New York Giants 2024 Fantasy Football Team Preview - QB, RB, WR, TE Outlooks

July 16, 2024

Rob's 2024 fantasy football team preview for the New York Giants. Read about fantasy football values, sleepers, rookies and starters at QB, RB, WR and TE.

Welcome to my 2024 fantasy football preview for the New York Giants as part of my team-by-team fantasy football outlooks series. This new 32-part series will dissect each NFL team through a fantasy football lens. We'll look at each of the four primary positions—quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end—and identify each player's value at their current ADP. Through this series, we'll also recognize players fantasy managers should avoid and target at their current ADP.

There are few reasons to be optimistic about the Giants' 2024 season, especially from an offensive standpoint. Daniel Jones's return effectively guarantees that the team will again be plagued by below-average to downright bad quarterback play. However, they made some meaningful improvements to their offensive line, adding two upgrades at the guard position. While they did lose Saquon Barkley, adding a true, legit No. 1 receiver in rookie Malik Nabers may be more impactful for the team. Fantasy managers should keep their expectations in check with this offense this year.

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Fantasy Football Team Previews

Quarterback

Daniel Jones: QB27, ADP 174

Despite an abysmal 2023 season, the Giants’ coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball remained largely intact. Head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka returned. The organization also resisted the urge to draft a quarterback with the sixth overall pick. Whether that was the correct decision, we do not know. However, that decision leaves Danny Dimes set to start under center again this season.

He’s coming off a terrible 2023 season, any way you slice it. He struggled with neck injuries, and ultimately, his season ended with a torn ACL in Week 9 against the Raiders. Reports have indicated he’ll be good to go for training camp and, more importantly, the season opener. The franchise did sign Drew Lock to compete for the No. 2 spot and as insurance; however, the coaching staff seems committed to giving Jones the first shot.

Jones only started four full games last year. He injured his neck in Week 5 and missed several games before returning in Week 9 when he tore his ACL. In the first four weeks of the season, Jones scored 6.5, 31.7, 5.0, and 10.7 points in each contest. 59% of his total points came in Week 2. He averaged just 13.5 PPG, and his median outcome was 8.6 PPG.

There’s no sugar-coating it; Jones isn’t very good. However, as much as that is true, Jones also didn’t get any help from his supporting cast last season. The Giants ended up giving up 85 sacks. That’s the highest number the NFL has seen since 2000. It’s the only franchise to have given up 80 or more sacks since 2000. Only three other times has a team allowed more than 70 sacks. The next closest last season were the Commanders and Panthers, each tied at 65. Since 2000, those two teams are tied for 10th. The Giants allowed 20 more sacks than the two teams who gave up the 10th-most sacks since 2000. Jones was pressured on 30.5% of his dropbacks, which would have been tied for the highest with Zach Wilson had Jones qualified.

The franchise did upgrade its offensive line this offseason. They added guards Jermaine Eluemunor and Jon Runyan. Both should be significant upgrades compared to the play they had from their two guards last season. John Michael Schmitz Jr. will also be in his second season, and the added year under his belt should help him continue to improve. The biggest question mark becomes right tackle Evan Neal, who was a major liability last year.

The team also lost Saquon Barkley, replacing him with Devin Singletary. That’s a significant downgrade in talent. They did, however, draft one of the best receiver prospects in the past 20 years when they selected Malik Nabers out of LSU. He’ll immediately become the best pass-catcher Jones has ever played with. If they can also get a healthy season out of Wan'Dale Robinson, there’s an argument to be made that this could be the best group of pass-catchers he’s ever had. That isn’t saying much.

Jones has been an up-and (mostly) down quarterback on the field and for fantasy football. Last year, in his four games, he had three games where he finished outside the top 23 and one QB1 finish. In 2022, however, Jones gave fantasy managers significant fantasy value mainly due to his rushing. He finished as a top-10 quarterback, averaging 18.4 PPG.

