Is Victor Cruz Worth Picking Up?

With a quick emergence to stardom and a fan base that eagerly awaits his next amazing catch or unique touchdown dance, New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has established himself as a star in the NFL.  While he burst onto the scene, another great Giants receiver made his way to the sidelines.  Victor Cruz was once the man in New York, making exciting catches and salsa dancing his way around the end zone, but a series of injuries have caused him to miss significant time since 2014.

Victor Cruz hasn't played a game since Week 6 in 2014, the game in which he tore the patellar tendon in his right knee.  Cruz has rehabbed vigorously, but then encountered a calf injury that further delayed his return.  Enter Week 10 in 2015 and it appears that Cruz has a decent chance to return after the Giants Week 11 bye to face the Washington Redskins.  Predicting how effective Cruz will be when he returns is a tough task, and it's fair to assume that the Giants will ease him into action since he hasn't been on the field in over a year.

If Cruz does in fact return in Week 12 and is eased in, you would certainly want to see some productivity out of him early on.  Can he run routes the same, can he make all the necessary cuts, is his top-end quickness still there?  These are all questions you would want to have answered before playing Victor Cruz in fantasy, but you don't necessarily need those answers to add him.  If you can be ahead of the crowd and add Cruz before the Giants' bye week, you could potentially have a star receiver for a bargain price.

It's important that you don't reach for Cruz, though.  Obviously don't drop stars or even quality players that you use situationally, but if you have a guy collecting dust on your bench that you'll never play, it can't hurt to give Cruz a shot.  Guys like Doug Baldwin, Nelson Agholor, Alfred Morris, etc. are worth dropping to see if Cruz pans out.  If Cruz comes back healthy and returns to form, you're adding a proven wide receiver who has 3,963 yards and 24 touchdowns in his career.  I think the gamble makes sense and could help your team make some noise in the playoffs.