NEW YORK – Somebody needs to ask this question, so it might as well be me. What will the New York Giants wide receiver depth chart look like on Sunday night, if star WR Hakeem Nicks in unable to play due to his ankle injury?
I don’t want to jinx the situation by asking this but I would like to know who you think gets the top three spots? There are a few different scenarios and yes, some of them include preseason stud WR Victor Cruz.
Is it disrespectful to the guys who have been on the team for a longer amount of time, to throw Cruz in on a few plays? I don’t think so. I’m positive the coaches must be salivating to see what he can do when the game is real. Perhaps, this weekend the fans will have an opportunity to see just that. I will take it a step further and say that I think the team needs to do that.
There is no question that WR Steve Smith and WR Mario Manningham will be two of the three starters. The question really resides in the third WR slot. Who do you think will start or do you think they will use a rotation for this game? Those players who fans might see on Sunday include WR Ramses Barden, WR Victor Cruz, WR Duke Calhoun. There are some WR’s on the IR list already, like WR Domenik Hixon and WR Sinorice Moss. It seems a lot thinner now doesn’t it, without Nicks in the equation.
QB Eli Manning has been watching some of his favorite targets go down with injuries. Even Manning himself, cut his head open during a preseason game that required stitches. Manning has lost WR Hixon and WR Moss for the entire season and now he has TE Kevin Boss and WR Nicks banged up for an important game. TE Travis Beckum will get the start and TE Bear Pascoe was activated from the practice squad this week, to serve as a backup. I still think that Eli Manning will be in a shoot out with older brother Peyton on Sunday night. How sweet would it be, if WR Victor Cruz got his first NFL TD, as the game winner versus the Colts. So many possibilities floating out there and the single certainty, that the entire nation will be watching Manning Bowl II on Sunday night.
My picks for the three starters, if WR Hakeem Nicks is ruled out for the Colts game.
1. Steve Smith
2. Mario Manningham
3. Victor Cruz
Do you think that WR Hakeem Nicks (3 TD’s in week one) will play in the Colts game Sunday night?
RD – nygreporter.com
nygreporter.com 
Reports have now surfaced saying that WR Hakeem Nicks returned to practice Friday. He was taking it easy but he was dressed and practicing. I still believe the question raised in this article is valid.
I actually have to agree with you on this one. I like Barden a lot but Cruz has shown more consistency then Barde, Ramses may be a better redzone threat then a 3 down receiver. Calhoun is young and unkown. If Nicks goes down, Cruz steps up.
I agree and I spoke to a guy on Giants.com about this too. I think Barden knows the playbook more but there is no way he beat out Cruz in 2010.