The New York Football Giants season, thus far, has been about as stagnant as a mud puddle, and as the G-men brace for rain and the Rams high-scoring offense on Sunday, is anything expected to change for the better? Well, for the sake of some decent football, let’s hope so!

Todd Gurley. Photo courtesy of USA Today.

According to NFLWeather.com, light rain is expected in East Rutherford on Sunday and likely will linger all afternoon. MetLife Stadium’s Field turf has hosted plenty of rainy matchups and the effects of the drizzle will only slick the artificial surface and pigskin a bit. The wind shouldn’t be much of an issue, hanging around 8-10 mph, and cool temperatures will be in the mid-60s. But if this weekend’s weather is anything like last weekend’s unpredictable forecast, a drizzle could turn to a downpour in an instant.

Los Angeles (5-2) doesn’t get the chance to play in many weather-impacted games but the team has found success in the rain as of late. Since 2009, the Rams are 4-1 in rain games with the lone loss being an absolute dismantling by the Patriots in London, 45-7. Aside from that, the elements don’t seem to slow the offense down, averaging over 25 points per rain game.

Offensively, the team that had the top pick just a few years ago now features one of the more potent and well-rounded rushing and passing units. The lead dog in the backfield has been Todd Gurley who’s racked up 22 or more touches in four of his last five games. He’s a bruising back between the tackles and the heavier the rain gets, the more carries we’ll see go to Gurley.

But it’s not just the running game that’s helped the Rams find a share of the summit of the NFC West with Seattle. Sophomore sensation Jared Goff genuinely looks like a polished professional and even though the kid doesn’t have a rain game start under his belt, he played in plenty of precipitation during his college days in the Bay Area at Cal. The real question isn’t whether the weather will get to Goff, it’s more so which of his receiving threats will emerge as his top target Sunday. Former first rounder Sammy Watkins is the lone big name but Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp have also contributed to the passing attack.

While LA has a couple receiving threats, the Giants (1-6) have been hit hardest by the injury bug at the wide out position. USA Today’s Steve Gardner has mentioned Sterling Shepard in a couple of his previous preview pieces and while Shepard has had a handful of great games, the poor kid is a tough spot by being expected to fill the void left by Odell Beckham Jr and veteran Brandon Marshall. An unfair expectation, but after his seven receptions for 133 yard performance, Shepard has the potential to put up elite WR numbers especially with a veteran Super Winning quarterback like Eli Manning.

The only thing for Giants fans to witness that’s more unbearable to watch than the passing attack has been the ground game. Whether it’s been Paul Perkins, Shane Vereen, Orleans Darkwa or Wayne Gallman; to call them subpar would be a heavy understatement. The safe play in fantasy regarding the NY backfield is to simply steer clear, even if weather conditions may force the team to hand off a heavy amount.

According to NFLWeather.com Historical Analytics, the Giants are 7-4 in the rain since 2009 with one loss coming in Tampa Bay earlier this season, 25-23. Manning finished the afternoon 30-for-49 for 288 yards and a pair of scores. Clearly the rain didn’t dictate the offensive play calling and barring a massive storm, little should change for this week nine matchup.

The reason for New York’s struggles can’t be pin-pointed to a specific position or even one side of the ball. As a whole, they’ve been brutal, and unless Eli can give us a Peyton-esc performance, the Rams will be a shocking 6-2.

Brett Hundley. Photo courtesy of USA Today.

Fall is officially in full-swing and while snow flurries are actually expected in some corners of the country, rain is once again east coast bound with the Redskins and Cowboys anticipating the worst of it at FedEx Field Sunday night.

According to NFLWeather.com, the Chesapeake forecast calls for heavy rains all day Sunday with swirling winds raging deep into the night. As the evening goes on, the precipitation will decrease but so will the temperatures. The temp at game time will be in the high-40s but it will feel more like mid-to-low 40s once the sun sets since it’s a 4:25p kickoff.

It’s been over five years since Dallas last won a rain game and Washington has snagged only one win in its last four previous rainy outings. Those subpar numbers are pretty astonishing given the NFC East features some nasty weather during the last two or three months of the regular season.

Washington (3-3) last won a rain game in 2015 when Kirk Cousins stormed into Chicago and stunned the Bears, 24-21. But even factoring in the win over the Bears, the ’Skins offense is stuck in the mud when weather is a factor, given the team averages less than 14 points per rain game. According to NFLWeather.com Historical Analytics, Washington is 3-5 in the rain since 2009 with an 0-2 record at home.

Cousins will need to carry the Washington offense thru the mud given the team doesn’t have the effective running game that Dallas does. In his lone rain game start, Cousins completed 10 of his first 11 passes against Chicago and while battling the damp conditions, he ended the afternoon 24-of-31 with over 300 yards and two touchdowns. Running backs Chris Thompson and Robert Kelley will split the workload with Thompsons likely to snag a few receptions but don’t expect big numbers from either rusher.

