The New York Giants have been decimated by injuries through the first six games of the season, and Week 7 will be no different.
On Friday, October 22, the Giants officially ruled out superstar running back Saquon Barkley (ankle sprain), No. 1 wide receiver Kenny Golladay (knee) and electric rookie wideout Kadarius Toney (ankle) for their contest with the Carolina Panthers.
Giants Game Statuses vs. Panthers
OUT:
RB Saquon Barkley (ankle)
WR Kenny Golladay (knee)
WR Kadarius Toney (ankle)
DOUBTFUL:
DL Danny Shelton (pec)
QUESTIONABLE:
TE Evan Engram (calf)
WR John Ross (hamstring)
WR Sterling Shepard (hamstring)
WR Darius Slayton (hamstring)
For Barkley and Golladay, this will be the second straight game this duo has missed, which is a big loss for quarterback Daniel Jones and the Giants offense.
As for Toney, he finally broke out with 19 receptions for 303 yards since taking on a bigger role in Week 4 vs. the New Orleans Saints. Unfortunately, Toney hurt his ankle against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5, before re-aggravating it the following Sunday vs. the Los Angeles Rams.
Now, the 2021 first-round pick will be kept out in order to prevent his injury from spiraling into a long-term issue.
With the latter trio out, Jones will have his work cut out for him, especially with his starting left tackle Andrew Thomas being placed on injured reserve earlier in the week.
Thomas will miss a minimum of three games, as he nurses both foot and ankle injuries.
Who is Playing This Week?
While the Giants will be without their three biggest stars on offense, as well as their blind side protector along the offensive line, they still have some capable options who could suit up this week.
Sterling Shepard (hamstring), Darius Slayton (hamstring), John Ross (hamstring) and tight end Evan Engram (calf) were all listed as questionable for Sunday. This group was limited in practice during the week, but the Giants are at least hopeful they can go against the Panthers.
Shepard returned to play last week against the Rams, but was then re-added to the injury report on Wednesday, October 20.
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Replacement Options
As the Giants also announced, second-year offensive lineman Matt Peart will be their starting left tackle moving forward with Thomas sidelined.
This means Nate Solder will stick at right tackle, the spot he started out at in the beginning of the season. Peart and Solder have surrendered 15 pressures and three sacks in two games as the Giants’ starting tackles this season.
Defensive tackle Danny Shelton suffered a pectoral injury vs. the Rams and is listed as doubtful this week. This has led several Giants beat reporters to speculate that defensive tackle David Moa could be elevated from the practice squad to replace Shelton.
Due to the slew of injuries suffered at the wide receiver position, David Sills is also expected to receive a call-up from the practice team. Sills has been a preseason standout for the Giants the last two years, but has yet to get his chance to show what he can do on the active roster in a meaningful game.
Now, he could finally be getting his opportunity to make some noise this week, which would be a substantial relief for a Giants’ receiving corps that has been hit hard by the injury bug.
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Giants Make Final Call on Saquon Barkley, Star WRs vs. Panthers