NFL Today: Can the G-Men Hold a Late-Game Lead?
This week, after a poor showing, Aaron Rodgers called out his wide receivers; Denver linebacker Nik Bonitto saved the Broncos by swatting away Washington’s two-point conversion pass attempt; and Justin Herbert needs surgery for a broken left hand, but does not expect to miss any time. Other Fantasy football stories we’re following include…
Wan’Dale Robinson Enjoying a Career Year
When we last checked in on the New York Giants, we were trying to figure out what was going on with their unpredictable offense. Well, that very night, New York shocked the football world by piling up 34 points to beat Philadelphia for just its second win through six games.
Since then, it’s been a nightmare as the G-Men have dropped six straight, and even though they’ve hung in there against some good teams (a one-point loss in Denver and an OT setback in Detroit), there’s no sugar coating their 2-10 mark heading into a Monday Night Football matchup against a Patriot squad on a nine-game win streak.
New York’s 30th ranked D is going to be in for a tough task in this one.
Giants interim coach Mike Kafka took over less a month ago, but has already come under fire for some questionable decisions. Considering this team has lost five times when leading in the fourth quarter, it’s clear that it struggles to close out wins.
If you’re seeking a bright spot for New York, look no further than wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. After enjoying a career game in Week 12 against Detroit with nine receptions for 156 yards and a beautiful touchdown on some trickery (see video below), we can’t wait to see what we does for an encore on MNF.
Robinson took a nice step forward last season when he was targeted 140 times, although his YPR dropped for a second straight year. This season, he’s averaging a career-best 12 yards per reception, helping him already smash his personal best in receiving yards.
If the Giants are going to pull off one of their patented upsets over New England, Robinson will be at the heart of it. He had already established himself as a key cog in this offense, but that’s only gained in prominence since Malik Nabers tore his ACL.
Coming out of Kentucky, Robinson was projected to be a strong backup who might ultimately develop into a starter. Well, that process of becoming a starter did not take long, and he’s only gotten better each season.
Consider Robinson a high-end WR3 with mid-range WR1 upside for Week 13.
Can Washington Actually Win?
Heading into the season, we expected the Washington Commanders to ride an explosive offense to again be a contender in 2025. Uh… yeah… about that.
Washington’s offense has imploded and its defense has been even worse (second last in yards allowed). A decent 3-2 start has crumbled into a seven-game losing streak, and while the Commanders haven’t yet mathematically been eliminated from a return engagement with the playoffs, it’s obviously not going to happen with a 3-9 record.
Still, playing in Minnesota in Week 14, Washington is a 1.5-point favourite as per FanDuel so perhaps at least the losing skid will mercifully end on Sunday.
Of course, the Commanders’ season was pretty much doomed once quarterback Jayden Daniels injured his elbow in Week Nine. He was limited in practice last week, so once again ceded his duties to Marcus Mariota, and it remains unclear if Daniels will be able to return in Week 14.
So for now, we are left to assume that Mariota will still be running Washington’s offense. The former Titan – whose job was basically not to turn the ball over — has bounced around since leaving Tennessee, playing with four different teams over the last six years.
In Sunday’s overtime loss against Denver, he sure had a workout – throwing a season high 50 passes, but only completing 56 per cent of them in what was a slightly below average game for him. Mariota helped salvage his Fantasy performance with a big performance on the ground (10 carries for 55 yards).
Last year, he looked extremely sharp in his limited action, but this year – forced to throw his most passes since 2022 – he’s been exposed, and generally not quite as effective as his career norm.
In the intro above, we alluded to Mariota getting his potential go-ahead pass knocked down in the OT, and had he connected on that, we’d probably be telling a different story today.
Still, we’d be remiss in suggesting that he’s been a total bust. After all, twice out of six starts this season, Mariota finished at QB9 or better. He might be a decent Fantasy option for Week 14, but obviously we need to have clarity on Daniels’s status before making any decisions.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club can be traced back to when guitarist Peter Hayes, formerly of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, met bassist Robert Levon Been at a Bay Area city high school. Here’s “Windows,” one of the longest tracks from their 2007 album, Baby 81.
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