That year, he finished as a top-12 quarterback seven times but also as the QB20 or worse for five weeks. He had eight weeks last year where he finished worse than QB15. However, he also had three weeks where he finished as the QB3 or better, scoring more than 26 points in all three contests.

In 2021, he averaged 15.8 PPG and finished as the QB18. He finished as the QB29 (13.4 PPG) in 2020 and the QB14 (17.6 PPG) in 2019 as a rookie. If there’s a silver lining for Jones, it’s his rushing. He’s averaged 32 rushing yards per game for his career, which would be slightly higher if we accounted for injury-shortened games. He’s also averaged 0.22 rushing touchdowns per game. For his career, Jones averages 4.52 rushing fantasy points per game. That’s great!

It’s that rushing upside that gives him life for fantasy football. Jones has started and played more than 50% of the snaps in 54 games since his rookie season. He has eight weekly finishes in the top three, two in the top six, two in the top 10, and four in the top 12. That means 15% of the time, he’s finished as a top-three quarterback. He’s got plenty of duds in there, too, which might make him a “better in best ball” type of guy, but at QB27, there’s almost no risk, even in redraft leagues.

The reality is very few quarterbacks, if any, have his level of weekly upside in the range you can draft Jones. However, with how much he’s struggled to throw the football, he’s a candidate to be benched, which makes his current cost fairer, but the weekly upside is still appealing. If you end up waiting on a quarterback and go with someone like Tua Tagovailoa or Matthew Stafford, a safe passer who generally lacks upside, taking a late swing on Jones makes sense.

Verdict: Slight Buy on Daniel Jones

Running Back

Devin Singletary: RB32, ADP 101
Tyrone Tracy Jr.: RB57, ADP 180
Eric Gray: RB80, ADP 263

Singletary isn’t a household name. He’s often viewed as “just a guy.” However, since being drafted in 2019, Singletary has five straight seasons of 950 or more scrimmage yards. He’s had at least 1,090 scrimmage yards in the last three seasons, including his time with the Bills and the Texans. He’s handled between 180 and 246 touches in all five seasons. He’s had at least 215 touches in his last three seasons. Singletary may not be a household name, but he’s better than you think.

We can all name a handful of running backs a coaching staff stuck with despite poor efficiency. Coaches seem to have, maybe more than any other position, “their guy” in the running back position. We’ve seen offenses stick with Ezekiel Elliott over Tony Pollard. Najee Harris over Jaylen Warren. The list, undoubtedly, goes on and on. Why does this matter? Because Brian Daboll, the head coach of the Giants, was the Bills’ offensive coordinator every season, Singletary was in Buffalo until he left for New York. In those three seasons under Daboll, Singletary averaged 227 touches and 1,142 scrimmage yards over 17 games. Daboll knows him. He trusts him.

Devin Singletary pic.twitter.com/tg56uwVtes

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) July 3, 2024

The running backs on the roster behind Singletary are not very threatening. They include Eric Gray, a 2023 fifth-round pick, Gary Brightwell, a 2021 sixth-round pick, and Tyrone Tracy Jr., a 2024 fifth-round pick. These three players have combined for 75 total touches and 326 yards. It feels safe to say that Singletary will be the primary guy.

Last year with the Texans, Singletary operated as Dameon Pierce's backup for the season's first eight weeks. During that time, Singletary averaged seven carries and one reception per game. However, due to Pierce's ineffectiveness, he was benched, and Singletary became the clear starter. Singletary averaged 17.1 carries, 76.6 rushing yards, 3.0 targets, 2.3 receptions, and 16.8 receiving yards per game for the season's final nine games. Those per-game averages would equate to 291 carries, 1,301 rushing yards, 51 targets, 40 receptions, and 285 yards. That's a total of 331 touches and 1,586 scrimmage yards. During those final nine games, Singletary was the RB15 with a 13.2 half-PPR PPG.

