Rueben Randle Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Giants WR Victor Cruz (calf) remained sidelined for the Giants' 1st official Week 1 practice on Wednesday.  He's shaping up as a long shot for Sunday night's opener against the Cowboys.  That'll turn WR Rueben Randle into an intriguing flier in a plus matchup.

Giants WR Victor Cruz (calf) remained sidelined on Monday.  We'll get the team's 1st official practice report on Wednesday, but Cruz isn't looking good for Sunday night's opener against the Cowboys.  That'd make WR Rueben Randle the clear-cut #2 option in the passing game, with WR Preston Parker taking over slot duties.

Giants WR Victor Cruz (calf) is "very much in doubt" for Week 1, ESPN's Dan Graziano said on SiriusXM Wednesday.  Cruz has been sidelined since mid-August with a calf strain that's caused swelling.  It's on the opposite leg in which he tore his patellar tendon last year, but it could certainly be related.  We've been avoiding Cruz all offseason because of that nasty knee injury.  His absence would open up a big opportunity for WR Rueben Randle.

Giants WR Victor Cruz declared his knee "100%" on Monday.  "I feel good. The knee is 100 percent," he said.  "[Sunday] was probably my most physically enduring practice, in terms of limitations ... I felt good. Woke up this morning, no injury, no pain, no swelling or anything. I feel like I've crossed that bridge."  HC Tom Coughlin also confirmed that Cruz no longer has restrictions in practice.  It's still unclear if he'll play in the preseason, which would be helpful for fantasy owners to get a look at him.  We're still betting against Cruz returning to pre-injury form this season, but it at least looks like he'll make an impact for the Giants.  That's good news for QB Eli Manning and bad news for WR Rueben Randle.

Giants WR Rueben Randle missed practice time last week with knee tendinitis and lasted just 3 plays before limping off in Friday night's preseason opener.  "I'm all right," he said. "It's just getting the knee tendinitis under control. That's what we have to figure out. How to keep it from flaring up at certain times. I have to see what is causing the problem and fix it. That's all I can do."  Randle has been dealing with the issue since high school, according to insider Jordan Raanan.  The Giants will consider shutting him down for a bit to get the knee issue under control.  There's still no concern that Randle won't be ready for Week 1, but this is a situation to keep a close eye on.

Giants WR Rueben Randle has been dealing with knee tendinitis "for a while," according to insider Jordan Raanan.  Randle sat out the majority of yesterday's scrimmage against the Bengals and was spotted with ice packs on both knees.  It's not a major issue but will be worth monitoring.  Randle is being counted on to play a significant role this season, especially if WR Victor Cruz doesn't return to pre-injury form.

Giants WR Rueben Randle revealed that he was benched for the 1st quarter of Sunday's game for being late to a team meeting.  He played the final 3 quarters, hauling in 3 of 4 targets for 52 yards.  Randle should stay in New York's starting lineup the rest of the way, but he's a weak WR3 in fantasy football.  He's been held under 55 yards in 4 of his past 5 games and hasn't scored since Week 5.

ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms that Giants WR Victor Cruz is done for the season after undergoing surgery on his torn patellar tendon today.  It's a major blow to the Giants offense, which will now be forced to move rookie Odell Beckham into the starting lineup and use Preston Parker as the #3 WR.  Rueben Randle looks like the best fantasy bet among the team's pass-catchers the rest of the way.  Beckham and TE Larry Donnell get boosts, too.  Cruz, meanwhile, has a difficult rehab ahead of him.  Patellar tendon injuries have wrecked numerous guys' careers.  Cruz would do well just to be ready for Week 1 of 2015.  Note that Dolphins WR Brandon Gibson tore his patellar tendon in Week 8 last year and was ready for this year's opener.

Giants WR Rueben Randle admits that he's still struggling to get his timing down with QB Eli Manning.  "Now it's just timing. We just have to make sure we're going to communicate, make sure we're on the same page with the timing," Randle said. "It's not concepts or running the right routes. It's about timing and not getting my head around when the quarterback is getting to throw."  Randle has caught just 3 of 10 targets this preseason.  His chemistry with Manning is clearly still an issue.  Randle has fantasy upside as a former 2nd-round pick who's locked into a starting role.  But he'll be tough to trust in fantasy lineups early on.

The Giants aren't happy with their offense so far this preseason.  "We are realists, and looking at what looked to be a very poor performance in the first half with the 1s that didn't really get a lot better once the 2s came in," Giants coach Tom Coughlin told ESPN New York after Saturday's game against the Colts. "It wasn't impressive at all. We didn't get a whole lot done. There's no production. There's nothing to look at from a production standpoint."  QB Eli Manning echoed the sentiment: "Still figuring out what's going to be our style of football, which concepts are going to work the best for us and all of those things. Each game, something comes up that's new, and we've got to make sure we're on the same page as [offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo] and we're seeing eye to eye."  It's easy to get excited about a new scheme and how it might fit the Giants' players, but it's important to remember that the system is new to all involved and that McAdoo is taking his 1st turn as an NFL coordinator.  Use some caution when drafting Giants, especially the passing-game pieces.  At the same time, a slow start could turn some key players into in-season trade targets.  We saw in Arizona last season, for example, how a slow start can give way to a strong finish.

