Fact or Fiction: Impact of rookies, keys for Week 14

John Schmeelk: Fact – Micah McFadden or Jason Pinnock would be the two other options here, but Nubin has been playing closer to the line of scrimmage and has had a lot of success tackling. He continues to anticipate and do the type of things you want a young safety to do, so there’s no reason to think that trend will not continue. His ability to tackle Alvin Kamara will be a key this week. Don’t sleep on Darius Muasau here either. He should get plenty of snaps in the middle of the defense.

Dan Salomone: Fact – Defensive passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson raved about him this week, calling him an “old soul” who can spot his mistakes before an assistant can even bring it up to him. The next step is seeing his reputation as a ball hawk catch up on the NFL level.

Matt Citak: Fact – This depends on the health of inside linebacker Bobby Okereke. If the veteran suits up Sunday, I believe his impact on the run game will lead to him leading the Giants in tackles. But if Okereke can’t go, then Nubin is likely to lead in that department. Heading into Week 14, the two defenders are tied for the most tackles on the Giants’ with 93 apiece. Nubin has an impressive 12 total tackles in each of the last three games and could easily hit double digit tackles again this weekend.

John Schmeelk: Fiction – Of the players replacing injured players, I am going to go with Darius Muasau. It will be the first long look at him since early in the season and I want to see how he handles the extra responsibility. He is a smart player who can run to the ball, but I want to see how he deals with a physical Saints rushing attack and the accomplished Alvin Kamara. Of the non-injury replacement players, I want to see Tyrone Tracy Jr. blow up and have his best game as a pro with explosive runs against a suspect Saints run defense.

Dan Salomone: Fact – Preseason feels like a long time ago, but don’t forget about the son of a lumberjack with the nickname “Baby Bison.” Like defensive coordinator Shane Bown said, the injuries create a lot of opportunities for the younger players.

“I thought he’s done some good things,” Bowen said. “He’s been in there primarily for us on passing situations, third down. He’s been able to be coordinated and run some games, do some different things with (outside linebacker Brian) Burns and been able to get some push in the pocket for us. He’s a powerful, explosive kid. So, when he’s able to get out of his stance and get going, he’s got some length to him despite being a little bit shorter. He went in there last week. We lost all those… We were down three defensive linemen, not even halfway through the third quarter. Him and Jordon (Riley) really had to finish the game for us. So, they went in there and battled. Hopefully continue to take the next step with him. He’s going to have opportunities this week a little bit more on first and second down just because where we’re at.”

Matt Citak: Fiction – With Dexter Lawrence already out and Rakeem Nunez-Roches possibly joining him, the Giants’ young defensive line will certainly be a position group to keep an eye on in Week 14. However, I’m going with linebacker Dyontae Johnson. The Giants opened the practice window for Johnson on Wednesday, so he will still need to be activated off injured reserve before Sunday. The defense might need Johnson with Okereke’s status up in the air. The second-year linebacker made a strong impression during training camp before injuring his ankle in the preseason opener. I for one am excited to see what the young linebacker can do in game action.