Fantasy Football Player Notes

While we might have worries about the landing spot, there are two undeniable facts here. Nabers is a stone-cold baller, and he will vacuum up all the targets he can handle in 2024. During his final year at LSU, Nabers ranked third in YPRR, first in PFF receiving grade, and fourth in missed tackles forced. Nabers is the clear WR1 for New York this season, and it's not particularly close. No Giants wide receiver managed over a 16.9% target share last year, so there's no one standing in Nabers' way of soaking up a 23-25% target share in his rookie season. The Giants threw the ball 518 times last year. If Nabers can earn a 25% target share and the Giants don't pass any more than they did last season, he will theoretically see 130 targets. That would have been tied for 19th in targets among wide receivers last season. I'm willing to invest in Nabers' talent, and I'm just praying that we get at least league-average quarterback play from Daniel Jones and company this season.

Devin Singletary steps in as the Giants' new lead back with some big shoes to fill with Saquon Barkley's departure. Last year, with the Texans, he proved again that he could be a solid starting tailback in the NFL as he stepped in during the middle of the season and stole the starting job away from Dameon Pierce in Houston. In Weeks 9-18, he averaged 19 touches and 86.6 total yards as the RB21 in fantasy points per game. Singletary continues to roll along as an efficient rusher. Last year, he was 19th in explosive run rate and 22nd in missed tackles forced per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). While the Giants aren't the sexiest landing spot, Singletary should flirt with RB2 production as the team's bellcow.

Is it far-fetched to think that we might get a rebound from Daniel Jones in 2024 after his ugly, injury-shortened season in 2023? Optimists will note that Jones finished QB9 in fantasy points per game in 2022, fueled by 708 rushing yards and seven TD runs. They'll also point out that with the Giants spending the No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft on Malik Nabers, Jones will have a true No. 1 receiver for the first time in his professional career. The pessimists will note that in the six games Jones played last year before getting hurt, he posted a dismal passer rating of 70.5, with two TD passes and six interceptions. They'll add that Daniels has averaged fewer than 7.0 yards per pass attempt in all five of his NFL seasons. The ceiling for Jones may be higher than some fantasy managers realize, but it's entirely possible that Jones will stumble early in the season and be replaced by Drew Lock.

Darren Waller was routinely coming off the board in the fifth or sixth round of 2023 fantasy drafts, but he was a major disappointment last year, missing five games due to a hamstring injury and averaging 9.4 PPR fantasy points in the games he played. He finished the 2023 season with 52 catches for 552 yards and one touchdown. Waller was once among the most impactful tight ends in football, producing back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for the Raiders in 2019-2020. But Waller is entering his age-32 season and has missed 19 games over the last three years. Insist on a discount if you're thinking about investing in the oft-injured Waller for 2024.

Tracy's NFL career could be much better than his collegiate one when it's all said and done. Last year's tackle-breaking metrics should raise your eyebrows, especially for a player still acclimating to the position. Tracy ranked fourth in yards after contact per attempt and fifth in elusive rating (per PFF). Purdue offered him the most vanilla offensive role possible in the passing game with his receiver background. I expect the Giants to rectify that when he does garner snaps. Tracy only has to unseat Eric Gray to earn the RB2 role for the Giants. Gray didn't do anything to wow the team last year with his 2.8 yards per carry and 1.53 yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Devin Singletary looks like the team's workhorse, but if he goes down, Tracy could take over three-down duties. He's one of the best handcuff options in drafts.