The Giants may have finished 6-10 last season, but Eli Manning quietly put up 4,410 yards and 30 touchdown passes, while only throwing 14 interceptions. Those numbers were a vast improvement over his 2013 campaign, and he set a career high in completion percentage with 63.1 percent in his first year under offensive coordinator Bob McAdoo. Manning has been erratic throughout his career, but he remains the unquestioned leader of this Giants team with 169 consecutive starts under his belt, the longest current active streak in the league.
Fantasy Upside
Eli found another elite target last season in rookie Odell Beckham Jr. With a full season of OBJ and the return of Victor Cruz, who suffered a season ending injury in Week 6 last year, Eli may have the best supporting cast of his career. Additionally, Manning will be entering year two in McAdoo’s system, which should be a good sign for a team that won three of their last four games in 2014.
Fantasy Downside
Manning’s accuracy has always been subpar and we’ve seen him come off solid finishes before, only to come back and lay an egg the following season. While he had a limited number of turnovers a year ago, he’s had three seasons in his career with 20 or more interceptions, and his career completion percentage is sub-60 percent. Erratic Eli is always in danger of returning to ruin fantasy seasons.
Bottom Line
Manning is a borderline top ten fantasy quarterback with a high element of risk/reward in every game he suits up for. In an ideal world, Manning would be a top fantasy backup for a roster with an elite starter. However, as has always been the case with Manning, he’ll likely be a fringe starter that fantasy owners will buy on the cheap and use as a lead member of a QBBC system. Either way, he’s more valuable than some might think going into year two of the Bob McAdoo-Odell Beckham Jr. era in New York.