Giants WR Odell Beckham is expected to be sidelined "at least another week" with his hamstring injury, according to insider Jordan Raanan.  Tests on Beckham's hammy came back negative on Monday, but the rookie continues to miss valuable practice time.  He missed most of spring workouts and has already missed a week of training camp.  Beckham won't be higher than 3rd on the depth chart when the season kicks off.  Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle are locked in as the Giants' top 2 WRs.

Giants QB Eli Manning has been "rejuvenated" by new OC Ben McAdoo's offense, according to beat writer Jordan Raanan.  "He admitted spending more time studying and focusing on the intricacies of the offense," Raanan writes of Manning. "He admitted being more mentally stimulated this offseason than in previous year."  McAdoo is installing a quick-hitting, timing-based passing game.  The Giants have the WRs to make that work in Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham.  And the quick passes should help mask any offensive line issues.  We're interested to see how this offense comes together in training camp and preseason action.  For now, though, we're not viewing Manning as more than a low-end QB2.

Giants insider Jordan Raanan has seen "significant progress" from WR Rueben Randle this offseason.  "He seems to be running sharper routes and has displayed consistently strong hands," Raanan writes.  "[He] could be primed for a big year."  The Giants haven't displayed much public support for Randle this offseason, but it sounds like that's motivated the 3rd-year wideout.  Even with New York's addition of rookie WR Odell Beckham, Randle should be an every-down player in new OC Ben McAdoo's 3-WR base offense.  He's coming off the board in the late 8th round of early 12-team fantasy drafts -- a fair price for a guy with breakout potential.

Giants QB Eli Manning is taking 1st-team snaps at OTAs this week.  He's made a speedy recovery from his April 10th ankle surgery.  Although he's a 10-year veteran, it's good to see Manning on the field this spring.  He's operating a brand new offense with a couple young WRs in Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham.  We'll keep an eye on how the unit progresses this summer.

The Giants bolstered their WR corps by adding Odell Beckham in the 1st round of the draft.  Beckham goes just 5'11 and 198 pounds but possesses 4.4 speed, a 38.5-inch vertical and big-time acceleration.  He also draws high marks for his route running.  NFL.com's Gil Brandt believes Beckham will develop into the best receiver in this draft class.  We think he'll top out as a #2 WR at the NFL level.  The G-Men figure to run primarily 3-WR sets this year, with Beckham, Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle.

Giants GM Jerry Reese is expecting a "significant jump" from WR Rueben Randle in 2014.  The G-Men are fully expected to let free agent Hakeem Nicks walk, opening up a spot in the starting lineup for Randle.  The 2012 2nd-round pick has averaged 15.2 yards per catch with 9 TDs on 60 catches across his first 2 seasons.  An expanded role will give him major breakout potential in 2014.

Giants insider Jordan Raanan lists WR Rueben Randle as 1 of the biggest beneficiaries of the addition of new OC Ben McAdoo.  "The high quantity of quick slants and back-shoulder throws that come along with McAdoo's offense seems to perfectly fit the skills of the 6-foot-2, 208-pound wide receiver," Raanan writes.  McAdoo is bringing a West Coast offense to New York, which will mean more run-after-the-catch opportunities for the receivers.  Randle averaged 5.1 yards after the catch in 2013, which led Giants receivers and ranked 26th among WRs with at least 40 catches.  Raanan also lists QB Eli Manning, RB David Wilson and TE Adrien Robinson as winners from the McAdoo hiring.

The Giants have hired Ben McAdoo to replace retired OC Kevin Gilbride.  McAdoo has spent the past 10 years as a positional coach under Mike McCarthy.  He's never run an NFL offense but did recently get a recommendation from QB Aaron Rodgers.  McAdoo is expected to install a West Coast offense in New York.  His play-calling will be a bit of a wild card when evaluating the 2014 fantasy prospects of Giants skill-position players. 

Giants WR Rueben Randle left Sunday's game against Washington early because of the knee injury that made him questionable to start it.  He will not return ... but will likely turn into a starter for the Giants in 2014.  Hakeem Nicks is set to hit free agency and has done little this season to prove the Giants should bring him back.

Giants WR Rueben Randle (knee) is active for the season finale against the Redskins.  He dealt with some knee swelling this week and probably isn’t at 100% today.  Randle is a risk/reward WR3.