Second-round wide receiver Sterling Shepard is in the best position to make a significant impact. The Giants targeted him early in the draft process as a wideout they liked, and coach Ben McAdoo sees him as a player he can use all over the formation in a variety of roles as a complement to star Odell Beckham Jr. With Rueben Randle gone and Victor Cruz still a major question mark as he attempts his comeback from knee and calf injuries, there's an opening for a No. 2 wide receiver in New York. Shepard will get every opportunity to lock down the role for the short and long term, and he has the skill set to do it.

The only thing standing in the way of a major role for Shepard is Cruz and his balky knee and calf. If Cruz looks like his old self, then the Giants will probably let Shepard grow into a larger role, but if Cruz doesn't have a great offseason then Shepard will be thrust into a major role immediately. He could fill the Randall Cobb role in Ben McAdoo's offense.

Victor Cruz is a Giant enigma and a wild card all wrapped into one. And there won't be any clarity until he steps on the field and proves (in a real game) he can play at an NFL level.

The Giants can use Cruz at full strength, but have no idea what to expect from him this season, if anything at all. Cruz has devolved from a Pro Bowl wide receiver to a complete unknown on a roster short on proven wideouts. If he returns at anywhere near his old form, the cries for a No. 2 receiver are overblown. If he doesn't, you have to wonder what the Giants are doing this offseason having not addressed the position.

The Giants offense would be greatly improved with Cruz playing aside Odell Beckham Jr., except his return is not so simple. Cruz has missed most of the past two seasons, first with a torn patellar tendon and then a calf muscle that needed to be cemented back down. Even the Giants aren't sure what to make of him at this point.

"I think you have to wait and see where he's going to be at honestly," offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan said on Friday when the Giants assistants met with the media 10 days before the start of their offseason workout program. "He's coming off a situation with the other issue with the calf. Until we know exactly what he's physically capable of doing, we really are going to be hard pressed to say exactly, 'Hey this is the role he will fill.'"

The results to this point with Cruz are promising, the story said. He's been rehabbing and making progress while working hard in New Jersey. There is optimism within the Giants building that he can return, in some capacity for this season. The Giants lost Rueben Randle to the Eagles in free agency.

Odell Beckham Jr.’s bright star has been temporarily eclipsed, but the other Giants receivers are confident they will shine in his absence.

Without him, Eli Manning will look to the other wideouts, including Rueben Randle, Dwayne Harris, Hakeem Nicks, Myles White, and perhaps rookies Geremy Davis and Ben Edwards, who joined the active roster this week.

“We’ll be fine,” the always-calm Manning said. “We’ve got guys; (it’s a) great opportunity for other guys to step up. We’ll run our offense and go about our business. The guys know what they’re doing, guys know the routes, guys know how to get open, and we’ll go about it and make plays.”

The aforementioned receivers have totaled 97 receptions for 859 yards, and 10 scores, the story said. The article went on to say perhaps the most intriguing receiver in the group is Nicks, the former first-round draft choice who returned to the Giants Nov. 17. He has caught one pass in each of the four games in which he’s played. But without Beckham at his disposal, Manning could look to the player who has caught more of his passes than any other, the story said. It's not the first time we've heard this, as the beat writers mentioned Nicks as a guy who could see a lot more work because Harris is dealing with a shoulder issue.

The one-game suspension of New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has been upheld on appeal, and Beckham will not be permitted to practice with the Giants for the remainder of this week or play in Sunday night's game in Minnesota.

His absence will adversely affect Eli Manning's upside, but Rueben Randle, Dwayne Harris, Hakeem Nicks and Will Tye get a bump, though we feel best about Randle and Tye at this point.

They may not have Odell Beckham Jr. on Sunday. But the Giants still have a pivotal game to play against the Vikings in Minnesota.

And that just might give an old star receiver a chance to rekindle the magic he had in his first go-round in East Rutherford. With Beckham almost certain to sit out on Sunday, Hakeem Nicks seems likely to assume his role.

Nicks, who was signed in mid-November, has gradually seen his snap count increase, and in last Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers, while Beckham was running wild, Nicks was playing a season-high 37 snaps and functioning as the Giants’ third receiver. He could find himself starting and playing opposite Rueben Randle against the Vikings.

While Dwayne Harris would seem like the next man up as the team's WR2 opposite of Randle, the story said Harris is dealing with a shoulder injury.

The NFL has suspended New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. for one game after his on-field antics during Sunday's game against Josh Norman and the Carolina Panthers.

The league announced the suspension Monday.

Beckham was whistled for three personal fouls during Sunday's game. He also launched himself into a helmet-to-helmet hit on Norman but was not ejected.

A previous story we had today said Beckham, through the NFL Players Association, could appeal the ruling. Typically in cases such as this, suspensions come down on Monday and the appeal is heard and a decision is made on Tuesday. Beckham will likely miss a key showdown with the Vikings in Sunday night prime time. The Giants are still alive for the NFC East title so this is a big loss for the offense and for fantasy owners. Rueben Randle, Dwayne Harris, Hakeem Nicks and Myles White look like the Giants top-four WRs. Randle had a 4-47-1 line against the Panthers. TE Will Tyle could also get more looks and had a 5-43-1 line last week.

Is Odell Beckham’s lack of composure and mental meltdown against the Panthers going to cost him a game?

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, citing “league sources,’’ a one-game suspension for Beckham is “likely’’ as the discipline to be imposed by the NFL after Beckham’s out-of-control antics during Sunday’s 38-35 Giants loss to the undefeated Panthers at MetLife Stadium.

The Giants play the Vikings on Sunday in Minnesota.

If a suspension is slapped on Beckham, it will be announced on Monday, which would allow Beckham, through the NFL Players Association, to appeal the ruling, the story said. Typically in cases such as this, suspensions come down on Monday and the appeal is heard and a decision is made on Tuesday, the story added. It would be a huge loss for the team and fantasy owners. The Giants need a win to stay alive in the NFC East. It's also a prime time game for the Giants and Vikings this week. Rueben Randle, Dwayne Harris and Hakeem Nicks would see bigger roles if Beckham is suspended.