Despite frequent reminders on social media that border on harassment by fans and fantasy football participants, NFL players constantly insist that they don’t, in fact, care about their fantasy football outputs. With his heads-up move late in his team’s win over the Ravens, Giants star running back Saquon Barkley backed those words up with action.
With under two minutes to play and New York leading, 24–20, the Giants faced a second-and-5 from inside the Baltimore 10-yard line. Barkley bounced free to the outside and had a clear path to the end zone. But rather than cash in the six points, he gave himself up and slid to the ground short of the goal line after making the first down yardage. That enabled the Giants’ offense to milk the rest of the clock and clinch the victory.
Of course, a touchdown would have meant more production for fantasy players, but it’s not as if Barkley hadn’t already provided plenty of points. He finished the game with 83 rushing yards and one touchdown to go along with three receptions for 12 yards, which translates to 18.5 points in standard PPR leagues.
That’s not a bad day at the office, but the only outcome Barkley and the rest of the Giants are concerned with is the victory. The win gives New York its first 5–1 start since 2009, which the team will look to improve upon next week with a visit to Jacksonville.
Afterward, Barkley acknowledged that fantasy players would not be happy with his decision, but said he didn’t regret the decision. That didn’t stop people from around the football world from venting their frustration on Twitter. Here are some of the best responses below.
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