According to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, wide receiver Ramses Barden will be the Giants No. 3 WR this week. Wide receiver Steve Smith is out due to a pectoral injury, giving the bump to Barden. Barden is a 6-6, 227 pound receiver, playing in his second season out of Cal Poly. In his final two seasons with the Cal Poly Mustangs, Barden had 124 receptions, 2724 yards and 36 touchdowns. He's a naturally gifted athlete who just needed some time to develop his body and learn to run better routes. With the explosion of Hakeem Nicks, he was held back and will get this shot this week against the Dallas Cowboys.

Fantasy Analysis:

Considering how poor Dallas has looked lately, Barden might not be a bad start in deeper leagues. He's got everything you want in a receiver with his size, strength, speed and leaping ability. Coming from a FCS school (as opposed to the larger FBS schools), he was always considered a raw prospect who needed time to be groomed into a NFL receiver. But this is a really favorable matchup and the Giants' offense has really been clicking lately. Sure, Nicks and Mario Manningham are going to get a lot of targets and receptions but there really aren't many guys who can play his position at his height. He'll have his shot to prove me right or wrong either way, which is good for a guy who's been waiting on the sidelines for an opportunity just like this.