Dave Richard On Toucher & Rich: Eli Manning Is Legit
BOSTON (CBS) - CBS Sports fantasy football guru Dave Richard came on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich Thursday morning, as he does every week during the NFL season, to provide his expert advice for Week 5 and beyond.
After a slow start in the first two weeks, Giants quarterback Eli Manning really picked it up in Week 3 and Week 4, his most recent effort a 300 yard, four touchdown game on Thursday Night Football against Washington.
Most experts predicted a slow start for the younger Manning learning a new scheme from first-year offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo.
Richard feels like Manning has turned a corner and will be a great fantasy option the rest of the 2014 season.
"I'm so excited with what I've seen from him. Not even last week, but the two weeks prior it really seems like he's got this offense down pat. It's gonna be really hard for defenses to contain him. The offensive line is doing a better job and no one is talking about them. Manning is just doing a great job of finding the open guy, taking what the defense gives -- and he has playmakers! Tight end Larry Donnell is a playmaker for them, Victor Cruz is finally breaking out again and the same thing with Rueben Randle. He's also close to getting rookie receiver Odell Beckham back on the field, and that's only going to make him better. [Eli] is legitimate."
Richard also spoke extensively about the Thursday Night Football game to kick off Week 5 between the Vikings and Packers at Lambeau.
"I like Eddie Lacy tonight against the Vikings. The Minnesota run defense hasn't been very good, and I know Lacy hasn't bee great -- last week he scored finally and had 17 carries. I think the Packers really want to get him going. I say this all the time, but in Thursday night games the running backs tend to do better than anybody else. It's easier for them to recover and take advantage of a matchup over 11 guys on a defense that also have to recover and get ready for a whole new game plan for the week. Lacy is money tonight. I also like [Vikings running back] Matt Asiata."
Thursday night games are such a crapshoot, and Dave Richard readily admits that. He has a theory on approaching those games.
"The two things I like to take to the bank on Thursday night are running backs -- stick with your running backs on Thursday -- and we have a saying here that goes, 'When in doubt, Thursday's out.' So if you've got a player, even if there's a little bit of doubt about them, don't put them in your lineup. So Cordarrelle Patterson for instance. He hasn't done anything the last couple of weeks. There's a lot of doubt there. Don't start him this week."
Listen below for the full fantasy breakdown!
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