You’ll be able to watch Thursday Evening Soccer, Giants vs. 49ers, solely on Amazon Prime Video at 8:15 p.m. ET.
After having fun with the Detroit Lions pulling off an surprising upset within the first Thursday Evening Soccer sport of the season two weeks in the past and watching the Minnesota Vikings fall to an ominous 0-2 document final week, we’re in for the primary David vs. Goliath TNF of the 12 months.
The New York Giants (1-1) have been in a position to edge the Arizona Cardinals following a 0-60 offensive begin to their season by way of the primary six quarters of 2023 play with a miracle second-half comeback on Sunday.
The San Francisco 49ers (2-0) are thought-about by some a transparent favourite to hoist the Tremendous Bowl trophy and presumably be one of the best workforce within the league by way of two weeks.
There are saucier matchups within the full Week 3 slate of video games in the case of over/below whole factors projections, however the TNF conflict between the Niners and Large Blue isn’t that dangerous, all issues thought-about. Oddsmakers undertaking 44.5 whole factors however they’re favoring San Francisco by a humongous 10 factors over New York, the third-largest distinction throughout Week 3 video games.
Are we certain they need to be referred to as the New York … Giants?
How do the Giants and the 49ers arrive at their TNF matchup?
In case you paid consideration to the introduction or simply occur to comply with the league carefully, you already know the Giants fumbled the ball of their season opener (40-0 towards the Dallas Cowboys) however one way or the other got here again from 20 factors down towards the Arizona Cardinals final weekend to make their document a good 1-1 to date.
The 49ers, then again, have merely been too good too quickly. They kicked issues off with a 30-7 trouncing of Pittsburgh and though the Rams put up some combat towards them final weekend they have been in a position to fend them off too on their technique to a 2-0 document. Each victories have been earned on the highway.
Extra essential than what these two have completed is what they should do going ahead, particularly the Giants. Living proof: injured RB1 Saquon Barkley, who performed all however two snaps in Large Blue’s victory over Arizona however left the sport with a sprained ankle that would rule him out for the following few weeks.
The fantasy seasons of gamers belonging to those two groups just about replicate their real-life outcomes. Solely QB Daniel Jones is at the moment inside the highest 30 fantasy gamers of the season with Barkley a borderline top-40 participant though he’s nearly accomplished two full video games.
On the flip aspect of the coin, San Francisco has three gamers inside the highest 35 together with a working again (Christian McCaffrey, practically inside the highest 10), a large receiver (Brandon Aiyuk) and their quarterback (Brock Purdy).
TNF Week 3 – Damage Report
We’ve already gone by way of this for the final two weeks and issues should not altering forward of the third TNF of the season. It was Travis Kelce out in Week 1, then Kenneth Gainwell in Week 2 and now fantasy GMs on the market received’t be capable of depend on Saquon Barkley to steer their groups.
Each groups are getting into Thursday’s matchup carrying some banged-up gamers, however there is no such thing as a one even remotely near boasting the potential that Barkley affords and the manufacturing we all know he has in him.
The Giants have practiced with out OL Ben Bredeson (concussion) this week and OT Andrew Thomas (hamstring) has already been dominated out. WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee) is anticipated to make his regular-season debut on Thursday.
For its half, San Francisco practically misplaced WR Brandon Aiyuk (shoulder) to harm early final Sunday though the wideout stayed on the sector rotating with rookie WR Ronnie Bell and finally taking part in 30 snaps. He enters this matchup questionable.
Whereas the Giants have critical, confirmed harm issues, the 49ers are ready during which they could resolve to present some relaxation to a few of their main performers in what seems to be like a positive matchup and winnable TNF sport.
Mood your expectations for Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle as their taking part in time and snaps may go down a notch on Thursday evening if the Niners stand up rapidly and resolve to present them some relaxation all through the sport.
One stat that may swing the stability
The 49ers common the second-most yards per play and restrict opponents to the fifth-fewest. The Giants common the seventh-fewest and permit the fifth-most.
Merely put, the 49ers are what you’d contemplate a dominant workforce and the Giants are what you’d name a struggling squad (at greatest).
It’s previous information by now, however the 40-0 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 will resonate for months on finish as a result of it was an absolute catastrophe for New York from begin to end. Equally, Large Blue’s bounceback final Sunday was equally spectacular with the offense placing up unimaginable numbers within the second half of the matchup.
In NFL historical past, there had been 102 video games misplaced by 40+ factors with out scoring a single one earlier than the Giants did it within the season opener. It’s simply the 18th time this century. Additionally they allowed the lowly Cardinals to attain 20 factors with out a solution, making it an unsightly 0-60 begin to the season. Sheesh …
Then, within the second half of their Week 2 sport, the Giants went on to attain on each possession with Jones finishing 17-of-21 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns (together with 44 yards on seven carries together with one other TD) in these two quarters alone.
The 49ers, on a really contrasting begin to the 2023 season in comparison with New York’s, have received 12 consecutive regular-season matchups spanning all the way in which again to an Oct. 2022 loss to Kansas Metropolis.
The Niners are 14-1 of their final 15 video games together with two postseason wins and a loss to Tremendous Bowl runner-up Philadelphia final January.
San Francisco has scored not less than 19 factors in all of their final 10 wins. They’ve scored 30 in back-to-back video games to begin this season. They’ve allowed 30 factors mixed by way of two weeks of play and so they restricted opponents to twenty or fewer factors in 14 of 17 regular-season video games in 2022.
