griffin said. Its a touchdown. Thats how we all felt, everybody in the locker room, coaches included. My understanding is, if the ball passes the plane and you have control of the ball, its a touchdown in every game that Ive ever seen. They decided that it wasnt today.The call incensed veteran receiver Santana Moss so much that he stormed after the officials and was ejected.Triplette said Moss was ejected for inappropriate language directed first at him and then at field judge Alex Kemp.Some things learned from the Giants second win over Washington this season:SACK ATTACK: Since losing to Dallas on Nov. 23 in large part because they could not get a pass rush late against Tony Romo, the Giants have recorded 22 sacks in the last three games. They had seven against Washington, with Jason Pierre-Paul and Johnathan Hankins getting 2 1/2 apiece. Pierre-Paul has 6 1/2 in the last three games.GRIFFIN IN THE MIX: Take away the fumble and Griffin played very well after Colt McCoy aggravated a neck injury on the Redskins opening series. He was 17 of 28 for 236 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He also had five rushes for 46 yards. I know its not been a fun year, said Griffin, who recently lost his starting job. Weve had a lot of turmoil, a lot of things going on, but at the end of the day, you have to get out there, suit up, and when your number is called, be ready to play.GIANTS COVERAGE: While the Giants defence only gave up 13 points, there are times it still looks lost. Washington had 10 plays of 17 yards or more, including at least five to receivers who were left wide open. Running back Chris Thompson was uncovered on a 9-yard TD pass from Griffin.NO RUN: The Redskins run defence was outstanding, forcing Manning to go to Beckham again and again. New York was limited to 49 yards on 22 carries — a 2.2 yard average. Making things worse for the Giants, Rashad Jennings reinjured an ankle and had one carry.BECKHAM NOT PERFECT: Beckham made a foolish play trying to field a Tress Way punt in the closing seconds. After chasing his teammates away from the ball, he tried to pick it up, didnt handle it and Washington recovered at the Giants 29. I was being lackadaisical, he said. Too relaxed. 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Working with UFC welterweight fighter Demian Maias team in Sao Paulo Brazil and having training partners such as fellow UFC stand outs Fabio Maldonado and Daniel Sarafian, the 32-year old feels very well prepared for Friday nights encounter.Each week, TSN.ca Fantasy Editor Scott Cullen and NFL Editors Ben Fisher and Mitch Ward discuss three hot fantasy football topics. 1) What type of production do you expect out of Trent Richardson now that hes in the Colts offence? Cullen: I wouldnt get carried away with expectations for Richardson because the Colts also have Ahmad Bradshaw in the backfield. Richardson may have better opportunities to run in Indianapolis, with a better offence surrounding him, and that could lead to better than the 3.6 yards per carry he averaged in Cleveland last season, but I dont necessarily see Richardson with an increase on the 318 touches or 12 touchdowns he had as a rookie. Ward: Richardsons stock certainly goes up with a move from Cleveland to Indianapolis but I still wouldnt expect elite RB1 production. On the positive side, Richardson should get substantially better blocking than he had been getting in Cleveland which means he should be able to do more with his touches and improve his sub-standard yards per carry. However, Richardson also has to share the Colts backfield with the very capable, but injury prone, Ahmad Bradshaw. As long as Bradshaw stays healthy, he will command a decent share of the touches which limits Richardsons upside. Unless Bradshaw goes down for a significant stretch I dont see Richardson as anything more than a low-end RB1 or solid RB2. Fisher: All the debate last week was who won the Richardson trade; is he really an elite running back? While he passes the eye test and was a top draft pick, his numbers suggest otherwise. While Im still out on Richardsons value as a real running back in Indy, I really like him as a fantasy RB. Richardson was a Top 10 back last season and should see his 2013 numbers rise as he gets more opportunities to score playing in a far more potent offence. The only thing stopping me short of adding Richardson to the group of elite fantasy running backs is Ahmad Bradshaw. The injury-prone Bradshaw is a talented runner that will warrant his share of touches. But if Bradshaws wonky foot starts acting up again, Richardsons opportunities – and numbers – should really take off. 2) Can anyone, regardless of position, catch Peyton Manning as the top fantasy points producer this year? Cullen: Not if he keeps playing like this, but since Manning is not likely to throw more than 60 touchdowns passes (his current pace is 64), hes due to come back to the pack, at least a little, and other top quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees could still push Manning. Id also keep the Philadelphia Eagles in mind. LeSean McCoy is off to a phenomenal start and, even though he struggled last week, Michael Vick still ranks second to Manning in fantasy points. Ward: Absolutely. Were only three weeks into the season and a lot can change between now and Week 17. Manning is great, haas a ton of weapons to work with in Denver and could easily stay on top for the whole season but its just to early to tell.dddddddddddd. There are a few other pretty good quarterbacks like Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers capable of going off on any given Sunday and closing the gap quickly. Im not ready to hand Manning the title yet. Fisher: No chance. The top five scorers each of the past two years in most formats have been quarterbacks, so that trend is likely to continue for this season. Maybe Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees catch him, but theyre already 15-20 points behind and the Denver Broncos offence, with Manning at the helm, has looked virtually unstoppable through the first three weeks of the season. They dont get to play the Oakland Raiders every week, but its hard to see Manning having a slow day against any defence right now. 3) Is it time to give up on New England Patriots RB Stevan Ridley? Cullen: I wouldnt necessarily abandon all hope with Ridley, but he may be at the tipping point in the next week or two. Right now, hes maybe a Flex option as bye weeks start to affect fantasy rosters or he could even sit on your bench if you have more reliable runners -- which shouldnt be hard, he ranks outside the Top 50 running backs through the first three weeks. However, its not as though there is one locked-down replacement who is going to bump Ridley from the Patriots backfield, so if he makes the most of his opportunities, Ridley could still pull back ahead of LeGarrette Blount and Brandon Bolden to have some fantasy relevance. Ward: If you bet on Ridley to have a big season and took him as your RB1 youre probably not off to a very good start. And while I wouldnt want to be relying on Ridley to bounce back and save my season, I wont completely write him off either. Despite the lack of production he is still the Patriots top back and will see the majority of snaps on early downs. The Patriots offence is also starting to come together and will be bolstered by the returns of Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola in the near future. As the passing game improves, more lanes should open up for Ridley in the run game as well. I see him as a decent RB2 for the rest of the season and wouldnt hesitate to grab him for pennies on the dollar in a trade. Fisher: In short, yes. Ridley was actually lauded this week for his pass protection play last weekend but that means nothing in fantasy. What matters is that he now appears in a timeshare with LeGarrette Blount, who received three more carries than Ridley last week. And with Rob Gronkowski on the verge of a return, red zone opportunities will be even more limited for the RB. If you have room on your bench then Ridley is worth storing based on his strong 2012, but for now there are more intriguing options on the waiver wire that should see more carries. ' ' '