New York Giants: Rueben Randle an X-Factor this week

Currently first in the division with a 5-5 record, the New York Giants have an opportunity to separate themselves from the 4-6 Washington Redskins on Sunday, and wide receiver Rueben Randle could play a key role in that effort.

While Odell Beckham Jr. hunts for this fourth straight game with over 100 receiving yards, New York Giants No. 2 receiver Rueben Randle has been quietly consistent over the past handful of games. He may have only earned four targets in the team’s close loss to the New England Patriots, but he still managed to nab over 50 receiving yards for the fourth time this season.

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Randle hasn’t been a big part of the Giants passing attack, as play has pretty much run through ODB with the occasional big game, such as in Week 10, for new slot man Dwayne Harris. That said, with receiving yardage totals of 42, 44, 68, 55, 40, and 51 over his past six games and at least five receptions in four of those games, Randle has been contributing in ways he simply didn’t last season.

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In fact, Randle’s 70.9% catch rate and 8.64 yards per target are pretty darn impressive options as the No. 2 option in the NFC’s fourth seed’s offensive attack. Those numbers are huge upgrades over his awful 55.9% catch rate last season on a bloated 127 targets, making his 70-catch season misleading.

This season, Randle hasn’t been able to hoard as many opportunities with just 5.5 targets per game heading his way, but he has undoubtedly done a better job of taking advantage of the attention OBJ has commanded on the opposite side. Randle’s catch rate is 10.3% higher than Beckham’s, and that’s because of the easier matchups, a lower yards per reception average, and just better overall play from the fourth-year receiver out of LSU.

Against the Redskins this week, Randle should have an especially light matchup on tap, as No. 2 receivers have routinely feasted on Washington’s defensive backfield. According to Football Outsiders, the Redskins are 31st in the NFL in DVOA allowed against No. 2 wideouts, surrendering a grand total of 64.2 receiving yards per game against these types of wideouts.

A lot depends on how much Eli Manning targets a wide receiver he has thrown it to just nine times in the past two weeks, but since Randle has failed to catch just one of those targets, he has made a legitimate case for more opportunities in Week 12.

Giants fans and fantasy owners will also wonder if he’ll be able to add to his haul of three touchdowns on the season after putting up six last season, and there should be a good chance of that this week. I mean, only the Baltimore Ravens have allowed more touchdowns to wide receivers this season than the Redskins, as they’ve surrendered 15 scores to wideouts. Beckham Jr. will continue to boss defenders in the red zone and should add to his status as one of the league leaders in receiving touchdowns, but Randle’s chances of finding the end zone should be bumped up against Washington.

Aug 14, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Rueben Randle (82) Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham (13) in a preseason NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Considering the fact that the Redskins are both 24th in scoring defense and net yards per pass attempt allowed, Randle seems like a good X-Factor pick for this week’s post-Thanksgiving rivalry battle on Sunday at Landover.

The matchup works in his favor, the Giants are throwing the ball well, and the Redskins defense is well below the league average as a whole.

They can’t make third down stops, they struggle to force turnovers (if you can’t force Eli into mistakes, then you could be in for a long day), and their safety duo prevents them from stopping big plays.

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It’s easy to forget, but Randle’s best game of the season was easily his seven-catch, 116-yard outing complete with a touchdown in Week 3 on Thursday Night Football against the Redskins. That touchdown catch was his first of the season, and both the receptions and yards are season-highs.

Could he have his second 100-yard receiving game of the season and make them both come against the Redskins? It’s a distinct possibility, and past results dictate that Manning should look to Randle with some frequency this week.

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