G-men starting wild card Tommy DeVito vs. the Bucs
The Giants face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12 fresh off a Bye and after benching $160M quarterback Daniel Jones. Head coach Brian Daboll has named Tommy DeVito the starter, passing over Drew Lock. DeVito played in eight games last season, making six starts. He threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns against the Commanders in Week 11 of 2023. Apart from that, DeVito never topped 200 yards passing, and threw just five other touchdown passes total. Fantasy gamers should not expect an upgrade in the Giants offense with DeVito replacing Jones.
The team faces a Tampa defense that is bottom-half against the run, but even more ineffective against the pass. The Bucs are currently last in the league in Success Rate allowed on opponents’ dropbacks: a soft matchup for DeVito and the Giants’ pass catchers. The G-men will also likely be in a negative Game Script against a Tampa offense that has been in the top quarter of the league this season and getting Mike Evans back. The Giants are used to negative scripts this season (-5.26, No. 27), and are No. 6 in team pass attempts per game with 38.0.
That said, the only auto-start in the pass game is rookie sensation Malik Nabers. Wan’Dale Robinson is flex-ible in PPR leagues as a Bye week fill-in – 8.4 targets per game, but just 394 (No. 50) receiving yards. Fantasy gamers may want to pass up starting Robinson with the uncertainty of the QB situation. Tyrone Tracy Jr. is a startable RB2 against a Bucs run D that is No. 26 in RB fantasy points against. Tommy DeVito is a wild card as a fantasy QB producer, startable only as a desperation bye week sub-in.
– Joel Ybarra, @metaffb
New York Giants wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson had a quiet ...
Most of the beat writers for the New York Giants would be ...
New York Giants wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson (quad) is ...
Rookie RB tops 100 yards rushing, loses costly fumble
Tyrone Tracy Jr. had another great day on the ground Sunday despite losing a fumble that cost the Giants the win against the Panthers in overtime. Tracy Jr. logged another 18 carries, marking the fifth game in the last six where he received 16 or more carries. The rookie accrued 103 yards on the ground and another touchdown. With Daniel Jones struggling, Tracy Jr. and fellow rookie Malik Nabers represent a strong core of young offensive weapons that are showing some pop and would be even more impactful with better quarterback play.
Daniel Jones was just 22-of-37 passing Sunday with two interceptions and zero touchdowns. The veteran QB totaled just 190 yards passing and spread the ball around. Nabers had six catches for 50 yards on 10 targets. Wan’Dale Robinson caught four of his eight targets for 51 yards. Jalin Hyatt and tight end Theo Johnson both had four catches for 39 and 37 yards, respectively. With Jones only throwing eight touchdown passes on the season and more than 250 yards just three times, the ceiling for the pass catchers is capped. Jones himself is merely a bye week fill-in, with rushing production buoying his floor.
– Joel Ybarra, @metaffb
Rookies Lead the Way in Fantasy Scoring
The Giants face off against division foe Washington Commanders in Week 9 action. The G-men are struggling to maintain relevance in the NFC East, but have an interesting pair of fantasy relevant offensive weapons, including rookie Alpha WR Malik Nabers and new lead back Tyrone Tracy, Jr.
The only thing that has slowed down Nabers was a Week 4 concussion which sidelined him for two games. When on the field, Nabers is a target dominator (No. 1 36.5-percent Target Share). He will face a Commanders defense that is bottom half against the pass, and on the other side of the ball, a Commanders offense that is top-3 in scoring. That adds up to another high-volume target game for the first round rookie.
Another rookie creating some excitement in the Giants’ offense is fifth round rookie RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. Tracy completed his hostile takeover of the Giants’ backfield in Week 8, when he carried the ball 20 times to Devin Singletary’s two. Tracy rumbled for 145 yards and a TD against the Steelers in Week 8 before sustaining a concussion. Fortunate for fantasy gamers rostering the rookie back, Tracy has cleared concussion protocol ahead of the team’s Week 9 contest against the Jayden Daniels-led Commanders.
