What Happened to Malik Nabers? Breaking Down the Giants Superstar WR’s Injury and Return Timeline

Why is Malik Nabers not playing for the New York Giants? Here's the latest on the star WR's status for the rest of the season.

Malik Nabers suffered a major injury in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers and has been sidelined since then. As the New York Giants prepare to play the Detroit Lions in Week 12, here’s the latest update on Nabers.


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Malik Nabers Injury Update

Nabers went down while attempting to haul in a deep pass along the right sideline in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers. The severity was apparent right away, as he immediately grabbed at his right leg after hitting the ground. It was later confirmed that he tore his ACL and meniscus while leaping to make the catch..

His injury could not have come at a worse time; the Giants are currently near the bottom of PFSN’s Offense Impact metric, ranking 26th on the year with an overall grade of D+.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed that Nabers is expected to undergo surgery for the torn ACL and a torn meniscus while also allowing a partially torn labrum and turf toe to heal, per sources. Surgery on his labrum was also considered but was eventually decided against. Before leaving that particular game, Nabers had two catches for 20 yards.

As a rookie in 2024, Nabers set a franchise record with 109 receptions for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. This season, he had already recorded 16 catches for 251 yards and two touchdowns through three games.

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The average recovery timeline for a torn ACL is typically six to nine months, a challenge the Giants will now have to navigate. Nabers is currently projected to be ready in time for the start of training camp. He had also previously dealt with shoulder and turf toe issues, making this latest setback especially tough.

New York Giants’ Insights for Week 12

Team: The Giants are 0-4 on the road when they have led by 10+ points.

QB: Jameis Winston recorded a QBi score of 80.3 (B-) in Week 11 against the Packers. It is his 22nd-best score in 90 career qualified games.

Offense: The Giants’ PFSN Defense Impact score (OFFi) of 70.0 (C-) is an improvement from the 62.7 (D-) in 2024 and 56.2 (F) in 2023.

Defense: New York currently has a 65.9 (D) DEFi score for the season. It matches the franchise’s lowest score since 2000. In 2015, Tom Coughlin’s last season as head coach, the Giants also had a 65.9 DEFi score.

Fantasy: Over the past three weeks, Tyrone Tracy Jr. has started each of them, but his snap share (54.9%) is hardly ahead of Devin Singletary (45.1%), and he has just two red zone touches over that stretch (Singletary: 15).

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