Fantasy Football 2009: Top 5 New York Giants Players to Draft

The 2007 defending champion New York Giants stumbled a bit last year. Still, the team finished on top of the NFC East with a 12-4 record, and though gone from the team are Fantasy Football favorites like Plaxico Burress and Derrick Ward, the Giants still have plenty to offer Fantasy Football owners this year. Here then are the top 5 New York Giants to go after in your Fantasy Football Draft.

Brandon Jacobs (RB):
The best thing about Jacobs is that at 6-4, 265 lbs he is going to get the football inside the red zone often. Last year Jacobs scored 15 touchdowns in route to his second consecutive 1,000 yard season, despite missing 5 games in 2007 and 3 games in 2008. Though the Giants had a fairly balanced running attack last season, look for Jacobs' numbers to go up now that Derrick Ward is gone. Look for Jacobs to gain over 1,200 yards this year and score close to a dozen touchdowns.

Defense:
Anchored by a pass rush that was led by Justin Tuck (12 sacks) and Mathias Kiwanuka (8.5 sacks), the Giants' defense surrendered only 18.4 points per game last season. What's more, they picked off 17 passes and forced 13 fumbles along the way. There is no reason to believe that this year's Giants will be any different. This is one of the few defenses worth spending a middle round draft pick on. Look for the Giants to keep opponents under 20 points a game once again, and for the sacks and interceptions totals to remain at the 40/20 level.

Eli Manning (QB):
Aside from the fact that he threw less passes away in 2008, Eli Manning has produced very consistent numbers over the last three years, and seems to be good for +3,200 yards and +20 touchdowns a season. With the departure of Burress, don't look for those numbers to improve this season. Despite his fabulous Super Bowl performance two years ago, Manning is not an elite Fantasy Football quarterback. Yet he is not a bad option either. If you miss out on an elite QB this draft, you could do worse than Eli. Look for Manning tostill be on the boards in the middle rounds of the draft.

Hakeem Nicks (WR):
It's always a risk to take an unproven rookie receiver in a Fantasy Football Draft, but the Giants have a need to fill and they spent their first round draft pick on Hakeem Nicks (from the University of North Carolina). The 6-1, 210 lbs Nicks had a monster season in college last year collecting 68 catches for 1,222 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also saved his best for last, ripping West Virginia for 217 yards and 3 TDs in the Meinke Car Care Bowl. You can play it safe and draft Steve Smith or Hixon, but their upside is limited. So if you have a last pick to waste, taking a flyer on Hakeem Nicks is not a bad idea.

Kevin Boss (TE):
Kevin Boss took advantage of the departure of Jeremy Shockley last season to put up some decent numbers (33 catches, 384 yards, 6 TDs). With both Burress and Ward gone from the team, look for Boss' numbers to go up, and a 40-45 catch, +500 yards, 6 TD season is highly likely. Boss doesn't rate among the elite Tight Ends in the league, but if you are looking for a last minute late round pick at the position, then Kevin Boss should be your man.

Statistical Source:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/nyg/stats