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The New York Giants have been hurting at the wide receiver position all season long, but an unlikely source might save their season – and possibly save the season of thousands of fantasy football managers.
Richie James was slated to be New York’s No. 4 or No. 5 WR and a kick returner on their special teams coming out of camp. Then the wheels fell off the receiving corps’ truck. Sterling Shepard suffered his annual season-ending injury. Rookie Wan’Dale Robinson tore his ACL. Kenny Golladay lost 10 steps and forgot how to catch passes thrown right into his hands.
Due to all this, James has now stepped in and stepped up to be one of the Giants most important receivers. He has 22 receptions for 312 yards and three touchdowns over his last five games, easily the most productive stretch of his career. So should you pick James up if you are entering your league’s playoffs with a massive hole at WR? Here is my take:
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Should I Pick Up Richie James For Fantasy Football Week 16?
If you are one game away from reaching the championship game in your league and desperate enough for a WR that you are considering James, grab him. He is likely one of the top-five available receivers on your league’s waiver wire. While you might be scared by the Giants’ run-first offense or Daniel Jones wobbly passes, know that James could do just enough to help your fantasy team advance in the playoffs.
I am in the same strange spot where I am in the fantasy playoffs but in need of a wide receiver. Seattle’s Tyler Lockett and San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel are both out this week, and my roster is built around running-back depth, not wide-receiver depth. I need a receiver as badly as Rex Ryan needs Nate Burleson’s tailor, and James is certainly one of my top waiver wire candidates.
James has never been given the opportunity to show off his pass-catching skills as much as his kick-returning skills until now. He has showed the ability to make tough catches at big times and an unknown penchant for finding the end zone over the past month. The Giants are starving for targets for Jones, which is why James has 23 targets over his past four outings. Watch James make this catch on 4th-and-9 against Washington last week.
The schedule is very favorable for James this week. He will run routes against a Minnesota Vikings defense that makes most receivers look like Jerry Rice or Randy Moss. The Vikes are 31st against the pass and will stack the box against top tailback Saquon Barkley, so James should find the wide-open spaces the Dixie Chicks sang about back in the day.
Do not expect James to pull a Tyreek Hill and rack up 150 yards and two touchdowns. The Giants offense is not built around large-chunk pass plays, and James will only see five-to-seven passes of the short-to-medium-range variety. The receiver cupboard on waiver wires heading into Week 16 is pretty bare, though, which is why James is a solid pick-and-play option with your season on the line. He should supply 40-55 yards and have a 50-percent chance of scoring a TD, and that is more than most receivers on waiver wires can be counted upon for this week.
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