Returning to 2019, his rookie season, Singletary finished as the RB26 with an 11.1 half-PPR PPG average. He followed that up with an RB38 finish in 2020 (8.2 PPG), RB34 finish in 2021 (9.6 PPG), RB28 finish in 2022 (9.8 PPG), and RB36 in 2023 (8.7 PPG). From 2019-2022, Josh Allen rushed for 38 touchdowns, or roughly 7.5 per season, a number Jones is doubtful to reach. In 2023, Singletary started as the clear No. 2 for half the season. That’s just a bit of context to some of those fantasy finishes over the years.

The thing about Singletary is that while he’s likely to get good volume to start, the team’s offensive output caps his upside. The Giants are expected to be one of the worst offenses in the NFL again, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them finish in the bottom five across most metrics. That’s not a death sentence for Singletary’s fantasy value, but it certainly puts a cap on his ceiling outcome.

If the season does get away from the Giants, as it will, the coaching staff could opt to give Gray and Tracy more opportunities to see what they have in these two young players. That could decrease Singletary’s role in the second half of the season when fantasy managers need him most. Because of these concerns, Singletary’s price is a touch high. It’s not bad in a vacuum; the volume should be there early. There are risks, however, and a limited ceiling. He’s a slight sell because of that.

We don’t know anything about either Gray or Tracy at the NFL level yet. Gray rushed for 1,366 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final season at Oklahoma, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Maybe more impressive is that he had 86 receptions, 712 receiving yards, and four touchdowns over his final three college seasons, spanning two different schools. His 12.3% college target share is in the 88th percentile.

Tracy, on the other hand, has been in college since 2018—that’s six seasons. He started as a receiver at Iowa before transferring to Purdue in 2022. In his final season at Purdue, he had 113 attempts, 716 rushing yards, and eight touchdowns. Despite his receiver background, Tracy had only 19 catches for 132 yards. For reference, Gray had 30 receptions and 254 yards as a sophomore, whereas Tracy was a sixth-year senior last year.

Tracy is the new name and the former receiver, which gets fantasy managers excited for his pass-catching chops. However, considering their price, I’m always passing on Tracy and adding Gray. For starters, he’s not going through a semi-new position change, and he was with the team and on the same offense last year. Reports have indicated that Gray is mixing in with the first-team offense and seems like he’s got the leg up in terms of the competition for the No. 2 running back spot.

Eric Gray Sees Plenty Of Run With First-Team Offense https://t.co/fMYuvQMUOy

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) May 30, 2024

Fantasy managers are likely enamored with Tracy’s rookie status and his history at receiver. They might look at Gray’s rookie stats and decide he’s not good. If that’s your conclusion, I’d advise looking at Barkley’s stats. I’m not saying Barkley is bad (he’s not) or that Gray is as good as Barkley (he’s not); I’m just saying Barkley’s stats on the surface weren’t good either last year. There’s a reason for that. Their offense and offensive line sucked! We can’t give Barkley a pass and then write off a rookie for failing in the same environment. Give me Gray over Tracy all day.

Verdict: Slight Sell on Devin Singletary, Buy Eric Gray, Sell Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Wide Receivers

Malik Nabers: WR24, ADP 43
Wan'Dale Robinson: WR72, ADP 174
Darius Slayton: WR85, ADP 215
Jalin Hyatt: WR87, ADP 217

Nabers is a stud, that much is clear. In the SEC, there’s only been one receiver to have 1,000+ receiving yards as a sophomore and 1,500+ receiving yards as a junior. It isn’t Justin Jefferson, Julio Jones, A.J. Green, Odell Beckham Jr., Ja’Marr Chase, or A.J. Brown. It’s Malik Nabers.

Nabers is an explosive athlete who can win from any spot on the field. One of the areas where he’s especially dangerous is after the catch. He averaged 6.6 yards after the catch per reception and had one of the highest broken tackle rates for a receiver in the past five years. He’s an explosive athlete who is incredibly difficult to bring down in the open field. When you look at where and what kind of routes he wins at here below in his Reception Perception chart, it becomes clear what kind of player he can be in the NFL.

