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The New York Giants are major underdogs for their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday. It looks like they'll receive a major helping hand for the final game of the week.
Star running back Saquon Barkley, who is dealing with an ankle issue and was listed as questionable, is expected to play against the Buccaneers, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.
Barkley was absent from the last six Giants games, and injuries are playing a huge part in New York's disappointing 3-6 record. With one of their main stars back, their odds of winning against the Buccaneers have improved massively.
Will Saquon Barkley play against the Buccaneers?
Barkley, the second-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, will play against the Buccaneers. It will be his first game since leaving Week 5 contest against the Dallas Cowboys with an ankle injury.
Barkley has had a disappointing season, with just 195 rushing yards over five weeks. He has not logged a single game with over 60 rushing yards this year, although he had five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown during the upset 27-21 win against the New Orleans Saints in Week 4.
The Buccaneers are one of the strongest teams in the league, but their defense has been suffering to play at the same high level they reached during their Super Bowl win last year. With Barkley returning to the field, only wide receiver Sterling Shepard will be missed on the offense.
Barkley's return helps the Giants in all possible ways. We know Daniel Jones does a great job pushing the ball downfield, but he suffers to operate in the quick and in the intermediate areas. With Barkley, he has a checkdown option to gain yards if the play doesn't develop the way he wants.
Barkley is also a great pass protector who can deliver good blitz pickups and is smart enough to find good angles to block defensive players coming after the quarterback.
The running back is in the fourth year of his contract and, even with his fifth-year option activated earlier this year, there are still some discussions about whether the Giants should offer him a contract extension or not. Returning to the field is a good way to provide an answer, after all, this is not the first year in his career that he suffers with injuries.
The Giants are 10.5 point underdogs to the Buccaneers.
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