Week 1 was a great one for this Matchups Machine and start/sit column. We accurately predicted big games for Eli Manning and Spencer Ware, tough decisions to start Sterling Shepard, Derek Carr and Ryan Mathews, and to sit Jonathan Stewart and Kevin White. We were wrong about Blake Bortles and Brandon Marshall. That’s a pretty good ratio, all things considered.
It’s a new week so let’s jump right into the Week 2 action.
The best matchups
Eli Manning, QB, Giants (vs. Saints)
It’s rare that we go back to the well with the same recommendation as Week 1, but we’ve found a pass defense that’s an easier matchup than the Cowboys. Honestly, we probably should’ve swamped Manning and Carr in last week’s column — playing the Saints in the dome is as good as it’s going to get in 2016. And it just got even better. The Saints had one above-average player in their secondary, Delvin Breaux — he finished 2015 as our 10th-best cornerback in pass coverage. Breaux broke his leg in Week 1 and will be out for this matchup.
Breaux’s absence means that the Saints’ defense will rely on a 2015 third-rounder and two 2016 undrafted free agents as their top three cornerbacks in Week 2. On the flip side, the Giants used three wide receivers on 50-of-56 snaps in Week 1 despite the fact that they weren’t trailing by more than one score at any point during the game. This is their best personnel — featuring Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard and Victor Cruz — and head coach Ben McAdoo already seems a little less stubborn than Tom Coughlin was when it comes to putting his best players out there regardless of situation and score. The Saints simply don’t have the talent in the secondary to match up with these three receivers — this is especially true against a veteran quarterback like Manning, who is willing to go through all of his reads before picking the best option.
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