Odell Beckham Jr. named Giants’ lone 2016 Pro Bowl representative

Odell Beckham #13 of the New York Giants warms up before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium on December 14, 2015 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Credit: Getty Images / Mike Ehrmann
The NFL will soon decide whether to allow Odell Beckham Jr. to play on Sunday night in Minnesota, but they have invited him to play in January in Hawaii.
Beckham was named to the 2016 Pro Bowl roster for the second time in his two-year career. The initial rosters for the all-star game were announced on Tuesday night.
Beckham is the only Giants player invited so far, though the team does have a pair of first alternates on special teams who could wind up participating: kicker Josh Brown and returner Dwayne Harris. Eli Manning, who is posting some of the best numbers of his career, was not among the top three alternates at quarterback.
Beckham was the leading vote-getter at wide receiver in fan voting, which is one-third of the overall process (players get one-third and coaches another third). He is third in the NFL in receiving yards (1,396), eighth in catches (91) and tied for first in receiving touchdowns (13).
Beckham is facing a one-game suspension for unsportsmanlike hits against Panthers cornerback Josh Norman in Sunday’s game and is currently appealing that decision. His appeal will be heard on Wednesday and a final decision on his status for the upcoming game is expected quickly.
n Giant steps
FB Nikita Whitlock (knee) will be placed on injured reserve after he was injured while playing defensive tackle against the Panthers. Whitlock contributed on offense, defense and special teams this season. Although his injury is not believed to require surgery, it is unlikely he would heal before the Giants’ season ends . . . Manning’s 32 touchdown passes are a career high, and put him within range of one of the few team passing records he does not already hold. Y.A. Tittle holds the Giants single-season record of 36 set in 1963 (he also had 33 in 1962) . . . The Giants have scored 373 points so far this season: 186 in the first half, 187 in the second. And yes, their lone missed extra-point came in the first half against Buffalo.