In fantasy football, we want good players on good offenses. The New York Giants fell well short of the mark last season.
Although Daniel Jones is clearly not the answer, his presence on the field is better than the alternative. Working with the best WR of his career, Malik Nabers, what does our New York Giants fantasy preview say about how this duo might perform?
New York Giants Fantasy Depth Chart
QB
Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito
RB
Devin Singletary, Eric Gray, Tyrone Tracy, Gary Brightwell
WR1
Malik Nabers, Isaiah Hodgins, Miles Boykin
WR2
Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson
WR3
Jalin Hyatt, Isaiah McKenzie
TE
Daniel Bellinger, Theo Johnson, Chris Manhertz, Jack Stoll
Note: Tight end Darren Waller still remains on the roster, but all signs point to him retiring.
Daniel Jones’ Fantasy Outlook
After a surprisingly strong 2022 season where he averaged 18.4 fantasy points per game, Daniel Jones was a popular late-round QB target in 2023.
Injuries are certainly more to blame for his disastrous season, but Jones wasn’t exactly impressive before getting hurt.
Jones played in just six games and only averaged 10.5 fantasy points per game. That makes it difficult to draw any conclusions for the upcoming season.
Looking back at 2022, although Jones had some stellar fantasy outings, he wasn’t exactly a prolific quarterback.
Jones’s production came almost entirely due to his ability to rush the ball. He averaged 44.3 rushing yards per game.
Daniel Jones rushed for 7️⃣ TDs last season — tied for 3rd most among #NFL QBs.
He puts the #Giants on the scoreboard to open up the second half.
pic.twitter.com/EGdinp9uvu— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) September 17, 2023
Through the air, Jones only threw for 15 touchdowns. His 2022 season was predicated on protecting the football. There was no actual progression as a passer.
The Giants have made it abundantly clear they are ready to move on. Any job security Jones had due to being a first-round pick is gone. In fact, it would be surprising if he made it through the season as the starter, even if he stays healthy.
I would go so far as to say Drew is a … Lock to make starts this season.
Fantasy managers can utilize Jones in favorable matchups as a streamer, but he is not someone that needs to be drafted.
Devin Singletary’s Fantasy Outlook
The time spent away from football can often cloud our judgment. We forget how things actually went down.
Last season, Devin Singletary averaged a wholly unimpressive 9.8 fantasy points per game. But Singletary opened the season as a seldom-used backup to Dameon Pierce.
Eventually, Pierce’s abysmal performance combined with Singletary’s inspired play resulted in this backfield flipping.
From Week 9 through the end of the season, Singletary averaged 13.4 fantasy points per game — those are rock-solid RB2 numbers. During his time as the lead back of the Texans, Singletary showed enough speed and strength to trust.
Huge gain by Devin Singletary to put the #Texans in plus territory 😤
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) January 13, 2024
With the NFL Draft behind us, we know the Giants did not address the running back position in a meaningful way. This is shaping up to be Singletary’s backfield.
In the past, we’ve seen the Giants willing to use non-elite backs in a three-down role. We’ve also seen Singletary prove capable of handling upwards of an 80% snap share.
MORE: Consensus Dynasty Rankings
The Giants may not have the greatest offense, but volume is king. Singletary’s role is secure, and he’s good enough to produce RB2 numbers.
If Singletary can merely replicate last year’s starter numbers this season in New York, he will be well worth his cost in fantasy drafts.
Malik Nabers’ Fantasy Outlook
There are two schools of thought when it comes to Nabers. I will address both of them.
Let’s start with the obvious: Nabers is an incredible talent. If Marvin Harrison Jr. wasn’t in this class, the generational talent label may very well have been attached to Nabers. He’s that good.
Nabers steps into an immediate WR1 role with the Giants. There isn’t even a question as to whether he will start at the X. The Giants don’t have anyone even 10% as talented as Nabers. That also means Nabers has a legitimate 30% target share upside as a rookie.
With that volume, it will be hard for Nabers to fail given the natural attributes he brings to the table.
Malik Nabers runs a 4.35 40-yard dash at LSU’s Pro Day. 💨
Jayden Daniels gasses him up at the end. 🔥#GeauxTigers | #NFLDraft
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) March 27, 2024
Now for the other side: Nabers’ quarterback is Jones. Nabers’ talent is just one piece of the puzzle. We’ve seen what poor quarterback play can do to established stars, let alone rookies.
Perhaps the football world is just wrong about the talent levels of Garrett Wilson and Drake London. But the prevailing belief is they will be WR1s with elite WR1 upside now that they have competent quarterbacks.
What if Nabers suffers a similar fate this season?
Wilson caught 83 passes for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie. We’d probably consider that a pretty incredible season if Nabers did it this year. Yet, Wilson only averaged 12.7 fantasy points per game. That goes to show how difficult it can be for Nabers to be a mid-WR2, which is what he will likely be drafted as.
I lean more on the side of Nabers potentially seeing 180 targets.
KEEP READING: Dynasty Rookie Rankings
Even if they aren’t necessarily quality targets, he’s talented enough to overcome it. And if Jones does get benched, Nabers’ upside is probably better with Lock. As a result, I want Nabers in 2024 fantasy leagues.
Giants Fantasy Sleepers
Last season, essentially the entire Giants’ WR corps were sleepers. Not a single one of them panned out.
Once again, we can look to the WRs behind Nabers as potential sleepers.
While none of them excite me, if one does break through, it would probably be sophomore Jalin Hyatt.
Hyatt’s poor rookie season likely spells doom for him as a relevant fantasy asset. But he also wasn’t used properly.
Hyatt should be operating out of the slot, yet, he ran just 10% of his routes from that position. Perhaps with Nabers in town and Darius Slayton outside, Hyatt can experience a breakout as a slot guy.
This would be a situation to monitor throughout training camp and the preseason. Follow the beat reporters. See how Hyatt is being utilized. If there’s buzz about him excelling from the slot, he might be worth a last-round pick, just to see what happens. Worst case, you can always drop him.
As we look ahead to the 2024 fantasy football season, why not start preparing for your rookie drafts with our dynasty rookie rankings? Additionally, as you look to improve your team heading into 2024, our dynasty trade calculator can help you find the perfect deal to boost your championship chances.