The Cowboys (3-3) lean heavily on their second year back Ezekiel Elliot and with this Sunday’s game featuring heavy wind and torrential rain, why change anything for Week Eight? USA Today’s Steve Gardner gave Elliot his Broad Shoulders Award following last week’s stellar performance. Elliott “single handedly carried his fantasy owners to victory,” Gardner wrote this week, noting the bruising back racked up 219 total yards and three touchdowns which amass to 36.5 fantasy points in a standard scoring league.

The top fantasy play from this matchup could end up being Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. An elusive runner in college, even tho Prescott has matched his interception total from a year ago, his mobility in Sunday’s mud bowl could be the x-factor Dallas needs for a crucial road win within the division. Even if Prescott turns the ball over once or twice, as long as he doesn’t let that get to him then the young gunslinger shouldn’t have a problem putting up solid numbers against the ‘Skins D.

Since Josh Norman will be blanketing Dez Bryant, the likelihood for punches to be thrown is equally as high as hail in the forecast! Well, hail might not be happening, nor should punches be thrown, but bank on a mud bowl Sunday night. In fact, the only thing that may be dirtier than the players’ jerseys by the end of the game could be the trash talk between Bryant and Norman.

There’s a reason why half of the NFC North plays home games indoors and this Sunday both venues lacking a roof will also be lacking a dry pigskin for most of the day. According to NFLWeather.com, overcast skies are expected all weekend in Chicago with rain on Sunday morning. Luckily the Windy City won’t be too windy, maxing out around 10mph with temperatures lingering in the low-60s. The grey skies will stretch all the way to Green Bay where an overcast forecast will likely feature some scattered showers over the course of the weekend. Like Chicago, high winds and lower than usual temperatures won’t be a factor, just an incredibly slick grass surface.

Brett Hundley. Photo courtesy of USA Today.

Even though the Bears (2-4) haven’t exactly been an intimidating opposition the last few seasons, the team does have the ability to grind out gritty victories in the rain. According to NFLWeather.com analytics, Chicago is 4-1 in the rain since 2013 and 3-0 at Soldier Field. What’s most impressive about that record is the team did it with three different quarterbacks. If Matt Barkley can get it done, there’s no reason why rookie gunslinger Mitchell Trubisky can’t have similar success.

Traveling to Chicago are the NFC South Division-leading Carolina Panthers (4-2) who, since 2010, are 4-4 in rain games. Luckily for Carolina, the team has an ideal multi-tool QB who can handle the elements and scramble if need be. In six career rain games, Cam Newton averaged nine carries per outing and only once did he have less than 33 passing attempts. Newton’s ability to run in the rain and still manage to rack up over 30 passing attempts makes him an extremely potent fantasy option for week seven.

A little over 200 miles north from muddy Soldier Field is Lambeau where the Packers (4-2) will play host to showers and the Saints. Weather is typically a factor in Green Bay (having experienced a lightning delay already this season) but seeing someone under center other than Aaron Rodgers is a bona fide rarity. Former UCLA QB Brett Hundley will get the start but just because he’s from sunny SoCal doesn’t mean he can’t handle the rain. Back in his college days, Hundley starred against hated rivals USC in a downpour and pulled out a 38-28 victory.

USA Today’s Steve Gardner believes that Hundley is definitely worth considering, given he has “plenty of weapons at his disposal and the 26th ranked New Orleans Saints defense up next,” Gardner wrote in his most recent article. Hundley won’t be able to make the precise passes Rodgers can but at least the Packers offense is so pass-heavy, and given the injuries in the backfield, that Hundley will need to be expected to make a few plays. The training wheels will be off on Sunday.

His starting debut will come against a New Orleans Saints (3-2) side that has only played in two rain games since 2013. Despite losing both games (and having to wear gloves), Drew Brees still managed to average decent fantasy numbers (27-for-44, 295 ypg, TD per game). If the weather worsens though, the team may have to lean more heavily on bruising running back Mark Ingram to carry the load.

Both Chicago and Green Bay are tough enough cities to snag a road win in, let alone with crummy playing conditions being a glaring factor. The Bears and Packers are built for conditions like this, but don’t count out Cam and former Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees. A little rain likely won’t bother these proven winners.

It’s starting to feel like every NFL game in the Sunshine State this season has been effected by rain and Sunday in Jacksonville will be no different when the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Los Angeles Rams.

According to NFLWeather.com, Jacksonville is expecting rain this weekend with an all-day drizzle on Sunday ending in the early evening. Temperatures will hover in the mid-to-low 80s with a light 8-10 mph wind. The rain shouldn’t be very heavy so anticipating a downpour won’t be a problem, but a slick pigskin and Bermuda grass surface inside EverBank Field are a completely different story.

Fournette Leonard. Photo courtesy of USA Today.

Jacksonville (3-2) is perfectly prepped for a game like this, having already played in and won two rain games this season. But success in the rain for the Jags hasn’t always been the case. Since 2010, the team is 4-2 in rain games but 2-2 prior to this season, picking up both wins at home. These last two weather impacted games though, both away from home, Jacksonville has outside its opposition 74-16.

