riley dixon

New York Giants lose starting kicker and punter to COVID-19 list

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New York Giants, Graham Gano

The New York Giants have been lucky this season in dealing with a pandemic. While the team hasn’t come out without any problems at all, they’ve mostly avoided having players and staff get sick and the COVID-19 list hasn’t seen much use by the team. However, that’s starting to change as the Giants’ special teams unit has been hit hard recently and could see big changes for their week 12 game against the Bengals.

Starting kicker Graham Gano ended up on the reserve/COVID-19 list this week and it remains to be seen whether he’ll be ready in time to make a return against the Bengals. As if that’s not bad on its own, the Giants also lose starting punter Riley Dixon to the list. He was placed on it Wednesday along with long snapper Casey Kreiter.

However, there is no guarantee that these players actually tested positive. It’s possible for players to end up on the list simply because they were around contacts who did, or were at higher risk for infection.

The team didn’t report new positive tests on Wednesday when Dixon and Kreiter were placed on the reserve list.

The Giants have brought in alternative option Ryan Santoso from the practice squad to fill in for these two players. Santoso is a dual kicker and punter and played in three games last season for the Titans. However, he was waived by the team in December and joined the Giants during September of this year.

Graham Gano definitely did test positive for the virus, unlike Dixon and Kreiter, so it remains to be seen if all three players will be ready to go against Cincinnati. If not, the Giants might just have a relative unknown player kicking their big field goals for them.

New York Giants: Special Teams A Bright Spot In Poor 2019 Season

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New York Giants, Aldrick Rosas

The New York Giants are once again one of the worst teams in the NFL. After losing their 9th-straight game on Monday night, the 2019 Giants tied their franchise record for the longest losing streak. Offense and defense are both at fault here.

Both sides of the ball have underperformed in 2019. Whether that be because of a lack of talent or lack of coaching, regardless, both sides rank near the bottom of the league in terms of total yards gained and allowed. However, there is one part of the team that the Giants can take pride in.

The New York Giants’ special teams unit has been among the best in the league in 2019. Special teams coach Thomas McGaughey has done an excellent job with his unit of the team this year and should be the Giants’ top interim head coaching candidate if they do decide to fire head coach Pat Shurmur.

Special Teams Stats And Highlights

The Giants’ offense and defense are ranking in the high twenties or the bottom quarter of the league. However, the special teams unit has been quite the opposite. New York’s special teams rank in the top ten for just about every significant statistic.

Granted, Aldrick Rosas has had his struggles this year. The Giants’ third-year kicker missed a kick attempt in five straight games between Weeks 7 and 12. But he seems to be back on track, making 100% of his field goals and extra-point attempts in each of the last two games.

The Giants’ punt returners have done an excellent job this season. Golden Tate has served as the primary punt returner, but Jabrill Peppers took some snaps back there too before his season-ending injury. Whomever they’ve had back there has found success. The Giants rank 1st in the NFL with an average of 11.3 yards per punt return.

Additionally, the Giants’ kick returners have performed past expectations in 2019. The Gmen are averaging 23.7 yards per kick return, ranking 9th-best in the league.

Additionally, New York also has the top-ranked kickoff coverage in the NFL. Their kickoff coverage is allowing only 17.9 yards per return this season. Returning kicks and punts, or kicking off or punting to the other team, the Giants are excelling in every aspect of special teams.

Riley Dixon has silently emerged as one of the best punters in the NFL this season. He has arguably been the Giants’ most consistent and reliable player in 2019. Dixon even earned himself a contract extension. The Giants rank 6th in the NFL in net punting, with an average of 43.6 yards.

The New York Giants’ special teams has been among the league’s very best this season. The unit is a major bright spot for a disappointing 2-11 team. Giants fans should hope that the team’s offense and defense can rise to the special teams’ level in 2020.

New York Giants: Who is the most underrated player on the team?

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New York Giants, Aldrick Rosas

If you take a look at the crosstown New York Jets, one of their most significant issues is at the kicker position. For the New York Giants, they have luckily been able to avoid any severe problems after Aldrick Rosas emerged as the starter for the foreseeable future during the 2018 season.

Hitting on 32 of 33 field-goal attempts last year, Rosas earned a Pro Bowl selection for his consistency. Sometimes, it is easy to forget how valuable a kicker can be and the struggles that most teams go through trying to find a successful one.

The difference between having a reliable kicker and not can ultimately cost wins during the regular season. Winning and losing in the NFL can be marginal, which makes that extra three points or six points per game a significant factor. When it comes to Rosas, his confidence is sky high, and he seems ready to take on the tall task of being a starting player in New York.

How has New York Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas looked this preseason?

Hitting on all of his attempts during the preseason, Rosas has proved he can be a Pro Bowl level talent for the Giants moving forward, the punter position is a bit more murky, with Riley Dixon being the player of choice at the spot. For fantasy purposes, Rosas is a mediocre option due to the caution in regards to the Giants offense and their potential production.

The hopes are that Rosas can be a trusted option at the end of games when the score is tied up, and the Giants are in field-goal position. He hasn’t been tested much in that category, which requires a lot more poise and precision. Having the confidence to hit at the end of the game when winning or losing is on the line, is the difference between a good and great kicker.