Is Devin Singletary The Starting Running Back For the Giants When He Returns?

Will Devin Singletary start for the New York Giants when he returns? John Johnson breaks down the Devin Singletary return timeline and fantasy football outlook.

New York Giants running back Devin Singletary missed his second game due to injury in Week 6 when the Giants took on the Cincinnati Bengals at home. His backup, rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr., had his second consecutive excellent game in his stead.

Tracy has looked the part of a starting running back, logging 179 rushing and 58 receiving yards over the past two contests. He found the end zone on Sunday as well. He's showcased his explosiveness, leading many to question whether he had done enough to wrestle control of the starting job away from the former Buffalo Bill.

So will Devin Singletary be the starting running back when he returns?

Will Devin Singletary Start For The Giants When He Returns?

It's always important to look at what makes the starter the starter when we see him miss time due to an injury and his backup play well. The Giants didn't sign him just to bench him after two games absent with injury. "Motor" has been a solid running back in the league for a long time.

Devin Singletary: Not easy to tackle! pic.twitter.com/yKwINsI7lm

— Wistful Papadoc (@WistfulPapadoc) September 28, 2020

He should continue to have a prominent role in the offense and be the starter. There's been no re-ordering of the depth chart and no official word from the organization that he will lose his starting job.

Devin Singletary Fantasy Football Outlook

Before his injury, Singletary had a workhorse role that fantasy managers salivate over. He dominated the backfield touches, with 14, 17, and 17 touches in his first three games, while Tracy averaged just 3.3 over that stretch. The sixth-year pro was no slouch, either, and was one of the league's premier tackle avoiders.

Devin Singletary so far this season:

🔷 132 YDs, 1 TD, 26 ATT, 5.1 Y/A
🔷 12 missed tackles forced (2nd)
🔷 46.2% avoided tackle rate (1st)

"Motor" is looking phenomenal for the Giants. pic.twitter.com/LYUlPhjdiu

— Anthony Rivardo (@Anthony_Rivardo) September 19, 2024

It's important to remember that many backfields aren't always dominated by one player, and not to forget how good the starter is after just a few games of him missing time. While Tracy has earned more work, Singletary will remain the starter. That said, after just two games of starting, the rookie was a great receiver.

The more likely scenario is that the vet will start while the former Purdue Boilermaker will see his role increase. A committee is perfectly reasonable and would allow the team to maximize the utility of both of their skill sets to create the best results for their offense. NFL teams are often incentivized to do things that are bad for fantasy.

Singletary is still a solid start when he returns, but he could downgrade from solid RB2 to RB3/FLEX status depending on how much work Tracy gets over the next few weeks. Keep an eye on how their workloads are divided up in the upcoming games.

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