Odell Beckham Jr. started the season injured last year, causing some to worry he would have a limited impact in his rookie year. However, when he came back he completely lit the world on fire. Beginning Monday night against the Colts, OBJ went on a nine game tear, averaging nine catches, 133 yards, and a touchdown per game to finish the season. He wound up finishing 10th in the league in receiving yardage tied for 9th in receptions, despite playing in only 12 games! The Giants are hoping for a repeat performance from the sure-handed receiver out of LSU.
Fantasy Upside
There are many things that make OBJ so good. He has excellent hands, as evidenced by his catch of the year to score against the Cowboys on November 23rd, and he has exceptional route running skills for such a young player. He’s fast enough to get downfield, but has a full route tree to do damage underneath. He also has great ball skills, elevating to the highest point despite his 5’11 frame, and coming down with jump balls. He’s a red zone target (he scores 12 touchdowns last year) and was targeted 132 times last season, showing that he already has an excellent rapport with Eli Manning.
Fantasy Downside
The Giants have had some inconsistent production from receivers in the past. Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, and even Victor Cruz have all in recent history blown up at times, only to fizzle out fairly quickly. Additionally, OBJ is still young and now other teams have a lot of film on him, making it likely that opposing defenses will be better prepared for him in 2015.
Bottom Line
The downsides are quibbling at this point. Beckham seems like a legit fantasy receiver on all accounts, and whether the Giants are successful winning games or not, it doesn’t appear as though they’ll stop throwing the ball any time soon. That should mean plenty of targets and plenty of production for the second year standout. We have him as an elite fantasy option and should be in the running for a first round pick.