Two gamers to begin, one to depart in your bench
Begin: QB Daniel Jones (NYG)
Jones is at the moment ranked because the Tenth-best quarterback in fantasy leagues. Jones can also be essentially the most risky participant in fantasy soccer with out regard to place two weeks into the season. That’s as a result of he put up 6.46 FP in Week 1 after which he scored 31.74 FP final Sunday. Essentially the most possible consequence towards the stout 49ers protection goes to be someplace in the course of these two figures, however that’s greater than sufficient for a streamer and a DFS play with upside.
Jones can do it each passing and dashing and his Week 2 second-half numbers alone is likely to be attainable for him on TNF. He accomplished 17 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns whereas scrambling for 44 yards and one other rating. Even should you take away one passing landing and add some completions (Jones accomplished 26 passes towards the Cardinals), that’s a strong 20+ FP outing.
The Giants will want Jones to do every little thing on the sector with Saquon Barkley out, so he’s in a major place to throw passes in bunches and rush the ball quite a bit with no threatening working again in New York’s backfield.
Begin: QB Brock Purdy (SF)
Purdy is likely to be coming off his worst sport ever within the NFL, each in actual and fantasy functions. Mr. Irrelevant was nonetheless ok to finish 17-of-25 passes final Sunday for 206 yards with out touchdowns nor interceptions. He additionally scored a dashing landing on simply three carries. That’s not going to be a week-winning kind of outing any time, however he was nonetheless strong and, once more, that was Purdy’s worst sport and a probable instance of his ground.
Purdy goes to rebound as a result of the 49ers are so good and the Giants merely don’t know learn how to cease an offense today. Since turning into a full-time starter in Week 13 final season, Purdy has accomplished not less than 15 passes every time he’s been on the market in a regular-season sport, he’s handed for greater than 200 yards in six of these eight video games (together with the 2 video games performed this season) and he’s thrown 15 touchdowns towards simply three interceptions.
Essentially the most ridiculous factor is that, earlier than failing to finish a landing move final Sunday, Purdy had thrown for both two or three TD passes in all regular-season video games he began in 2022 and 2023. He additionally had receivers open three separate instances in Week 2 however he overthrew all of them, so some other day he would have simply accomplished not less than a kind of for a rating.
Bench: RB Matt Breida (NYG)
Quite a lot of fantasy GMs on the market will soar on the likelihood of including and beginning Breida this weekend pondering he’ll simply slide into the RB1 position and put up numbers as if he was Barkley. Spoiler: received’t occur.
And within the unlikely occasion it have been to occur, there is no such thing as a possible way of figuring out prematurely as a result of Barkley has logged 38 touches by way of Week 2 in comparison with Breida’s 4.
Breida is the veteran rusher on the Giants rotation behind Barkley however it’s not that clear that he would be the man tasked with carrying the ball nearly all of the time, or contribute that a lot within the passing sport. The Giants may choose to aspect with Gary Brightwell over Breida whereas rookie Eric Grey may additionally issue into the rotation a bit.
The Giants’ backfield has scored 35.7 fantasy factors as a unit. Thirty-two of these factors belong to Barkley, 2.1 to Brightwell and 1.6 to Breida. The Niners have an excellent protection and Jones can carry the ball effectively sufficient. The Giants will likely be higher off utilizing their quarterback than handing the rock to unproven working backs, together with Breida.
Two gamers to scout as potential waiver wire pickups
WR Jalin Hyatt, NYG (12% rostered)
Hyatt seems to be just like the preternatural boom-or-bust kind of participant in accordance with what we all know and what we’ve seen from the rookie this early within the season. Hyatt was focused as soon as in Week 1 and couldn’t seize that toss. Then, final weekend, Daniel Jones focused the rookie a few instances and all of the freshman did was haul these two passes in for 89 yards.
It’s too early to know if Hyatt will flip that small pattern (one reception went for 58 yards, the opposite for 31) into regular manufacturing when he will get extra seems to be, however getting extra seems to be would already be a pleasant first step to construct towards that and it may occur as early as in Week 3.
With Barkley injured and the working sport restricted to what Jones can do and improvise from the pocket, the Giants might want to throw the ball most of the time (they already move on 68% of their snaps). Giving a deep-field menace like Hyatt extra possibilities and targets throughout the sector received’t harm them.
Don’t rush any choice involving including/beginning the Giants rookie, however verify his utilization on TNF simply in case he turns into certainly one of Jones’ favourite targets going ahead.
RB Elijah Mitchell, SF (41% rostered)
Whether or not or not Mitchell will get any fantasy worth will depend upon how the San Francisco 49ers are approaching the common season and the way a lot relaxation they provide some gamers relying on their outcomes because the 12 months progresses. Contemplating they’re already 2-0 and a attainable 4-0 begin (they play Arizona after going through New York), odds are they provide Christian McCaffrey some relaxation forward of their matchup with the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5.
That’s the one means Mitchell goes to crack the rotation by the early seems to be of it, but when it occurs then Mitchell may flip right into a viable deep-league addition and flex play in some leagues. The factor is, each coach Kyle Shanahan and San Francisco followers appear to be a bit involved or not less than not totally happy in regards to the backfield snap share.
After McCaffrey performed each snap in Week 2, Shanahan mentioned that was not the plan. In the meantime, Mitchell appeared in 10 snaps within the season opener and stayed on the sideline for the complete period of the sport towards the Rams final Sunday.
With McCaffrey (115) having the second-most snaps performed by way of Week 2 amongst working backs and the Giants have allowed the seventh-most dashing yards to opposing working backs to date this season, this seems to be like an excellent matchup for the Niners to present CMC some relaxation and use Mitchell. If he can make the most of the chance, it’s possible his position will develop not less than slightly bit within the subsequent few weeks.