What It Means:

Daboll said Barkley is "getting better" after sitting out last Thursday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers with a right ankle sprain. Barkley was initially expected to miss multiple games, but the Giants are playing on Monday night in Week 4 against the Seattle Seahawks, so the additional day and a half could allow him to return early. Daboll also might just be engaging in meaningless coach speak. Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell will likely split backfield work again in Week 4 if Barkley remains unavailable.

The Seahawks’ run defense ranks 12th in numberFire’s opponent-adjusted NEP model, but their pass defense is 26th, so the Giants may try to focus more on their aerial "attack" on Monday night. Breida is the RB35 and Brightwell is the RB38 in our Week 4 rankings.