Here are five players to watch in the New York Giants' Week 4 road game against the New Orleans Saints:
LB Azeez Ojulari
It's officially time for people to start paying attention to Ojulari. On Sunday, the second-round draft choice can become the third rookie since 1982 (Santana Dotson (1992) and Terrell Suggs (2003)) to record a sack in each of his first four career games. He is already the first Giants player with at least 1.0 sack in each of his first three games of a season since Osi Umenyiora had one in each of his first four games in 2011.
WR Kadarius Toney
Kadarius Toney's role has grown each game even without injuries to Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton, and Joe Judge said this week won't be any different. The first-round draft choice grew up two hours away from New Orleans in Mobile, Ala., and will look to utilize his playmaking ability on a fast track in the Superdome.
"He'll get the ball as he gets open and as opportunities present themselves," coach Joe Judge said in his weekly interview with Giants.com. "The one thing about receivers is that it's not your job to command the ball to come to you. It's your job to be productive when the ball does come to you. All he has to do is his job and when the ball comes his way, be productive. When the ball doesn't come his way, make sure he's the best route runner or blocker he has to be on that particular play to make sure somebody else has the opportunity to make a play and be productive as a team. I'm pleased that he's working. Obviously, he has a lot of physical ability. He's done a great job in terms of learning the offense and learning multiple positions. He's a very smart player. He's very engaged. You can tell through the way he practices and the way he plays on game day that he loves football. That's a trait we definitely look for."
LB Tae Crowder
"Mr. Irrelevant" is extremely relevant this week and in the weeks to come. Linebacker and team captain Blake Martinez suffered a season-ending knee injury last week, leaving a void as the signal-caller of the defense. Crowder stepped in last week and his helmet will likely have the green dot, which is on the players who receive the calls from the sideline.
"It was fine," he said of taking over Martinez's duties mid-game. "I was hearing it in practice. Switching it over in the game was kind of different just because a game is way more serious, but it was a great experience to have. I feel like coaches do a great job of preparing us each day by giving us all the player calls that go into the helmet, and just being prepared for if someone does go down, you're ready to step up and be the signal-caller."
S Xavier McKinney
The second-year pro played all but one snap last week as his role continues to grow in the defense. McKinney will be called upon in both the run and pass games. Jameis Winston is a big, strong quarterback looking to push the ball down the field, but the offense runs through dual-threat running back Alvin Kamara.
RB Saquon Barkley
Although Sunday will be his first game in the Superdome, Barkley has a track record of success indoors, averaging 113 yards from scrimmage in six games. The best way to quiet a raucous crowd is by running the football, and Barkley will look to do just on his comeback trail.
"I hold myself to a high standard, I know this team holds me to a high standard, a lot of people hold me to a high standard and, like I always say, I set my own expectations," Barkley said. "Right now, I've just got to keep working and keep growing and keep improving. I know what I'm coming off of. My mom and dad try to make me understand that I'm coming off of a knee injury and try to teach me patience there. I've just got to keep being patient with it. I know every week I'm going to keep getting better and I've got to keep trusting it and keep trusting the process and keep working."
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