New York Giants rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. may make his NFL debut this week against the Atlanta Falcons after a lingering hamstring injury forced him to miss all of training camp and the first month of the regular season, according to the New York Daily News.
Beckham, a first-round pick, was expected to come in and replace the departed Hakeem Nicks in the starting lineup. However, the injury has kept him off the field for nearly two months.
The Giants offense is starting to come together as they have scored 75 points and generated 534 yards through the air in their last two games. However, Beckham's return does not necessitate an immediate waiver wire pickup. While Sammy Watkins may be doing well in Buffalo, rookie wide receivers tend to start slowly. This is especially true for a rookie pass catcher who hasn't worked with his team on the field since mid-summer.
Beckham has the talent (1,117 yards and eight touchdowns for LSU in 2013) and the speed (4.43 40-yard-dash at the NFL combine) to be a valuable fantasy contributor. The Falcons, currently ranked 30th against the pass, are a nice matchup for his debut. But I'd like to see how in sync he is with Eli Manning and the offense before I drop a known commodity for him. With Victor Cruz firmly entrenched as the No. 1 receiving option, Larry Donnell emerging as a quality pass catcher and an improved running game, I'm wary of how many looks Beckham will see early on as he tries to get comfortable.
Even Manning has hinted that the rookie needs to play a little catch up.
"It's good to get Odell out there and even just throwing routes with him," Manning said. "Just small steps, just trying to get on the same page. We're going to have to work hard with him to get him up to speed so when he's in there he's confident, he can play fast. I don't know what the game plan is for him right now, but we'll just take it day by day."
Bottom line: Beckham is worth monitoring, but I wouldn't rush out to pick him up just yet if you have solid bench options.
