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 doesn't sound like he's counting on being ready for the regular-season opener. “Nothing’s been set in stone in terms of playing that first week or not playing that first week,” he told the New York Daily News. “I’m still excited for Week 1. That’s still the goal. That’s still the plan in my opinion. Obviously the training staff will advise if they see differently as the next week and a half comes along. But we’ll see.” Cruz has been going in the middle of Round 8 in My Fantasy League drafts recently, which isn't late enough for us to feel good about his iffy health.

Giants WR Victor Cruz is currently sidelined with a calf injury.  He described it as "inflammation" but said he "should be fine."  It's worth noting that the calf injury is to the opposite leg that he ruptured his patellar tendon on last year.  But the situation is certainly worth tracking.  Cruz's ADP has risen into the mid-7th round.

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 Victor Cruz (knee) took some 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 reps in Wednesday's joint practice with the Bengals.  It's another step in his impressive recovery from last year's torn patellar tendon.  "It felt good," Cruz said. "I was out there running around a little bit. Everything felt kind of similar to what I had hoped. I felt good in and out of breaks and getting open, things like that. There's no pain, nothing hurts. It's just a matter of continuing to run routes and getting the familiarity back."  Cruz won't play in Friday's preseason opener, and it's still uncertain whether he'll see any exhibition action.  We're hoping he does so we can get a look at him.  Cruz still has an ugly history of guys returning from patellar injuries working against him.

Giants WR Victor Cruz (knee) has avoided the PUP list to start training camp.  That's an impressive accomplishment less than 10 months removed from a torn patellar tendon. Cruz deemed him knee "93%" healthy on Thursday, and HC Tom Coughlin confirmed that the team will "ease in" Cruz, limiting his reps early in camp.  "There is a difference between being in shape and then football shape," Cruz said.  "So I still have to kind of develop that a little bit.  That takes a little bit of time."  We're anxious to get a look at him in preseason action.  The history of players returning from patellar injuries is ugly, but Cruz's recovery has been impressive so far.

WR James Jones has inked a 1-year deal with the Giants.  He chose the G-Men over the Eagles, Chiefs, Seahawks and Bengals, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Jones is familiar with OC Ben McAdoo's offense after spending his first 7 NFL seasons with him in Green Bay.  That time included 3 seasons of 50+ catches, 2 of 780+ yards and a 14-TD 2012 campaign.  Jones caught a personal-best 73 balls in Oakland last year but averaged an ugly 9.1 yards per catch.  At 31, he's past his prime but should still provide the Giants with a reliable possession option.  New York likely views him as insurance for the rehabbing Victor Cruz.  Jones could provide some spot-start fantasy appeal if Cruz, Odell Beckham or Rueben Randle miss time.

Giants WR Victor Cruz (knee) reiterated that he expects to be ready for the start of training camp.  “From the training staff, the coaches and the front office people, I think everyone’s under the assumption that I’ll be ready to go,” Cruz said. “I don’t think PUP will be an option. Obviously, if it comes about then that’s a conversation I have to have with my superiors. It seems like I’m on track to be ready for training camp and, God willing, be out there Week One.”  Cruz's rehab from last year's torn patellar tendon has seemingly gone well.  But we're not bumping him up our WR Rankings until we see and hear that he's at least close to pre-injury form.

Giants WR Victor Cruz expects to be ready for the start of training camp next month. “I’m trying to listen to my body and how it feels,” he said. “By late July, early August, I should be somewhere around 100%.”  That'd be about 9 months after he tore his patellar tendon -- a quick recovery from such a serious injury.  We remain skeptical about Cruz's 2015 fantasy outlook because of the grim history of players returning from patellar injuries, but we'll alter our projections if he looks strong in training camp and preseason.  Cruz's ADP has actually dropped from the early 10th round to the early 11th over the past couple of weeks.

Giants WR Victor Cruz (knee) remains on track to play Week 1 vs. Dallas.  "Things are going well," Cruz said Wednesday.  "I'm running more routes and patterns, feeling more confident all the time in that regard.  Same schedule.  Just going to take it slow for now."  The veteran started running routes roughly 2 weeks ago and hasn’t encountered any setbacks.  Still, he's a major question mark coming off such an ugly patellar injury.  Cruz isn't someone we're targeting in early drafts.

Giants WR Victor Cruz (knee) has resumed cutting.  "We started running some intermediate routes on air and stuff like that," he said.  "It's feeling good. It's feeling good so far. I think I'm 75-80 percent right now. It's just a matter of building it."  Cruz won't participate in OTAs or minicamp but is hoping to get on the field for training camp.  And the team expects him to be ready for Week 1.  He still has a long way to go in his rehab, though.  "More running on air, continuing to build on that foundation, continuing to build more mental confidence on my knee and what it can do and take it from there," Cruz said of his next steps.  He remains a total question mark for 2015 after that nasty patellar injury last October.  We're avoiding Cruz at his current 10th-round ADP.

Giants WR Victor Cruz recently posted a picture of himself running at the team's practice facility.  It's a step in the right direction in his recovery from last year's torn patellar tendon.  The next step will involve cutting and running routes.  Cruz hopes to be ready for full contact by the start of training camp, but that seems a bit optimistic.  The Giants have made it clear that they won't rush him back.  Check out this week's podcast for more on Cruz's prognosis for 2015 and beyond.

Giants HC Tom Coughlin would not commit to WR Victor Cruz (knee) being ready for the starting of training camp.  Coughlin did say that Cruz is making "good progress" in his rehab from the torn patellar tendon he suffered on October 12th.  He'll be over 9 months removed from the injury when training camp kicks off, but that injury often takes closer to a full year to recover from.  And there's no guarantee that Cruz ever regains pre-injury form.  Don't be surprised if the Giants add a WR in the early or middle rounds of next month's draft.

Giants HC Tom Coughlin said at the Combine on Thursday that WR Victor Cruz (knee) will resume running "very shortly."  It's one of the first updates we've gotten on Cruz since he tore his patellar tendon on October 12th.  That's an extremely difficult injury to return from -- more difficult than even a torn ACL.  The 28-year-old Cruz still has age on his side, but fantasy owners shouldn't be betting on him being the same player in 2015.  We'll continue to track his progress all offseason.

Giants GM Jerry Reese conceded that there's no guarantee that WR Victor Cruz returns to pre-injury form after tearing his patellar tendon in October.  “Any guy who has a significant injury — and that was a significant injury — you’ve gotta prepare as if, ‘What if Victor doesn’t come back?’” Reese said. “That’s always in the back of your head. What if this guy doesn’t come back and be the player that we think he is?”  We've seen torn patellar tendons ruin guys' careers, including RBs Ryan Williams and Cadillac Williams.  Cruz's rehab will need to be closely monitored this offseason, but he'll be a risky pick in 2015 fantasy football drafts.

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.