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Malik Nabers has taken the NFL by storm, but is he the best wide receiver in fantasy football? John Johnson breaks down what makes Nabers one of the best.
New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers has been utterly dominant, both in real-life football and fantasy, to start off the 2024 season. There was considerable hype surrounding Nabers coming out of college, and he was dominant at LSU as well, but he wasn't without his concerns.
Nabers was seen as a raw prospect. He wasn't the most polished route runner, benefitted from having Heisman Trophy and now Washington Commanders star quarterback Jayden Daniels, and mostly ran the same few routes (slot fades, comebacks and crossers) in college, but none of that matters now.
Nabers is an unbelievable talent. He's not a player like Falcons WR Drake London or Jets WR Garrett Wilson, who have a million excuses made for their poor production. Nabers has QB Daniel Jones coming off an ACL tear and is still dominating. Is "Leek" the best receiver in the NFL for fantasy football? Let's dive in.
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Why Is Malik Nabers So Dominant In The NFL?
There are a lot of reasons why "Leek" is destroying NFL defenses right now. For one, the idea of him being a "raw" prospect was misguided. Jim Nagy, Director of the Senior Bowl, one of the premiere scouting events for NFL teams, said it best - don't downgrade a player for not doing what he's not asked to do.
To understand why Nabers is dominating right now, it's important to look at what made him great in college. "Leek" was tempered at the highest level of competition in college football, the SEC. The biggest thing that jumps off the screen is his effort. "Leek" plays with his hair on fire and rocket boosters on his back.
#LSU WR Malik Nabers (6-0, 200)
Plays the game with a jetpack on. Explosive and dynamic. Instant acceleration. Professional tackle breaker. pic.twitter.com/hRrvFjn7Kn
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) March 25, 2024
Half of LSU's game plan was to get the ball into Nabers' hands in any way possible. He regularly embarrassed defenders with his elite burst and had the top-end speed to take plays to the house. He also plays with an absolute dawg mentality. Nabers breaking tackles like a running back isn't something you see from receivers often.
Nabers also shows an instinctive feel for where defenders are. He's an incredibly intelligent football player. He's perfectly aware of how to use his athleticism to beat defenders in a variety of ways. Nabers understands he can use his explosiveness to embarrass defenders. His abilities have clearly translated to the NFL.
Malik Nabers floating into a crossbody stab.
Lethal quickness + whole body salesmanship. pic.twitter.com/HHPMxlvMZw
— JetPack Galileo (@JetPackGalileo) September 27, 2024
Nabers' acceleration out of breaks means he doesn't even need to run the best route to beat defenders. He could be fine in the NFL even if he wasn't as polished as he is. Luckily for fantasy managers, he's much better at the nuances of the position than expected.
Leek also crushes press coverage. This is massively important for receivers. Being able to jam a receiver who has no answers for tight coverage makes them much less reliable as a primary target. Hilariously, Nabers was criticized in college for not being great against press coverage. He's already proven those takes wrong.
Malik Nabers vs. press coverage 🥵 pic.twitter.com/ednIpRkFXb
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) September 23, 2024
NFL receivers must be able to separate from tight man coverage. Nabers embarrassed his defender here and could've possibly had a 45-yard touchdown if Jones' throw was good. Yes, Nabers is even better than his stats are showing.
Malik Nabers split-diamond release vs. press 😮💨💎 pic.twitter.com/L1vYGsubzf
— Combat Central #AbdullahSZN🌟 (@combatcentral8) September 23, 2024
It's a great sign that he has multiple examples on tape of him succeeding in multiple ways at something scouts thought he might struggle with.
