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QB Eli Manning, New York Giants

2005 Stats: 3762 passing yards, 25 total TDs, 17 INTs
Projected 2006 Stats: 3900 passing yards, 29 total TDs, 16 INTs
Projected Fantasy Round: 3rd Round
Quarterbacks to be Picked ahead of Eli Manning: Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer, Matt Hasselbeck, and Tom Brady

Fantasy Outlook

Why you should draft Eli Manning: Last season, Eli played in all 16 games, and he looked every bit as durable as his brother Peyton.  In other words, you can pencil in Eli for playing in every game in 2006 too.  He also had six games where he threw for multiple touchdowns, including the game against the St. Louis Rams where he passed for four scores. In Weeks 3-7 (4 games), Eli threw for an average of 269 yards and three touchdowns per game.  Manning had three games where he had at least 300 yards passing and another two games of at least 290 passing yards. He also attempted at least 24 passes in every regular season game. In fact, Eli averaged nearly 35 passing attempts per game and just over 18 completions in 2005. Most of Manning’s interceptions came in four games, and if you throw those games out, he only threw the ball to the other team six times in the remaining 12 contests. Besides his obvious upside, another reason to draft Eli is the fact you can take a running back or two in the early rounds and still have the chance to select Manning on your fantasy team. 

Why you may want to stay away from drafting Eli Manning: In the final four games in 2005 (including the playoff loss), Manning averaged just 187 passing yards and .83 INTs versus only .75 TDs per game.  He also got sacked almost twice per contest in 2005. Last season, Manning had six games (including the playoff loss) where he threw for less than 200 yards.  Eli also had three games (including the playoff loss) where he was picked off at least three times.  There were only eight games where he did not fumble the ball and just three games where he wasn’t sacked. Including the playoffs, Manning had seven games where his quarterback rating dipped below 70.0.

Bottom Line: Manning should not yet be viewed as a quarterback that warrants first or second round consideration in fantasy. However, if he is available in the third round or beyond, then go after him!

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