The Hall of Fame Game is the newest addition to the preseason schedule, and also is the final Sunday of the year without professional football. At last, fans across the nation will finally be able to watch grown men hit each other with reckless abandon whilst chasing an oblong shaped ball.
Though the focus will be on this year’s honorees, Michael Strahan, Derrick Brooks, Aeneas Williams, Ray Guy, Claude Humphrey, Walter Jones, and Andre Reed, fantasy football diehards will have their first glimpse at the men who can make or break their fantasy fortunes this season.
For the Bills, E.J. Manuel’s development is the key to their taking the next step towards a playoff berth, but this will not be the focus of fantasy footballers. C.J. Spiller was what many would call a bust last season after being drafted in the top five by many. The subject of many trade rumors, Spiller will have to prove he is still worthy of a feature back role.
Currently being selected as the 17th running back and the 32nd player overall, Spiller has room for a comeback year, so long as Fred Jackson finally shows his age. In 2013 the two backs combined for 11 touchdowns and 1,823 yards. While this is a nice sized pie many owners would like a slice of, fantasy footballers need to see these two in action to see if either is worth an early pick in their drafts.
Other things to keep an eye out for Buffalo are the wide receivers. Robert Woods impressed in his rookie campaign last season catching 40 passes for 587 yards and three scores. There is nowhere to go but up for Woods, who will have help this year with new acquisition Sammy Watkins who many believe is the next Julio Jones. Standing at 6’1” with burst speed rivaling track starts, Watkins can turn a negative gain into first down yardage in a heartbeat. Fans of fantasy will want to see Watkins’ rapport with Manuel before making a decision on the top rookie from the most recent draft’s crop of receivers, and the Hall of Fame Game will provide just that.
Buffalo’s opponents in this contest are the New York Giants, who have numerous questions surrounding their own fantasy prospectus. First and foremost is solving the quandary that is the Giants running game. With David Wilson still nursing a neck injury after having a set back in camp, the backfield is wide open for either career journeyman Rashad Jennings, and a 21 year old bruiser in Andre Williams.
Having already seen most of the carries in the goal line stances, Williams will play a role in this offense, the only question is how large of one? In a crowded backfield with no true star, anything could happen meaning this is a scenario many fantasy owners will be smart to avoid entirely. Regardless, either Jennings or Williams will provide value from the RB-2 or FLEX positions, so the preseason will provide a tremendous glimpse at what the pecking order of backs in New York will be like.
Fortunately for fantasy owners, Tom Coughlin’s Belichickian-type of running back management does not carry over to his wide receivers. After losing Hakeem Nicks in free agency, either Rueben Randle or rookie Odell Beckham Jr. will fill the void left by the veteran wideout.
Due to a steep learning curve and his injury troubles to start the preseason, Beckham Jr’s stock has fallen by the wayside to Randle’s. Currently being drafted as the 39th wide receiver and as low as 162nd in preseason mocks, Randle has tremendous upside as a value pick late. Only time will tell what fortunes Ben McAdoo’s West Coast offense will bring to owners of Giants’ players, but the Hall of Fame Game will give a first look at the new and hopefully improved Giants’ offense.