My bold claim: Malik Nabers is already one of the FIVE best WRs in the NFL
His LSU tape & outlook suggested just two ? marks (the rest was elite) & he's already answered BOTH
1. Can he beat NFL press? Check @jagibbs_23 stats below
2. How is he at the catch point?
See ⤵️#Giants https://t.co/O48FLSXS9t pic.twitter.com/1KcDDTl6dV— Dan Schneier (@DanSchneierNFL) September 23, 2024
He's not only succeeding, he's insanely dominant in this area. Nabers is averaging an insane 4.47 yards per route run and 0.87 fantasy points per route run vs press coverage. He's converting 23% of his press-covered routes to first downs. That's impossible efficiency for someone targeted so much.
If he's so good against the press, why don't teams just play off coverage? Surely that will work, right? "Leek" laughs when you think you can stay back and crash on his breaks to try to break up passes going his way.
Nah what Malik nabers has been doing to Andrew booth all night is criminal lmao pic.twitter.com/s3ulYPUgaI
— John (@iam_johnw) September 27, 2024
Yeah, that's not working either. CBs can also play off coverage to the inside and try to cut off the passing lane on the comeback route, but Leek's snapdown and recovery is so insanely fast that he can turn those comebacks into deep routes before the corner has a chance to react.
Still can't get over this separation by Malik Nabers yesterday 😮
Nabers has been elite. pic.twitter.com/ctIVGKBTEd
— corner blitz (@corner_blitz) September 27, 2024
Nabers has already flashed what seems like a hundred ways he can beat defenders, and we're just four games into the season. Oh, and he's the best receiver in the league vs man coverage so far, ahead of (checks notes) Justin Jefferson.
Must be something in the water in Baton Rouge 👀 pic.twitter.com/3DNZT0tM4M
— PFF (@PFF) September 23, 2024
Why Is Malik Nabers So Dominant In Fantasy Football?
The first reason is that he's a ridiculously good football player. That much can't be denied. The second is that he's far and away the best player on a Giants offense that's mostly devoid of playmakers. Fellow WR Wan'Dale Robinson has been nice as a PPR fantasy scorer, but he's nowhere near Nabers' level.
Has a rookie ever led the league in target share for a full season? B/c Nabers is leading it right now pic.twitter.com/X6lLBVoWwZ
— Robby (@greerreNFL) September 28, 2024
Nabers is on pace to have a historic amount of the Giants' offense. He leads all players in target share. There have been plays where he acts as a decoy to draw coverage away from other receivers, but the Giants need to keep him healthy, and they can't become too predictable, or the offense will just fail.
Give the ball to Malik Nabers and get out of the way
Thru 3 games:
• 34% TPRR
• 35.2% Target Share
• 58.3% Air Yards Share (lol)Alpha. pic.twitter.com/R5jVJVMZG3
— Matthew Betz (@TheFantasyPT) September 25, 2024
Nabers also has over 50% of the team's air yards, which is huge. His quarterback is coming off an ACL tear on his right leg, the leg he plants on to make his throws, yet still he Nabers been excellent on deep routes. Big plays are extremely important for fantasy, as they allow players to score highly even in negative game scripts.
"Leek" is a near-perfect receiver for fantasy football in an almost flawless role as the undisputed alpha of his offense.
Malik Nabers Fantasy Football Outlook
If you drafted the "Leek," congratulations, you now have your WR1. Nabers is the engine of the Giants offense. He is the reason the Giants even have a win this year.
Daniel Jones EPA per play by target:
- Malik Nabers: 0.52
- Any other player: -0.20 https://t.co/4gma1NnLEh pic.twitter.com/EtvrT37h7x— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) September 23, 2024
There's a class of receiver that "Leek" has a shot of breaking into. Some WRs are so dominant that it doesn't matter how much defenses focus on them. Jefferson, Tyreek Hill (with a real QB), A.J. Brown, and Cooper Kupp are perfect examples. Defenses would love to stop them, but they can't.
Time will tell whether Nabers will break into this tier, but for now, especially in full PPR scoring formats, he should be treated as a top-5 receiver. His talent is undeniable, and his role in the offense he's in is massive. He's a high-floor, astronomical ceiling player who should be started in every league for the rest of the year.
Malik Nabers has arrived, and he's here to stay.
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