Even for the Super Bowl Champions, it's never to early to start thinking about next season. Much like any good Dynasty owner, the Giants will carefully analyze their roster and look for areas of improvement. They tend to look for the best value or best player available during the NFL Draft and they do have some major offseason decisions that could affect fantasy values both short and long term. The NFL game is changing and with Eli Manning firmly etched in as an elite signal-caller, the Giants are going to surround him with as much offensive ammunition as possible in future seasons. Let's take a look at the New York Giants from a Dynasty football perspective.



Quarterback
Eli Manning has cemented his status as a QB1 option in 2011 and showed big time prowess. He's still behind the Aaron Rodgers and the Drew Brees's, but makes for a nice Dynasty cornerstone at 31 years old. With his improved accuracy, toughness and above average deep ball, Manning is in a position to be a consistent fantasy threat for another 4-6 years. The Giants may turn back to a power run game at times, but this is a passing league and he has the weapons to be explosive. With a young corp. of receivers to work with and an improved running game, Manning should continue to put up starter-worthy numbers on a consistent basis. Behind Eli, things get dicey for the Giants. They have seasoned veteran David Carr, who would be a low end option if pressed into duty. He has no Dynasty future outside of being a very deep handcuff. In the next year or two, the Giants will address this situation in the Draft by selecting a developmental prospect, likely on Day 3. In today's QB starved NFL, it's never a bad idea to have a young, talented QB sit and learn from one of the game's best. As we've seen recently with Matt Schaub, Kevin Kolb and now Matt Flynn, understudies can end up helping out your franchise without even playing in more than a handful of games.



Running Back
Ahmad Bradshaw runs tougher than his 5'9", 210 lb. frame would suggest. He's a solid pass catcher, has big play ability and runs well between the tackles. Plus, he's scored 19 TD's in the past two seasons. He's more of a RB2 due to injury concerns, but could still have a few big seasons in him. How big those seasons will be depend on who the Giants bring in or develop alongside Bradshaw. Dynasty value is steady right now, but could flucuate greatly in the next couple years. Brandon Jacobs is 29 years old and in clear decline. He often dances at the line of scrimmage instead of powering through it. He is a cut candidate this offseason and has Dynasty handcuff value for another few seasons with TD vulture ability. DJ Ware is an average talent at best, but the Giants like his versatility. Under contract through 2012, it's conceivable that he'll be Bradshaw's main back-up next season. Dynasty value is limited due to lack of upside. Last on the list of Giants in house running backs is 2011 7th rounder Da'Rel Scott. As a rookie, he only saw 7 offensive touches and 14 returns, but he's a deep prospect worth watching. Scott has excellent speed (ran a 4.32 at the Combine last year, fastest among RB's) and playmaking skills as a rusher and receiver. He could very well be the Giants long term change of pace back. What they do in the draft this year and with Jacobs this offseason could give us more insight into what the Giants think Scott is capable of. There is the chance that they address the RB position early in the Draft this season if they see value at the end of the 2nd or 3rd round, in which case the entire situation could get very muddy from a fantasy perspective. Definitely a situation that will be one to watch this summer.



Wide Receivers
Hakeem Nicks entered his third season in 2011 primed for big things after turning in 79 catches for over 1,000 yards and 11 TD's last season in just 13 games. He managed to play in two more games and increase his yardage total by 140 but lost 3 catches and 4 TD's.  As seen in the playoffs, Nicks is a true WR1 talent and has the ability to be among the league's best. With big hands, a physical style of play and the ability to turn minimal gains into long plays, Nicks is a buy if he comes at anything less than Top 5 WR value. At just 24 years old and with a legitimate threat alongside of him, Nicks has a bright future. Victor Cruz burst onto the scene two years ago as a training camp sensation, catching three TD passes against the Jets in preseason action. An undrafted rookie out of UMass, Cruz's skills are obvious and they were on full display this past season. As the season wore on, he became a better, more explosive version of Steve Smith (Northern version) and someone Eli relied upon in big spots. He amassed an amazing season of 82 catches, 1,536 yards and 9 TD's. He profiles long term as a solid fantasy WR2 despite his WR1 season and should form a dangerous duo with Nicks for seasons to come. His Dynasty value will be more settled next season, as he should continue to be a reliable threat. Right now, many who do not own him are not willing to part with major pieces to get him and at the same time, those that already own Cruz want WR1/2 value in return. He's a buy if someone is selling low, which makes him worth an inquiry. After playing 2nd fiddle to Nicks last season, Mario Manningham got pushed down to third receiving option by the emergence of Cruz. He's explosive and can make seemingly impossible plays (as evidenced by his 4th quarter toe tap catch in the Super Bowl), but then in the very same game can drop a routine ball or run an incorrect route. That clouds his long term value, but opportunity exists  for him to mature and get beyond the mental mistakes. He'll top out as an inconsistent WR2, but right now is more in the WR3/4 range. He's a free agent, though, and many think he will move on to greener pastures this summer. Monitor his situation closely.

After Manningham, the Giants have Devin Thomas, who is nothing more than an average WR talent and more of a special teamer. He once had legitimate upside, but struggled to capitalize on his potential. He's just 25 years old, but remains rosterable in only the deepest of leagues. Two deep receivers who do bear watching are Jerrel Jernigan, a diminutive rookie out of Troy and Ramses Barden, a towering talent from Cal Poly that the Giants drafted in 2009.  An explosive playmaker in college, Jernigan was somewhat of a raw prospect that is still adapting to the speed of the NFL game. He has seen limited time this year, mostly kick returns late in the season and during their playoff run, but really struggled with punt return duty earlier in the year. This is a big summer for Jernigan, one that could be filled with opportunity should Manningham sign elsewhere. He has the speed and playmaking DNA to be a fantasy factor and valuable Dynasty depth. Barden will enter his 4th year with the Giants and his main issue is health. He's battled injuries since his rookie season and for a 6'6" target that was billed as an ideal redzone threat, he has 0 career TD's. He was extremely raw from a smal D-II school, but King Ramses is now 26 years old and facing a make or break season. He still has the talent to be a fantasy weapon if things click for him, but time is running out for him to prove it. He makes for a deep Dynasty stash if you have the roster spot available.



Tight Ends
After Kevin Boss left town for the Raiders, rookie TE Jake Ballard stepped in and became a go-to option for Eli Manning. At 6'6" and 275 pounds, Ballard is a big target with soft hands, but offers limited upside in the long term. He'd make for a great 2nd TE on this team, next to an explosive, athletic, catch first type. As of right now, he has some TE2 value, but that could change should the Giants address the position early in the 2012 Draft. Travis Beckum, a Giants Draftee 3 years ago out of Wisconsin, had some deep sleepr appeal heading into the offseason. That was until he tore his ACL in the first quarter of the Super Bowl. He's just 25 years old and assuming a full recovery, he does have the talent to push for TE2 value, but the odds are against him at the moment. Bear Pascoe is the third TE on the depth chart and despite a cool first name, he's not much of a receiving threat. The leading pass catcher at the TE position for the Giants next year just might not be on their roster. It's the one spot that a dynamic threat could vastly improve their offense and an early pick may be spent on attempting to do just that. With the changing landscape of the NFL, tight ends have become defensive mismatches with their athletic ability and brute strength. Giving Eli another explosive option could add a different facet to their already potent offense. Someone like the uber-talented Georgia Bulldog Orson Charles could be on their radar, or they may choose to wait until later in the draft and take someone like Evan Rodriguez, Temple's athletic receiving TE. Either way, adding another receiving weapon for Eli to spread the ball around to will be near the top of their offseason list.