Brought in purely as roster depth, Devin Singletary not only played his way into a meaningful role, but he outright took Dameon Pierce’s job with the Texans last season. Now, Singletary finds himself firmly atop the New York Giants depth chart. Despite playing in what should be a subpar offense, is Singletary a value in 2024 fantasy football drafts?
Devin Singletary’s 2024 Fantasy Forecast
Singletary’s 2023 journey was a wild one. He was drafted everywhere due to the lack of full belief in Pierce. However, early in the season, Pierce had a stranglehold on the starting job and Singletary was a seldom-used backup. As a result, Singletary was dropped in many leagues.
Despite Pierce’s control of the starting role, he wasn’t exactly playing well. Beginning around Week 6, Singletary’s usage increased. Then, Pierce got hurt ahead of Week 9, allowing Singletary to operate as the lead back for multiple weeks. That was all the team needed to see.
Singletary averaged 9.8 fantasy points per game last season. Based on that number alone, no one should care much about him. But the more important analysis is how Singletary performed after taking over as the Texans’ lead back.
From Week 9 through the end of the season, Singletary averaged 13.4 fantasy points per game — those are rock-solid RB2 numbers. If Singletary can merely replicate that level of production this season on the Giants, he will be well worth his cost in fantasy drafts.
Volume is king in fantasy football. Singletary may not be the most talented back in the league. His yards per touch and evaded tackles per touch were both 39th in the league last season. He’s probably not going to blow anyone away with efficiency.
However, his role is what fantasy managers dream of. The two backs behind Singletary are both Day 3 picks. Singletary is poised to have a true three-down role.
There’s a very real chance Singletary commands a 70% snap share or greater. And he’s no stranger to heavy usage. He eclipsed a 70% snap share six times last season and eight times the year before in Buffalo.
While the Giants offense may not be overly conducive to fantasy scoring, Singletary’s RB34 ADP, No. 196 overall, doesn’t mandate it needs to be. He can volume his way to low RB2/high RB3 numbers. Merely performing at that level would be a positive return on investment.
My favorite thing to do in fantasy is draft players at their floor. I have a hard time envisioning a scenario outside of Singletary somehow losing his job where he doesn’t at least finish as a mid-RB3.
Singletary is my RB32. That’s only slightly higher than consensus, but it’s enough where he’s a player I am actively looking to target.
Once you get into the later rounds of fantasy drafts, the running backs available are typically handcuffs or guys on the wrong side of timeshares. In Singletary, we have a lead back for an NFL team with minimal competition for playing time. That is a player I want to draft as frequently as possible.