It’s been a lethal combo of suffocating defense and unpredictable offense in both rain game victories for the Jags, and it was a different player each day that played the role of hero. In round one against Baltimore, a 44-7 drumming in London, quarterback Blake Bortles tossed four TD’s, completed 65% of his passes and steered clear of turning the ball over. As for round two, a shocking 30-9 win in Pittsburgh, Leonard Fournette proved once and for all he’s totally legit with a 28 touches for 181 yard performance including a pair of scores. Everyone else, like receivers Allen Hurns and Marquise Lee, have been virtually nonexistent but will each be a lurking threat this week.

As for Los Angeles (3-2), a team that’s played home games for decades under a dome in St. Louis or cloudless LA sunshine, the Rams are surprisingly a tough team to beat when poor weather is a factor.

According to the NFLWeather.com Historical Analytics, since 2009 the Rams are 4-1 when rain is in the forecast with the most recent being a 37-32 come from behind win at Tampa Bay. Quarterback Jared Goff, who’s having a sensational sophomore season, hasn’t played in a rain game since his days at Cal when the Golden Bears were thumped in Eugene years ago.

Even if Goff shines in Sunday’s damp and dreary conditions, if the running game gets stuck in the mud, the entire offense will struggle against JAX’s impressive defense. Bank on Todd Gurley seeing over 20+ touches and being a total workhorse in both the running and passing attack.

Both the Rams and Jags are extremely fortunate to have arguably two of the top three or four young running backs in the league. USA Today’s Steve Gardner praised Fournette’s week five performance in his most recent fantasy article, pointing out the rookie runner racked up 30.4 points in a standard scoring league. Could he recreate another historic performance? Not likely, but the Rams do allow over 133 rushing yards per game and have surrendered a league-leading seven rushing touchdowns so another big outing could absolutely be in the forecast.

If the LA defense doesn’t slow down and contain Fournette, the long-time laughingstock Jacksonville Jaguars will be a respectable 4-2 on the summit of the AFC South. If they don’t, well guess what, the Rams will be the surprising 4-2 team and former laughingstock who are sadly stuck in a market where no one will even notice.

It’s no secret that Andy Dalton has had his problems in crucial matchups but when the redhead competes in crummy conditions, the Cincinnati gunslinger is surprisingly one of the NFL’s more underrated passers.

Andre Holmes. Photo courtesy of USA Today.

According to NFLWeather.com, rain will blanket the greater Cincinnati area all weekend long with a minimal chance of it easing up for Sunday’s 1pm kickoff. Temperatures should be in the mid-to-high 70s with a light wind of 5-6 mph. The playing surface inside Paul Brown Stadium, a UBU Sports’ Speed Series S5-M synthetic turf, won’t get too slippery but the pigskin on the other hand will be the real issue for both sides.

Dalton and the Bengals (1-3) might not be off to the best of starts in 2017, but according to the NFLWeather.com Historical Analytics, the team is 5-3 in the rain game since 2010 and 4-1 at home. In five career rain games, Dalton has found the end zone five times and only tossed a pair of picks but three fumbles are a little alarming. If he can avoid coughing up the ball, Dalton will be expected to air it out often, given he averages over 33 passing attempts per rain game.

Even with showers in Sunday’s forecast, Mother Nature won’t dictate how often the team unleashes its aerial assault but if the Bengals can’t establish any sort of ground game, the early season woes will certainly continue. Rookie Joe Mixon is finally being handed the reins, racking up 35 carries over the last two games but only tallying just over 90 yards total during that span. Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill are still seeing some action but the fantasy stock in both players is plummeting.

The only must-start in fantasy in the Bengals lineup is an obvious choice, AJ Green, but ever since Tyler Eifert went down a surprising upstart has emerged as a solid streaming option at tight end. Tyler Kroft saw seven targets last weekend against Cleveland and hauled in two for touchdowns. Even USA Today’s Steve Gardner admitted to underestimating him last week and now Kroft looks to be a hot commodity on the waiver wire.

Kroft wasn’t the only player Gardner mentioned in his most recent article, with Buffalo’s Andre Holmes receiving some praise as well. “With No. 1 wide-out Jordan Matthews out at least a month with a thumb injury, Holmes should see an uptick in targets,” Gardner wrote. Behind Holmes, really all that’s left in Buffalo’s mediocre passing attack is Zay Jones and tight end Charles Clay.

The Bills (3-1) are off to a hot start and hoping a Mid-western rainstorm won’t dampen their momentum. But, playing conditions shouldn’t slow down a Bills side that’s plenty familiar with heavy home game precipitation. Last season, the Bills were 1-1 in snow games at home but over the last few seasons when rain or snow have been apparent, Buffalo has struggled mightily.

The Bills are 3-7 since 2010 when rain is a factor and 0-4 on the road during that span. The team is also winless in rain games since 2013 and 0-2 when current starter Tyrod Taylor is under center. Even though Taylor averages 38 drop backs per rain game, Taylor is a tricky fantasy play against the league’s third-best passing defense. That being said, maybe LeSean McCoy could see 30+ touches.

The weather on Sunday will be pretty darn dreary, much like the rest of Cincinnati’s season if they can’t turn it around and pull out a win at home against a very beatable Bills side. But don’t sleep on Buffalo, a win on Sunday and suddenly the Bills are 4-1 and tied for the second-best record in the AFC.