Giants Week 5 Inactives: Bad Week to Be Light on Linebackers

Who's in and who's out for the Giants Week 5 game against the Vikings, plus the impact of the lineup changes, and hear from David Mayo about the opportunity to lead the Giants defense this week.

Ever notice how every season, the Giants have that one position unit that takes a massive hit injury-wise?

This year, at least in-season, the linebackers are that unit. New York will be without starting inside linebackers Alec Ogletree (hamstring) and Tae Davis (concussion) for a second straight game.

Injuries as-is are never good news, but this week is a particularly bad week t be short on inside linebackers what with Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, who is currently second in the league with 410 rushing yards (behind Carolina's Christian McCaffery's 411), but who is tied for first with Todd Gurley of the Rams and Mark Ingram of the Ravens.

Cook also has 16 broken tackles, placing him in a tie for fifth with Derrick Henry of the Titans among running backs who have at least 47 rushing attempts.

David Mayo, whom the Giants claimed off waivers from the 49ers on Sept. 1 of this year, is projected to get his second start as a member of the Giants at inside linebacker. 

Mayo is believed to be one of the players who will be assigned to wear the radio in his helmet to receive the calls from the sideline necessary to set the defense. 

Nate Stupar figures to be the other starting linebacker when the Giants are in their base defense,  though the Giants will probably go more with the "big nickel" package they've been running most of the year. 

That package has seen strong safety Jabrill Peppers play down in the box on 154 of his 261 defensive snaps so far this season.  

The Giants will also be without edge rusher Lorenzo Carter (neck), who was listed as questionable Friday.

Carter's season is off to a quiet start. He's logged 13 total tackles, half a sack (in Week 2) and has one pass defensed in 87 pass-rush snaps. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Carter's 6.9 pass-rush productivity score is ranked third (out of four) Giants edge rushers.

RELATED: Why Lorenzo Carter Might Be a Better Fit at Inside Linebacker

Oshane Ximines, who has been seeing his gameday snaps increase, has 10 tackles, 2.0 sacks, and 1 pass breakup through four games. He also has a 10.2 pass-rush productivity score, the best of the Giants edge rushers, despite only participating in 59 pass-rush snaps so far.

Running back Saquon Barkley, who was unsurprisingly declared out Friday, is inactive. 

Barkley has been progressing from his high ankle sprain at an amazing pace, so much so that he was listed as a limited participant in the team's Friday's practice.

There is a slight chance Barkley could be back for the team's Thursday night game at New England, but with the team on a short work week next week and then 10 days before their Week 7 home game against the Cardinals, it would be surprising to see Barkley back in action next week against the Patriots.

RELATED: Why the Giants Shouldn't Rush Saquon Barkley Back

The rest of the Giants inactive list includes quarterback Alex Tanney, offensive linemen Chad Slade and Eric Smith.

Vikings Inactive List

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