The New York Giants stumbled badly in Week 1, managing just a pair of field goals in a loss to Washington. Questions are already swirling around the offense’s direction, and the pressure only grows with a divisional showdown against the Dallas Cowboys on deck. Fantasy football managers searching for value will find limited options here, though there are glimmers of upside if the matchup breaks right. The real question is whether this unit can stabilize before the season slips away.
Russell Wilson, QB
Russell Wilson is past his physical prime, so it really is damning when you realize that he averaged more yards per carry than yards per pass in Washington last week.
Following the 21-6 loss, reports circulated that Wilson’s job security had evaporated after the ugly performance. While he has since been confirmed as the Week 2 starter, it’s clear that the leash is short.
New York went pass-heavy when they had Daniel Jones against the Cowboys last season because they couldn’t move the ball on the ground (24 carries for 26 yards with a long run of five whole yards).
That meant 40 attempts for Jones, and while that sounds great, he was QB24 for the week (9.5 fantasy points). That’s where I stand on Wilson this week, provided he plays the entire game. The volume should help calm the nerves for Nabers’ managers; outside of him, the fate of your fantasy week shouldn’t rely on this mess.
Cam Skattebo, RB
This is a prime example of the impact of expectations.
Did you draft Cam Skattebo with the thought that you’d have New York’s bellcow by midseason?
If so, you’re probably underwhelmed. No room was cleared for Giant running backs against Washington on Sunday as the trio picked up just 30 yards on 15 carries.
Cam Skattebo was the 3rd Highest Rated RB according to PFF in Week 1 led by a Receiving Grade of 91.4. On 4 Touches he forced 3 Missed Tackles.
— Monte (@MONTECRI5TO) September 8, 2025
Did you draft Skattebo with the thought that you had a handcuff that might have value if the lead role fell into his lap?
If so, you’re fine with the ugly Week 1 from this offense. Wilson didn’t exactly get a vote of confidence immediately following the loss. Still, his leash appears to be short, and the moment they close that chapter, movement toward the 2025 draft class feels inevitable (Skattebo: 2025 fourth-round selection).
Skattebo played seven snaps on Sunday, trailing Devin Singletary. That’s not ideal, but if you pulled the ripcord this fast, you made a mistake at the draft.
Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB
We spend the entire summer trying to project the distribution of backfield touches. We evaluate skill set fits, projected game scripts, and a million other things that go into creating sound rankings and entering your draft with confidence.
But sometimes, it just doesn’t matter.
Last week, I was much higher than the field on Tyrone Tracy Jr. I rostered him at a bargain in DFS and thought I was smarter than everyone. The idea was multi-pronged: the Giants’ defense is underrated and can thus keep the game tight, which would mean a conservative game plan, allowing me to lean into my projection of Tracy as a bellcow against a defense with some question marks.
I stand by it process-wise. Hell, I was right for the most part; it just didn’t matter.
Tracy out-snapped Skattebo 45-7, but it only resulted in 10 carries because this offensive line couldn’t get a push. He was stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage on six of his 10 carries (NFL RB average in Week 1: 22.9%), and the G-men (correctly) just gave up trying on the ground.
Why would we project that to change this week?
Last season, Tracy carried 13 times for 34 yards against Dallas, and after what we saw last week, that’d be a welcome level of efficiency.
I’m comfortable labeling him as the bellcow for now, but that doesn’t mean he should be near your lineup. Tracy is my RB36, ranking behind multiple backs in Washington, Seattle, and Minnesota.
And no, I’m not making the same mistake in DFS this week.
Darius Slayton, WR
Darius Slayton led the Giants in routes run (44), but I watched the entire game and had no idea (one target).
Nabers is a target vacuum, which will naturally not leave much meat on the bone for any of his teammates, but that hurts a player like Wan’Dale Robinson more than Slayton.
You’re never betting on volume here; you’re betting on a single play that makes your dreams come true. Slayton is more of a DFS option in the right spots than a realistic redraft player, and that’s not breaking news.
Could he hit big against Dallas? He’s skilled enough that one splash play is never out of the question. Still, the Boys were more vulnerable on shallow passes than deep ones (12th best by passer rating downfield, 32nd otherwise) last year, thus fueling my preference for Robinson over Slayton as the WR2 in New York.
“Preference” might be misleading: neither Robinson nor Slayton ranks among my top 50 receivers this week.
Malik Nabers, WR
Malik Nabers fell out of bed into double-digit targets, and he did that again over the weekend in Washington, but he hauled in just five of 12 for 71 yards and was held out of the end zone.
The Giants were a mess, and Nabers still gets you a dozen PPR points, which feels like his floor given his role in an offense that figures to operate with an aggressive script more often than not this season.
The quarterback situation is what it is. Wilson’s status as passively threatened this week, and while a change won’t be made for now, I’m not sure it matters.
The limitations of this offense will keep Nabers out of my top tier at the position. Still, the overwhelming nature of opportunities makes it impossible to rank him outside of the top 15.
Last season, he earned 28 targets on his 77 routes against Dallas as a rookie, totaling 20 catches and 184 yards. In those contests, the Giants made it a point to get their best player involved – most of those receptions came no more than five yards down the field.
The Cowboys are coming off a historically bad season in terms of defending the red zone, and Wilson may be playing for his job: this is about as optimistic as I’m going to get for Nabers to find paydirt, and that’s why he’s my WR3 for this week.
Wan’Dale Robinson, WR
If you locked me in a dark room and asked me to project Wan’Dale Robinson without any information (no mention of the quarterback he’s playing with, the opponent, the weather, no nothing), I think I would land somewhere in the range of 5-7 catches for 60-ish yards.
Week 1 at Washington: 6 catches for 55 yards.
You know what you’re getting, and that can be useful. Broccoli is a nice complement to my chicken parm. But if you have too much broccoli and not enough chicken parm, what are you doing?
That’s to say that every team should have a floor riser like Robinson, but let’s not overdo it. Situationally, he’s viable, but his role is far from pliable.
READ MORE: Soppe’s Week 2 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Analysis for Every Player in Every Game
I believe that Robinson is largely matchup-proof. Good or bad, he’s looking at 9-12 PPR points. That train of thought has held up for much of his career, but the Cowboys have been the exception.
Worrisome is the fact that his 15 career catches against Dallas have totaled just 93 yards. Even more worrying is that 11 of those catches and 71 of those yards came in one of those three games.
In his two trips to Jerry’s World, Robinson has turned 59 routes into… wait for it… 12 yards on five targets. Week 2 isn’t the spot to deploy Robinson: wait until you have injuries to navigate, and his floor becomes more appealing. This week, I’d be more likely to take my chances on a Rashid Shaeed or Tillman-type receiver that can reach Robinson’s projection on a single target.
