Thursday Night Football for Week 3 brings us an old-school NFL rivalry between the Giants and 49ers, and with it, more injury turmoil to navigate for fantasy managers.
Fantasy football is a weekly game, thus we must make decisions on Thursday with incomplete information regarding the full slate on Sunday. The goal of this column will always be to assist you in the decision-making process when it comes to specific lineup circumstances.
The Giants defense will provide a high fantasy floor for the skill players of their opposition. New York is 27th in yards per play allowed through two games and ranks 24th in rush defense DVOA and 29th in pass defense DVOA. The Giants are the only team in the NFL that has yet to record a sack or a turnover.
According to Sharp Football, they have the fourth-highest blitz rate in the league, yet rank 20th in pressure rate against opposing quarterbacks. With the 49ers rushing attack already in midseason form, gaining a league-best 5.6 yards per attempt, it is difficult to envision many instances in which this version of the Giants defense will be able to slow down the Niners.
With Saquon Barkley set to miss Thursday Night Football and Brandon Aiyuk a real question mark, the only true no-brainer starters in Giants vs. 49ers are Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and Darren Waller.
Let’s address the rest of the potential starters individually below.
Giants Week 3 Start/Sit
QB Daniel Jones
The 49ers have faced Matthew Stafford and Kenny Pickett thus far this season — neither of them finished inside the top 20 of fantasy quarterbacks for that week.
Through six quarters of football, Jones had very little production to his name. He eventually passed for 259 yards in the second half last week as the Giants had no choice but to push the ball downfield in order to rally against the Cardinals.
While it was promising to see Jones hit big plays to various targets, the Giants face a significant challenge on a short week without Saquon Barkley.
In 2022, Jones managed only one top-12 scoring week at the position when facing a top-10 defense.
There are very few scenarios in which Jones should be starting on your fantasy team. Even in a 14-team league, he should be on the bench.
RBs Matt Breida/Gary Brightwell
With a myriad of injuries to running backs across the league, the position is already thin for managers. Any back that profiles as a starter is at least in consideration for a desperate start.
If you are playing in a league with a flex, there is almost assuredly a wide receiver on your bench more deserving of a start than Breida. With that said, if you are desperate at the RB2 position specifically, he could be worth a dart throw.
Spelling Barkley to open the season, Breida has outsnapped Brightwell 18 to 13, and he seems in line to have a greater role in the offense. In the two games in 2022 in which he received greater than 20 snaps, Breida managed nine receptions on 12 targets.
Breida is not ranked inside my top-30 RBs for Week 3, but he is worth an RB2 dart throw in certain situations. I would play Breida over the likes of Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott, Zach Charbonnet and other backups who mainly see the field on third downs.
Giants WRs
Jalin Hyatt flashed his big-play ability last week with a 58-yard reception — he remains the best bet to emerge from New York's group of receivers moving forward. That said, he only ran 12 routes and can't be started yet.
None of the other receivers can be counted on either. Darius Slayton was involved in the most passing routes again in Week 2, and he is probably the most likely to get to 50 yards receiving.
No Giants receivers should be in your lineup.
49ers Week 3 Start/Sit
QB Brock Purdy
Since Purdy took over at quarterback for the 49ers, they have averaged north of 30 points per game.
Purdy has accounted for multiple touchdowns in every full game he has played, sans last Sunday against the Rams. Any quarterback who commands an offense with a team total of 27.5 is undoubtedly in consideration for starter status on your fantasy team, assuming you do not roster an elite option.
His efficiency has been steady, and in this matchup, it should remain quite high. Joshua Dobbs accounted for 269 total yards and two touchdowns against the Giants.
If you drafted Justin Fields, Deshaun Watson or Daniel Jones as your starter in a 1-QB format, Purdy has a very good chance at providing a higher-scoring floor than them.
Purdy is a fringe QB1 this week (top 12), and I would pull the trigger on starting him over the names I have mentioned. The only real risk is not performance-based, rather, the 49ers defense dominates in a way the Cowboys defense did back in Week 1.
WR Brandon Aiyuk
Aiyuk only makes the list because of his shoulder injury. When healthy, he is locked into your fantasy lineup.
Aiyuk, who was limited in practice on Thursday, banged up his shoulder against the Rams and only played 30 snaps, down from 58 in Week 1. The injury seemed to bother him whenever he went to the ground, which is worrisome because even if he plays, there is a risk that he exits early.
Aiyuk will likely be a game-time decision, so keep an eye on the injury report.
I believe the 49ers will be conservative as they have 10 days of rest following this game. If you have Aiyuk, plan to play a different receiver.
Update: Aiyuk has been ruled out. Get him on your bench for Week 3.
TE George Kittle
I'm a little surprised that I'm addressing Kittle, but he has failed to reach 40 yards receiving in nine of his last 12 games played. He has only accounted for 49 yards on nine targets this season, which could be frustrating to some fantasy managers.
Still, this isn’t the time to bench Kittle.
Through two weeks, teams have attacked the Giants with their tight ends. More than 35% of opposing team targets have gone to the position, and this defense was notoriously poor against tight ends in 2022 as well.
With Aiyuk possibly out or at least limited, Kittle becomes an even stronger play — start him with confidence.
