The New York Giants will have their season home opener today against the Buffalo Bills. This is a crucial game for the Giants as they are coming off of a tough blowout loss to the division-rival Cowboys. New York is 0-1 and desperately needs to avoid an 0-2 start to the season (again).
Unfortunately, the Giants have been hit with the injury bug at their receiver position. Multiple receivers on the Giants’ roster are dealing with an injury.
Sterling Shepard OUT vs. Buffalo
The New York Giants will be without their best receiver in week two. Sterling Shepard has a concussion and will miss an unspecified amount of time healing. The Giants are also being investigated by the NFL for the way they dealt (or didn’t deal) with Shepard’s concussion.
Sterling took a hit to the head, wobbled, then collapsed during the week one game in Dallas. He seemed momentarily knocked out before getting up and staying in the game. Shepard sustained a concussion on this play and should not have been allowed to continue playing, but the Giants left him in the game.
I'd wager this is when Shepard suffered the concussion. Midway through the third quarter he goes helmet-to-helmet on a block and wobbled to the ground. I noted at the time that he was shaken up, but he stayed in so I thought nothing of it pic.twitter.com/SvsytY5Hf8
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) September 10, 2019
The Giants might face some sort of punishment for this inaction. But, if not, they will at the very least be without their best receiver for a week or longer.
Who Is Filling In For Shep?
Upon ruling Shepard out for week two, the Giants made an important roster move. They signed preseason standout T.J. Jones to the active roster. Jones was impressive in the preseason, leading many fans to be disappointed when he was cut from the final roster.
In limited preseason playing time, Jones hauled in 12 catches for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns. T.J. looked good in preseason, running crisp routes and making a few tough grabs. His most impressive moments were against the Bears, connecting with rookie quarterback Daniel Jones.
Who!?!?! T.J. Jones is BACK! pic.twitter.com/dBhujxqbqM
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) September 11, 2019
Fans are excited to see T.J. Jones making a return. Fans are lucky to see Cody Latimer still in the lineup.
A Hobbled Cody Latimer To Start
The Giants will be without Sterling Shepard on Sunday, but they will have Cody Latimer. Latimer was impressive in week one (one of only a few players to play to their potential). Cody racked up 74 receiving yards on 3 catches against the Cowboys, including one incredible one-handed grab.
Cruz-esque, great catch by Latimer pic.twitter.com/BsP6FNcMeC
— PFF NY Giants (@PFF_Giants) September 8, 2019
Latimer is the Giants’ best deep threat option. When healthy, he has the speed and size to make plays deep on the outside. Unfortunately, the Giants will not be getting a fully healthy Cody Latimer against the Bills.
Latimer is dealing with a calf injury that will keep his abilities limited in week two. The Giants’ deep-play ability might suffer from this. New York has a couple of other receivers on the depth chart who might try to fill in here.
The other Giants receivers healthy and playing in week two are Russell Shepard, Bennie Fowler, and Cody Core. Fowler and Shepard are much more likely to see game-action than Core. Eli Manning will be without a primary receiver again this week, so expect to see the Giants rely heavily on superstar running back Saquon Barkley.