He’s not like Rome Odzune or Marvin Harrison Jr. who are your prototypical X-receivers. Nabers is a flanker and a slot receiver. He’s going to crush defenses in the short and intermediate part of the field and then break their hearts after the catch. Matt Harmon of Reception Perception had this to say about Nabers,

"Nabers is so incredibly explosive that he eats up man coverage in a flash. He’s a fluid, easy mover when working in one-on-one situations and he can break down even technically sound corners with ease. Nabers is so physically gifted that he’s a chore to get a handle on in man coverage. With a 78th percentile success rate vs. press coverage, Nabers has a good case that he can hack it outside. The one eye-brow-raising result from Nabers’ profile is his 78.6% success rate vs. zone coverage. It’s below the 50th percentile and puts him as an outlier among top-half first-round prospects I’ve charted the last four classes. However, there’s a solid reason for this. Despite his skill-set lending itself to work in the open field, Nabers was primarily a downfield receiver for LSU. He ran almost no layup routes; 18.5% of his sampled routes were a screen, slant or flat. I’d almost guarantee that number is higher in his rookie season. Such an intense downfield route tree will decrease the overall success rates, especially against zone. While I thought Garrett Wilson – another wild horse of a route runner – was a slightly better prospect than Nabers, it’s not too dissimilar to how I felt when comparing him in the 2022 class. And that should be an encouraging note considering Wilson is still a Tier 1 prospect in my ranks and displayed gorgeous route-running in Year 1 as an NFL player. If Nabers lands with a team that wants to work the middle of the field, the league is in trouble. His success rates on slants and digs are wildly high: 87.5% and 82.8%. Nabers’ work in the open field is downright wild. He was “in space” on 13.9% of his routes and was only brought down on first contact on 48.7% of those plays. He broke multiple tackles on 20.5%, the highest among the last four classes."

Unfortunately for Nabers, his situation isn’t good at all. Sure, there’s an apparent lack of target competition, but we’ve seen that with Drake London in Atlanta. In 2022, the Giants attempted just 520 passes, the eighth-fewest in the NFL. This past season, just 518, the seventh-fewest. There is a volume problem, and the efficiency is also lacking. This past season, the Giants quarterbacks finished 22nd in quarterback rating, 31st in yards, 28th in touchdowns, 27th in yards per attempt, and 14th in completion percentage.

In 2022, the Giants finished 14th in quarterback rating, 26th in yards, 24th in touchdowns, 24th in yards per attempt, and sixth in completion percentage. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that completion percentage in the past two years. Since Nabers is likely to function closer to the line of scrimmage, his targets should have a higher catchable rate than London. However, like London, Nabers will be held back, to some degree, by the poor quarterback play and the lack of scoring opportunities.

The one thing Nabers has going for him that London didn’t as much is his ability to make plays after the catch. That ability could create more big plays and higher fantasy scoring for Nabers. He’s currently being drafted ahead of Amari Cooper, Zay Flowers, George Pickens, and Tee Higgins. WR24 is a tough price tag considering his quarterback and offensive environment, but he’s a truly elite talent. With the lack of touchdown upside, I’d rather select Higgins or Pickens ahead of Nabers, which makes him a slight sell, but his overall price isn’t outrageous.

Based on what we’ve seen so far, Robinson is likely the Giants' most talented receiver behind Nabers. However, where Robinson wins overlaps with where Nabers wins. New York will want to scheme up touches and targets for Nabers before Robinson, which could leave Robinson in a challenging position.

Robinson played four games with a snap share higher than 25% as a rookie. He had eight, three, two, and 13 targets in those four contests. He combined to have 19 receptions and 185 yards. He played 13 games this past season with at least a 50% snap share. He had seven games with six targets or more. He finished with 70 targets, 54 receptions, 498 yards, and one touchdown across those 13 games. Over 17 games, his per-game averages would have resulted in 92 targets, 71 receptions, 651 yards, and one touchdown. Given the issues with the passing volume and quarterback play and now adding a player whose skillset is significantly more talented and slightly overlaps with Robinson’s, he becomes an easy player to avoid. The upside in this type of offense with Robinson’s shallow targets is minimal, and there’s little weekly upside to boot.

