Eli Manning could hold great value in 2015
While most of the talk this offseason has focused heavily on wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is entering a contract year in 2015. Super agent Tom Condon believes the Giants will adhere to Jerry Maguire’s adage and show Eli the money. While Manning’s not in any danger of sitting out games in hopes for a new contract, the question exists for the fantasy community: What is Eli Manning worth to your fantasy team this season?
The New York Giants hired Ben McAdoo as their offensive coordinator period to last year, which ended Kevin Gilbride’s seven year run as offensive coordinator. One of the tasks that McAdoo set out to accomplish was to get the ball out of Eli Manning‘s hands quicker. In the 2013-14 season, Pro Football Focus ranked Eli Manning 40th in the NFL when he had between 2.1 and 2.5 seconds to throw. However, Manning was ranked among the top 10 when that number fell below two seconds.
Last season, despite the loss of Victor Cruz in Week 6, Manning set a career-high in completion percentage (63.1%) while attempting a career-high in passing attempts (601). While turnovers hindered his 2013 campaign, Eli threw only 14 interceptions last season. Additionally, only two of those 14 interceptions came in games in which the Giants won.
While last season was impressive from a fantasy aspect, the groundwork for future performance is set with McAdoo as the offensive coordinator. In the 2012 and 2013 regular seasons, New York was 31st and 27th in the NFL, respectively, in offensive plays run. Last season, only the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, and Indianapolis Colts ran more offensive plays than the Giants. I’ve long been of the belief that opportunity breeds success in fantasy sports.
Despite finishing as a QB1 in 2014, Manning’s ADP is showing little respect for the statistics he put up last season. Currently being selected between the 9th and 13th rounds, Manning presents outstanding value for those that choose to wait on a quarterback. According to our expert consensus rankings here at FantasyPros, Manning ranks as the 13th quarterback overall. Furthermore, with the additions of RB Shane Vereen and OL Ereck Flowers, the Giants signal caller has a real shot at replicating his numbers from a season ago, regardless of whether Cruz can produce early in the season.
The Giants’ schedule will also greatly favor Manning. Of the first nine opponents the Giants face, only the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers ranked in the top half of the NFL in passing yards allowed last season. The other seven opponents were all in the bottom third. The tumultuous offseason in San Francisco negates their success from a season ago and further hints towards a strong start to the season by Manning.
Manning is not a sexy name in fantasy football, and his accolades in the NFL continue to go relatively unappreciated. Manning’s current ADP screams value for those choosing to wait on their starting QB. With offensive weapons such as Cruz, Vereen, Beckham Jr., and Larry Donnell, it’s realistic to assume that Manning is on pace to make a lot of money for himself and his fantasy owners in 2015.
Matt Giraldi is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Matt, check out his archive or follow him @Mgiraldi.
