Darius Slayton had a marvelous rookie season back in 2019. Many in the fantasy football community were excited about the fifth-rounder’s breakout potential in 2020. However, Slayton was forced to operate as the New York Giants’ No. 1 receiver which did not end well. Can he bounce back in 2021 with a revamped offensive roster in New York and be a value at his ADP? Let’s examine his fantasy outlook to find out!
Darius Slayton’s fantasy outlook for 2021
The Giants made several notable offseason moves to improve their offense in 2021. The first move was signing wide receiver Kenny Golladay during free agency. The former Detroit Lions receiver signed a four-year, $72 million contract with $40 million guaranteed. That is a sizeable amount for a receiver who has only played in 47 games since 2017. Nevertheless, Golladay will be the undisputed No. 1 receiver in a Giants’ offense that struggled mightily in 2020.
Other notable free-agent additions
The presence of Golladay and the target share he’ll command is an advantage for Slayton. He is better suited as a complementary receiver, and Slayton will thrive against opponents’ No. 2 cornerbacks. Still, he’ll be competing with other new additions for targets.
The Giants also added tight end Kyle Rudolph and receiver John Ross in free agency.
Ross was selected No. 9 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Bengals, but he’s struggled with injuries over the last four seasons. Ross has 51 receptions, 733 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns over that time frame. Additionally, he averaged 14.4 yards per reception in his career. Ross and Slayton unfortunately both have a similar role in the Giants’ offense as deep threats.
Rudolph, on the other hand, won’t command a ton of targets but does provide quarterback Daniel Jones with another red-zone weapon. He scored 6+ touchdowns in three of the four years prior to last season in the Minnesota Vikings’ run-heavy offense.
The Giants’ selection in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft
Furthermore, the Giants selected Swiss Army knife Kadarius Toney with the No. 20 pick out of Florida. He stockpiled 2,641 all-purpose yards in his collegiate career and caught 120 passes for 1,590 yards and 12 touchdowns. Toney also rushed for 580 yards and 2 scores in his 38-game career. As such, he can be deployed in a variety of ways.
The Giants still have Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram on the roster. Moreover, New York is excited to see running back Saquon Barkley return. As a result, the Giants have multiple offensive weapons that will siphon targets away from Slayton in 2021 as there are only so many to go around.
Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is on the hot seat
New York only scored 30 or more points once last season. The Giants also averaged 299.6 total yards, which ranked 31st in the NFL.
Nevertheless, the Giants will be better offensively in 2021. The team’s young offensive line will be more unified this season. New York had the most success when they leaned heavily on the running game and play-action passing last year. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett’s offenses in Dallas were always balanced and is a mantra he should embody in New York. Barkley is the engine that can propel the Giants’ offense to success.
The bad news for someone like Slayton is that he’ll see a significant reduction in targets. All of these changes do not bode well for him to become a consistent fantasy contributor in 2021.
Fantasy projection
Slayton has averaged 6 targets, 3.3 receptions, 50 receiving yards, and 10.4 PPR fantasy points per game so far in his career. He could see around 60 targets, 35 receptions, 460 receiving yards, and 4 touchdowns in 2021. Thus, Slayton should be viewed as more of a low-end WR6.
Darius Slayton’s ADP
Slayton is available in the 15th round of fantasy drafts when you review redraft ADP data from Fantasy Football Calculator. This trend is similar in pay-to-play fantasy formats such as the National Fantasy Championship, where Slayton has an ADP of 226.29 as the WR77 overall. Yet, on Sleeper, Slayton’s ADP Â is 194.3.
Should you draft Slayton at this ADP in 2021?
Slayton is unlikely to see a high target share in the Giants’ crowded group of pass catchers. Therefore, I wouldn’t draft Slayton in fantasy drafts. One other receiver with a similar ADP with more upside who I would prioritize is Tre’Quan Smith.
