New York Giants WR Malik Nabers was on the short list of fantasy football MVP candidates through the first four weeks of this season, but a concussion suffered late in Week 4 kept him sidelined for Week 5, and his progress through protocol has been slower than most.
As for Devin Singletary, a groin injury cost him Week 5 and allowed for Tyrone Tracy Jr. to burst onto the scene with 130 scrimmage yards.
Should fantasy managers count on having either Giants RB in their lineups for this favorable spot against the Cincinnati Bengals?
Is Malik Nabers Playing in Week 6?
On Friday morning, Giants head coach Brian Daboll provided a definitive update on Nabers’ status for Sunday night’s showdown at MetLife Stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“He’ll be doing stuff out on the field more like he was doing the last few days… he won’t make it (to a return).”
Malik Nabers is OUT for Sunday night's game against the Bengals pic.twitter.com/c3afx279yB
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) October 11, 2024
Daboll noted that Nabers was making progress, but with this type of injury, you don’t want to rush. Concussions aren’t linear injuries; no two are the same, and recovery time can vary.
On the whole, concussions result in an average of only one missed game, though the 2-3 Giants could elect to take a cautious approach with a player they are building their long-term offense around.
Fantasy Implications of Nabers’ Injury
The timing of this game (Sunday Night Football) could have been annoying for fantasy managers because there was no guarantee of having a final status before you lock in the majority of your Week 6 lineup. Thankfully, Daboll’s revelation makes this situation simpler for fantasy managers.
We saw Darius Slayton explode against the Seahawks in Week 5 (8-122-1). He was the one who assumed much of the Nabers’ role while Wan’Dale Robinson remained the king of the short-yardage and slot targets.
With a defined status update before the first wave of games on Sunday, this is a now straightforward situation.
- Play Slayton as a Flex
- Play Robinson as a low-end WR2
Starting Giants is dangerous, but not nearly as dangerous as fading passing games that are facing the porous Bengals.
WR1s vs. Bengals
- Zay Flowers: 7-111-0 on 12 targets
- Terry McLaurin: 4-100-1 on 6 targets
- Diontae Johnson: 7-83-1 on 13 targets
- Rashee Rice: 5-75-1 on 6 targets
Even with questions about Nabers’ health, a compromised version of him would have still been New York’s top option, making him a plug-and-play start.
I’m obviously not applying the same level of confidence around Slayton, but his ceiling is high enough to lock him in now that we know Nabers’ status.
Is Devin Singletary Playing in Week 6?
Singletary has been a limited participant in practice this week, putting his practice usage ahead of where it was at this point last week. That’s a good sign, though his status is far from a certainty.
Malik Nabers was running routes and catching passes on the side today. That’s the most he’s done that we’ve seen. Obviously not going to be cleared for Sunday, but promising for next week (assuming he continues to progress).
Don’t feel as good about RB Devin Singletary (groin)…
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) October 11, 2024
On Friday afternoon, Tom Pelissero reported that the Giants would list Singletary as questionable against the Bengals because of the groin injury. We will now have to wait until early Sunday evening to find out if Singletary can suit up. There is also still a chance that New York could rule him out earlier, but fantasy managers may not be that lucky.
Fantasy Implications of Singletary’s Injury
One of Singletary’s strengths throughout his NFL career has been his availability. After four DNPs as a rookie with the Bills, Singletary sat out just one game from 2020-23, making the groin injury that cost him last week noteworthy.
In September, he had just one top-20 finish, a result of him averaging just 0.71 yards per carry before contact. There’s not much Singletary can do about that, and with New York’s passing game not exactly threatening defenses, running room isn’t going to get much easier to find.
Assuming good health, Singletary will continue to be my highest-ranked RB in the Giants’ offense, although that comes with faint praise. This is a plus matchup in every way imaginable (porous defense with an explosive offense that New York will be motivated to keep off the field), and yet, a top-20 ranking is no certainty.
As for Tracy, the rookie looked solid last week as he assumed the lead role (62% of snaps to Eric Gray’s 36.6%). He wasn’t used in the exact role of the vacated starter (Singletary in September: 71.9% of snaps), but he was the clear RB1 for the Giants in Week 5.
Games with 18+ Carries and a 5+ yards-gained percentage of at least 50%, 2024
- Chuba Hubbard
- Kyren Williams
- Alvin Kamara
- James Conner
- Tyrone Tracy Jr.
That’s not a bad list to find your name on with one career start. The Giants are likely to extend Tracy’s role when Singletary is back, and that’s a problem because I’m unsure that this offense can sustain multiple running backs.
Ladies and gents, Tyrone Tracy Jr. ‼️ pic.twitter.com/aKVXMH3tAs
— New York Giants (@Giants) October 8, 2024
That’s a long-term worry. This week, the Giants get a Bengals defense that ranks fifth worst in the red zone, giving an efficient runner like this a good look at providing Flex value.
Tracy will replace Singletary 1-for-1 in my rankings if the presumed starter misses another game. Of course, the problem with the RB position is that there aren’t readily available options on the wire to pick up the slack.
If Singletary’s status remains in question at lineup lock, I’d prioritize more stable roles (Javonte Williams, Cam Akers, etc.) over rolling the dice on a Giants offense that offers little in the way of consistency.
All stats are from TruMedia unless otherwise stated.