Apart from the two exciting rookie playmakers, don’t get excited about starting any other options outside of deep leagues. Wan’Dale Robinson is a decent PPR play and Darius Slayton will have some boom performances, but Nabers and Tracy Jr. will suck up an outsized portion of the volume. Daniel Jones has accounted for just six touchdowns passing on the season and zero rushing. The Giants offense generates just 303.6 (No. 26) yards per game – not an offense to trust in fantasy apart from its flashy new weapons.
– Joel Ybarra, @metaffb
The Giants standout WR did not progress through concussion protocol
Giants wideout Malik Nabers has been ruled out for Sunday night’s matchup with the Bengals. Nabers was unable to progress far enough in the league’s concussion protocol to see game action this week. He’ll have another chance in Week 7 to progress through the steps required before the Giants face inter-division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Nabers news is unfortunate for the Giants since they face a Bengals offense that has been effective scoring in recent weeks. Daniel Jones will look to feed Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson when he drops back to pass. The veteran Slayton was the lead target for the Giants when Nabers was out in Week 5. Slayton notched a 8-112-1 receiving line. Fantasy gamers will also be looking to replace Nabers’ production, a difficult task as Nabers leads all WRs with 22.9 fantasy points per game when on the field.
– Joel Ybarra, @metaffb
Giants star wide receiver not likely to be cleared for Week 6
Malik Nabers, who has been the focal point of the Giants offense so far in his rookie season, is not progressing as hoped in the league’s concussion protocol. Nabers suffered a concussion on Thursday, September 26th during the team’s Week 4 game against the Cowboys. He then missed the team’s Week 5 game against the Seahawks, which the Giants won 29-20.
Head coach Brian Daboll told reporters Thursday Nabers was in “the same spot he was yesterday” with regard to progressing in the concussion protocol. Nabers’ next step would be to log a limited practice Friday or Saturday, but it is not looking promising he will be able to clear protocol ahead of the Giants’ Sunday night matchup against the Bengals. The rookie No. 6 overall NFL Draft pick has logged a 38.2-percent (No. 1) Target Share in the four games he has played, and is No. 1 among wide receivers in PPG scoring.
With Nabers sidelined in Week 5, Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson and Theo Johnson ran the most routes on the team. Those three were also the top target earners – Slayton with 11, Robinson with 9 and Johnson with 5. They face a Bengals secondary which just gave up 348 yards passing and four passing touchdowns to Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.
– Joel Ybarra, @metaffb
Wan’Dale Robinson will begin the 2023 season on the Giants’ active roster after being removed from the PUP list.
Wan’Dale Robinson is set to kick off the season on New York’s active roster after being activated off the PUP list. Following a challenging 2022 plagued by various injuries, Robinson’s season was ultimately cut short in week 11 when he tore his ACL. In his debut season, spanning six games, he managed to amass 23 receptions for 227 yards and secured a touchdown. His standout performance though occurred in his final game, as he tallied 9 catches for 100 yards against the Lions.
This placement on the active roster at the beginning of the season implies that the Giants are optimistic about Robinson’s swift return. Although a comeback during week 1 remains a possibility, a more probable scenario places his return sometime between weeks 2 and 4. Robinson is anticipated to take on a role in the slot, serving as a backup to the presumed starter Parris Campbell. Campbell, similar to Robinson, is a former second-round pick who is coming off a career year with the Indianapolis Colts in 2022.
Despite being the 43rd overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Robinson has not garnered much attention in fantasy football formats. He is small in stature, but more than makes up for it with his versatility and skills with the ball in his hands. During the draft evaluation process, Robinson often drew comparisons to Deebo Samuel, a resemblance that is evident by his versatility to be utilized from the backfield. While his performance during the 2023 season may start off slow as he works his way back to full strength, Robinson is a player worth monitoring throughout the year, and a valuable asset to stash in dynasty fantasy football leagues.
