New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers

Giants: Run D – 18th Pass D – 27th

49ers: Run D – 19th Pass D – 17th

Passing:

This is going to be a real interesting battle as veteran Eli Manning is struggling mightily behind a garbage offensive line while questions loom as to whether or not Nick Mullens ’ previous performance against the raiders was for real. The Giants pass defense may rank lower, but they allow just 244 passing yards per game and have given up just 11 passing touchdowns while the 49ers give up 249 yards per game and an astonishing 18 touchdowns through the air. Opposing quarterbacks have posted a 98.8 passer rating against the 49ers while those facing the Giants have posted a 93.3 passer rating.

Working in the Giants favor is the 49ers pass rush or lack thereof. They rank near the bottom 10 overall in the league and they’re going to now be without weakside linebacker Reuben Foster . They still have Malcolm Smith to take over, but he doesn’t work in coverage as well as Foster does when he pulls back. If the offensive line can hold and the Giants can work the short-passing game to the weak side, Eli just might work out.

Mullens doesn’t have a tough match-up here either as the Giants also lack a pass rush and rank as the sixth-worst team in coverage according to Pro Football Focus. If Mullens doesn’t get too far ahead of himself after beating the hapless Raiders, he could help push this game past the over which is set at 45.

Rushing:

Saquon Barkley against a team that allows 102.8 rushing yards per game with seven touchdowns? Yes, please. The 49ers also rank 14th against RB pass plays and are allowing almost 50 yards per game to them. Look for the Giants to lean heavily on him early.

Can Matt Breida stay healthy? If he can, he could have a decent day. Not a great day but a decent one as the Giants rank 22nd in run defense grades according to Pro Football Focus and 25th in tackling. An elusive Breida out in space could be dangerous, though it’s likely to be some outside zone runs to free him as the G-Men rank ninth against running back pass plays. Alfred Morris ? Meh. Maybe some short-yardage work.

Receiving:

The Giants are loaded with weapons and if Eli can perform up to task, then Odell Beckham , Sterling Shepard and tight end Evan Engram can succeed. The 49ers are weak in coverage across the board, though it feels like Shepard and Engram could be the ones who land in the end zone.

According to DVOA coverage numbers, you want a piece of Marquise Goodwin and maybe, if looking for a contrarian play, Kendrick Bourne . It’s not a pretty group of receivers, but the Giants rank 28th against opposing WR1 and 31st against WR3s. George Kittle owners are going to have to just hope for the best as the Giants rank sixth in tight end coverage.

Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks

*Packers: Run D – 26th Pass D – 21st

*Seahawks: Run D – 15th Pass D – 5th

*according to DVOA numbers heading into Week 10

Passing:

If Mike McCarthy is smart and utilizes the ground game early, things will open up for Aaron Rodgers on Thursday. Seattle doesn’t give up a ton of yardage and they’ve given up just 14 passing touchdowns on the year, but they specifically rank 20th against opposing WR1s and are allowing 75.2 yards per game to them. Rodgers won’t have issues threading the needle to his other targets, but he and Davante Adams could light things up here.

The Packers aren’t giving up a world of yardage, but opposing QB efficiency is what it’s all about for Russell Wilson . And the fact that opposing quarterbacks are posting a 92.9 passer rating against the Packers makes Wilson a very interesting play here, especially if you think he’ll be throwing a bunch in the second half of the game.

Rushing:

If Mike McCarthy continues to utilize Aaron Jones , this should be a solid effort for the Packers lead running back. The Seahawks are giving up 118.6 rushing yards per game, seven rushing touchdowns and 5.0 yards per carry. You have to think, McCarthy just might employ the same strategy that had them manhandling the Dolphins on Sunday.

We’re going to have to wait to see the injury report and check on the status of Chris Carson . and Rashaad Penny handled the work Sunday and did a solid job as both found their way into the end zone. But if Carson comes back, he would likely step into a lead role. While that sounds great against a Packers team that 120.9 yards per game on the ground and ranks 23rd against running back pass plays, not knowing how the carry distribution could go may be an issue. If using a Seattle running back in your lineup, maybe think about using him in the flex so you have a few extra pivots.

Receiving:

Who doesn’t love Davante Adams ? We just talked about the Seattle weakness against opposing WR1s, so if there’s someone to just lock in right from the start, it’s him. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jimmy Graham are obviously in play, but I’m just not digging them as much as Adams or some other players we’ve discussed.

For the Seahawks, it might be time to forget about Doug Baldwin . Both David Moore and Tyler Lockett seems to have Wilson’s attention the most inside the red zone. The DVOA coverage numbers say the weakness is against the WR 1 and 2, so Lockett, to me is a must, but is Baldwin really considered the No. 1? Hard to tell. You can probably include Nick Vannett in there as well since the Packers rank 16th against the tight end position.