John Fennelly , Executive Editor

Injuries have the Giants changing their lineup by the day. At RB, we have already seen the team elevate electric rookie David Wilson into the starting lineup. With Ahmad Bradshaw to be more limited than ever with a hand injury, Wilson will get to strut his stuff early Friday night vs the Bears. The Giants are being cautious, but keep in mind, they didn’t draft Wilson to watch…

“Any time you get a rookie, every game, every practice, they’re learning,” Eli Manning told reporters yesterday. “The more reps you can get them, especially with the first group, what we’re doing, different things, changing things, more audibles, he’s got to be put in that situation on a whim. He’s got to know exactly what his assignment is, and what’s going on. You have to throw that at him a little bit, see how he adjusts, see how quickly the game is played at this level, and how you have to know the offense like the back of your hand.”

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LB Michael Boley is frustrated by a tricky hamstring. He was able to practice two weeks ago but was quickly shut afterward. He is still sidelined and has no inkling when he will return to the field.

“It’s been a pain, obviously, since the beginning of camp,” Boley said. “So, it’s pretty frustrating to actually be out this long with a hamstring injury. So, I’m just hoping that the docs can give me some good news in the next couple of days.”

In Boley’s absence Keith Rivers, the former Bengals’ “bust’ the Giants took a flier on this offseason, has stepped nicely as the starter at WLB.

“Rivers has played pretty well. He’s played pretty well,” Tom Coughlin stated yesterday. “He’s gotten better each week. Practiced well. Special teams he’s done a nice job. He can run.”

Run he can. Rivers appears to still have plenty of speed. He just needs to understand the Giants way of doing things. He’s catching on fast.

“I view myself as a person who could start,” Rivers said. “Obviously, that’s not the case right now, but you always want to view yourself as that. I’ve been that. I’ve shown to be capable of doing that. I just have to get back and take advantage of opportunities and hopefully it comes…”

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Another new player that is suddenly under the microscope is veteran free agent OT Sean Locklear, thrust into the starting lineup by Will Beatty’s bad back. The Giants have Locklear playing LT right now, but by admission he is a right tackle. He can do both, though…

“When I was in Seattle, during the preseason, I was filling in for Walter Jones, when he was a holdout. Every year, I come in and play left all preseason and I’d take week one and move to right. So there is some experience over there.”

If Beatty cannot go, the Giant are considering moving Locklear back to right tackle, meaning David Diehl – you got it – moves back to the left side.