New York Giants RB Devin Singletary is coming off his best fantasy football performance of this young NFL season as he gashed the Cleveland Browns for 108 yards and a touchdown, finishing the week as the 10th most value running back in our game
Should he be in your lineups when Week 4 kicks off with his Giants hosting the rival Cowboys?
Should You Start or Sit Devin Singletary in Fantasy this Week?
We in the fantasy industry are in the information-gathering business. We watch all the games every week, hoping that it improves our long-term decision-making. While three weeks is still a small sample, two trends have become too obvious to ignore.
WR1’s against Washington
- Week 1: Mike Evans (23.1 FP, WR6)
- Week 2: Malik Nabers (28.7 FP, WR3)
- Week 3: Ja’Marr Chase (29.8 FP, WR2)
RB1’s against Dallas
- Week 1: Jerome Ford (18.9 FP, RB10)
- Week 2: Alvin Kamara (44.0 FP, RB1)
- Week 3: Derrick Henry (30.4 FP, RB3)
Devin Singletary understood the assignment. That should ice the game for the @Giants!
đź“ş: #NYGvsCLE on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/ncONHFHxt1— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
Singletary works into that second flow chart and that means you’re essentially blindly starting him. Through three weeks, the veteran back is responsible for 79.2% of New York’s running back carries and has shown some burst with a 20-plus yard rush in consecutive weeks.
Some signs of versatility also play into his favor. In two of three games, Singletary has caught four passes, which helps quiet some of my concerns—he’s unlikely to be scripted out of any game due to the score.
Fantasy Outlook for Singletary vs. Giants
I think you’re playing Singletary this week and if that works out, I’d advise you to skip the victory lap and instead use your time to explore the trade markets.
Through three weeks, he’s picking up just 0.76 yards per carry before contact, less than half of his career rate. That mark seems unlikely to improve in a significant way as teams continue to bring the heat in an effort to put Daniel Jones to beat them (New York is the third most oft-pressured team in 2024).
Singletary has been a viable NFL back throughout his career, though the splash plays we’ve seen up to this point aren’t something I’m even remotely comfortable in betting on.
- Christmas Eve 2022
That was the last time, prior to last week, Singletary ripped off a 25-plus yard run. The quality of carry that he’s produced up to this point isn’t something that his resume (or his team) suggests is sustainable and that’s not including the potential for this team going into the tank over the next five weeks (Cowboys, Seahawks, Bengals, Eagles, and Steelers) and wanting to see what Tyrone Tracey Jr. (fifth round pick out of Purdue) has to offer.
The schedule isn’t daunting and will allow you to make a good pitch to your opponent, especially if we are now talking three straight strong outings.
Selling Points
- Week 6 vs. Bengals
- Week 9 vs. Commanders
- Week 10 vs. Panthers
- Week 13 at Cowboys
- Fantasy Super Bowl vs. Colts
That matchup with Indianapolis, a defense that has allowed a running back to clear 150 rushing yards twice in three weeks, looks amazing, but if Singletary’s stock crumbles before then, the fantasy team holding him won’t be playing a meaningful game that time of year.
You can play Singletary with confidence this week as a RB2 in an ideal matchup on Thursday night, but I’d be careful in reading too far into the start to the season for New York’s lead back.
All stats are from TruMedia unless otherwise stated.