The New York Giants will likely miss several offensive playmakers when they face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5. Rookie Malik Nabers will sit out with a concussion while running back Devin Singletary (groin) is considered doubtful for Sunday.
Which of New York’s backup RBs — rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. or second-year player Eric Gray — should you start in fantasy football in Week 5 if Singletary doesn’t suit up?
Should You Start Tyrone Tracy Jr. or Eric Gray in Week 5?
Tracy’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
The Giants’ rushing attack has been a struggle to watch through the first four weeks of the season. While New York’s offensive line has improved after last year’s league-worst performance, Big Blue still ranks just 29th in rushing success rate and 30th in EPA per rush entering Week 5.
New York hasn’t been consistent on the ground and has failed to produce any big plays. Just 7.1% of the Giants’ runs have gained 10+ yards, the fifth-worst rate in the NFL.
Tracy, New York’s fourth-round pick in April’s draft, could help if he handles most of the club’s backfield work on Sunday.
Tracy averaged 4.44 yards after contact per attempt in 2023, the second-best mark among Power Five running backs with at least 100 carries. Breaking tackles and generating yardage after being hit is a repeatable skill that could help Tracy be productive in his first potential start.
Preseason Week 2.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. All rush attempts pic.twitter.com/nE4HZofFjg
— Zareh Kantzabedian (@ZKantzFF) August 9, 2024
It’s hard to imagine that Tracy won’t get the start if Singletary can’t play on Sunday. Through four games, Tracy has played roughly a quarter of the Giants’ offensive snaps behind Singletary. Gray has seen action on just 15 plays (5.6%).
Tracy hasn’t been overly involved with Singletary taking most of the work in New York, but the Purdue/Iowa product has 16 touches this season. Gray has five.
Trends suggest Tracy will take on a larger role against the Seahawks this week. Seattle has been a middle-of-the-pack defense against the run so far, ranking 12th in success rate and 17th in EPA per rush. The Seahawks are allowing 20.7 fantasy points per game to RBs, 13th in the league.
Even if the Giants can’t get things going on the ground, Tracy should have a significant role in the passing game. Tracy played wide receiver in college, and his pass-catching skills were a substantial part of his pre-draft resume.
New York is a seven-point road underdog against Seattle. While the Giants’ last three games have been close, Daniel Jones might have to drop back to pass as much as he did — or more in Week 4, when he attempted 40 passes in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Tracy has handled 41 passing-down snaps for the Giants in 2024; Gray has taken just eight. Nabers earned a higher share of his team’s targets than any other NFL pass catcher through the first month of the season. With the star rookie sidelined, there will be plenty of vacated targets to go around — and Tracy could scoop them up.
Gray’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
The Giants selected Gray in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but the club’s coaching staff hasn’t seemed very interested in playing him through his first pro season and change.
Last year, Gray couldn’t beat out veteran journeyman Matt Breida for a significant role behind Saquon Barkley. When Barkley missed Weeks 3 through 5 with an ankle injury, Breida started all three games and handled more work than Gray until Week 5, when the rookie managed just 25 yards on 12 rushes against the Miami Dolphins.
As we noted, nothing has changed this season. Gray seems to be squarely behind Tracy in New York.
Clearly, he’ll see more work as the Giants’ RB2 behind an inexperienced Tracy than he was as the squad’s RB3. Still, it’s difficult to imagine Brian Daboll deciding to give Gray many valuable touches — near the goal line, in the receiving game — given that New York has barely trusted him over the past year-plus.