The argument can be made that Hakeem Nicks of the New York Giants displayed the best performance of any wide receiver in Week 2 after catching 10 passes for 199 yards and one touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With a key matchup against the Carolina Panthers scheduled for Thursday night, the Giants will unfortunately have to go without their star wide receiver–which will have a huge impact on numerous fantasy football leagues.
Nicks re-injured his foot towards the end of Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers and while there seemed like a chance he could play against the Panthers, New York realizes this is one of those situations where it’s not worth the risk. The Giants are already at a disadvantage playing on Thursday night since Nicks would be missing out on a full week’s rest and the last thing they want to do is see him rush back to the field too quickly–so this is obviously the right move by the team.
However, losing Nicks puts the Giants at a huge disadvantage considering they’ll be playing without running back Ahmad Bradshaw (neck) as well. With Nicks out, expect Eli Manning to rely even more on Victor Cruz and Martellus Bennett–who has nine catches for 112 yards and two touchdowns over the first two weeks–in the passing game.
From a fantasy football perspective, this is the last thing owners want to hear considering Nicks was one of the top wide receivers selected in most leagues.
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