That brings us to Slayton and Hyatt. Outside of 2021, when he had just 339 yards in 13 games, Slayton has finished his other four seasons with between 46 and 50 catches and 724 and 770 yards. It’s safe to say we know exactly who Slayton is. He has never recorded more than 100 targets in a season. He finished last season with just six weeks inside the top 36 and three weeks inside the top 24. He was more successful last year with Jones under center. He finished with five weeks inside the top 24 out of 12 games. However, over the past two seasons, he has just two top-12 finishes and five in the top 20.

There’s zero seasonal upside and minimal weekly upside with Slayton. His price is free, but you still have to ask yourself, “What’s the point?” How do we get any value back if we can’t see any seasonal or weekly upside? Slayton is a fade. The same goes for Hyatt.

The reality is that Robinson, Slayton, and Hyatt will all split snaps and routes between them, with Nabers playing a full-time role. Given Jones’ refusal to throw downfield, the lack of passing volume, and Jones’ inefficiency on longer throws, Slayton and Hyatt have a huge uphill climb. Jones's intended air yard per attempt has been 6.5 yards during the last two years. No downfield weapons can be successful with a quarterback who throws so few passes and refuses to throw downfield to that extreme.

Verdict: Fair Price on Malik Nabers, Sell Everyone Else

Tight Ends

Daniel Bellinger: TE39, ADP 254
Theo Johnson: TE40, ADP 260

Bellinger was a four-year player at San Diego State and failed to produce any gaudy stats. He finished with 103 targets, 68 receptions, 767 yards, and five touchdowns. His best season came in his senior year, with 43 targets, 31 receptions, 353 yards, and two scores. That year, he had a very impressive 9.1 yards after the catch per reception average and a decent, but not great, 1.66 yards per route run average.

He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft after posting a 9.66 RAS (relative athletic score). He posted elite scores in the forty-yard dash, three-cone drill, board jump, and the 20- and 10-yard splits. He finished with 35 targets, 30 receptions, 268 yards, and three touchdowns as a rookie. He posted a 14.8% target rate, 1.14 yards per route run, 7.7 yards per target, 8.9 yards per reception, and 0.76 yards per team pass attempt. He played just under 74% of the snaps and had a 66.7% route participation rate.

He wasn’t overly productive, but the amount of playing time he received as a rookie was impressive. He also showed off some of that yard after the contact skill again, averaging 4.3 yards after the catch per target. He likely would’ve been a sleeper going into the 2023 season, but the Giants traded for Darren Waller, which ended all of that. He took a step back in his sophomore season, but considering Waller’s presence and the issues at quarterback, that’s not overly surprising.

Theo Johnson was slightly more productive in college, playing four years at Penn State. He finished with 100 targets, 76 receptions, 937 yards, and 12 touchdowns. His best season also came as a senior when he finished with 45 targets, 34 receptions, 341 yards, and seven touchdowns. His yard-per-route run average in 2023 was just 1.26.

Johnson, like Bellinger, is an athletic freak. Despite being 258 pounds, Johnson posted a 9.93 RAS, including a 4.57 forty-yard dash. He posted elite scores across the combine. Neither player has shown any real target-earning potential, and both players are described as raw prospects coming out of college.

Given the learning curve at the position, Bellinger seems to be the best bet to lead the team in snaps and routes at the tight end position. That would give him the advantage in terms of fantasy production. However, much like the non-Nabers receivers, it’s fair to wonder if this offense and Daniel Jones can support two fantasy-relevant pass-catchers.

The most likely answer is no. However, Bellinger and Johnson are cheap enough that throwing a few darts at either player isn’t the worst. It’s possible their bigger frame and Jones’ insistence on taking the short, easy throws could lead to a few more touchdowns and targets than I’m expecting. Given Bellinger’s experience, I’d lean his way but keep low expectations.

Verdict: Dart Throws on Both Players, but lean Daniel Bellinger

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