What's this? Every Tuesday through Friday, Chris Towers will catch you up on the previous day's biggest news first thing in the morning. Here's what you missed Tuesday:
The Giants benched Eli Manning for Geno Smith
This one comes as a huge surprise, given Manning's stature and history within the organization, and it generated plenty of controversy when it was announced Tuesday. Smith is still just 27, but has shown little to suggest he has much of a future in the NFL, so the decision to sit Manning for him doesn't make much sense.
Especially because the Giants have rookie third-rounder Davis Webb on the bench, and haven't given him an in-game snap since the preseason finale. Webb will get an opportunity to play down the stretch, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see that chance come as soon as Week 14, when the Giants return back home after this weekend's trip to Oakland. Either way, with Sterling Shepard's status still very much up in the air as he recovers from migraines, and Evan Engram seemingly hitting the rookie wall, there isn't much about this Giants' offense worth getting excited about these days, Eli or no.
Jimmy Garoppolo will start for the 49ers
We weren't sure if Garoppolo would get a chance this season, but it always seemed more likely than not. C.J. Beathard going down with hip and knee injuries in Week 12 made it much easier to make the call, and Garoppolo was named the team's starter Tuesday. Given what they gave up for him (and what they likely need to pay him in restricted free agency this offseason), this should be Garoppolo's job for good, if he can keep it.
Garoppolo doesn't have a bad schedule coming up, with the Bears, Texans and Titans over his next three gamers, but he just doesn't have the weapons in this offense to be worth starting in standard one-QB leagues. If he's everything the 49ers hope he can be, the cast around him may end up not mattering much, but for now, Fantasy owners should take a wait-and-see approach to Garoppolo.
Other notes
- JuJu Smith-Schuster has a chance to play in Week 13… Part of the issue here, however, is we may not know how good a chance that will be until Saturday, because the Steelers face the Bengals on Monday night. Smith-Schuster had at least 9 Fantasy points in three of his last four games before the injury, and would certainly be worth using in this matchup, if he's cleared early enough to get in your lineup without fear.
- Michael Crabtree's suspension was reduced to one game… Crabtree will still sit out this week's game against the Giants, but will return for a juicy matchup against the Chiefs in Week 14.
- Jordan Reed (hamstring) did not practice again Tuesday… With just one more day to prepare for Thursday's matchup against the Cowboys, Reed looks likely to miss his fifth game in a row. It's time to stop waiting on him at this point.
- Darren McFadden announced his retirement… McFadden went from the back to own in Dallas this offseason amid Ezekiel Elliott's suspension to waivers, and now he's calling it a career. The former No. 4 overall pick rushed for 5,421 yards and 28 touchdowns in 10 NFL seasons.