Will Malik Nabers Miss Week 1? Fantasy Football Outlook, Injury Update

Will Malik Nabers be healthy enough to play for the New York Giants in Week 1? Andersen breaks down the latest Malik Nabers injury news for fantasy football.

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers was terrific during his rookie campaign last year despite dealing with inconsistent quarterback play.

Now, Nabers is looking to take a greater step forward during his second NFL season. However, a trio of injuries could create concerns for Nabers, the Giants, and fantasy managers.

Will Nabers be healthy before the 2025 season begins? Will he play in Week 1?

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Will Malik Nabers Play In Week 1?

Nabers has dealt with three separate injuries throughout the offseason and preseason. He missed the Giants' offseason program and did not play in any preseason games.

First and foremost, Nabers continues to deal with a nagging toe injury that has lingered ever since he was at LSU. Furthermore, he suffered a shoulder injury during training camp. Finally, he started dealing with back tightness in August.

Fortunately, Nabers has already downplayed his toe injury. While it may be something he continues to deal with, he should be able to play through the injury without letting it affect his productivity. At worst, he could require surgery down the road.

Meanwhile, Nabers described his back tightness as "minor." His comments indicated that he doesn't believe the injury is serious.

While we don't have comments from Nabers on his shoulder injury, the good news is that he downplayed his other two ailments and was able to practice last Monday. He also practiced on Wednesday and reportedly looked good while running.

Nabers may end up as a limited participant on the Giants' first practice report on Wednesday, but the latest injury updates coming out of New Jersey are quite favorable. The former first-round pick should play in the Giants' season opener on Sunday against the Washington Commanders.

Malik Nabers on his toe injury:

“It’s like a mosquito that don’t wanna go away.” 😬

Not sure what to think about this. @Giants @UpAndAdamsShow

pic.twitter.com/J57fCTj32P

— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) July 28, 2025

Malik Nabers 2025 Fantasy Outlook

The sky is the limit for Nabers, who caught 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing two games last year. He arguably could have produced at an even higher level if not for the troublesome quarterback play of Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito, and Tim Boyle.

The Giants' offseason wasn't perfect by any means, but they made a respectable commitment to upgrading their quarterback room, which now features Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Jaxson Dart. Each of these quarterbacks can help to elevate Nabers' game in his second season.

Pure talent and efficiency were evident with Nabers last season. He posted a 34.9 percent target share (first among NFL wide receivers), 44.8 percent air yards share (third), 36.6 percent red zone target share (fourth), and 56 percent deep target share (second). In other words, the Giants' offense completely runs through him.

Nabers also had 18.4 expected fantasy points per game (sixth), 59.6 expected points added (17th), and a 46.6 percent dominator rating (fourth).

The LSU product was spectacular against man coverage and continued to demonstrate his ability to win one-on-one matchups and make contested catches.

It's hard for Nabers to play much better than he did in 2024, but we're excited to see him give it a try. The second-year jump is a real thing for wide receivers, which is why we're not ruling out the possibility that Nabers absolutely shatters his numbers from last season. He certainly has the talent, role, and solid quarterback play to dominate once again this season.

At the end of the day, Nabers is sporting a Yahoo ADP of 12.3, which makes him the sixth receiver off the board. This aligns with RotoBaller's ranking of him as the overall WR6 in fantasy drafts. He's certainly capable of being the dominant headliner within your fantasy lineup this year.

#NYGiants Malik Nabers needs 88 receptions for the most receptions by a player in his
first two seasons in NFL history.

▫️Justin Jefferson (196)
▫️Amon-Ra St. Brown (196)
▫️Michael Thomas (196) pic.twitter.com/Jculu6xwjF

— awthentik (@awthentik) August 31, 2025

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