ESPN's Jordan Ranaan reports that Giants TE Darren Waller is expected to announce next week whether he'll play this season -- and that "people in and around the team expect that he's going to retire." The team has a two-day mandatory minicamp starting on June 11. Waller's expected to deliver his decision ahead of that.
The Giants selected Purdue RB Tyrone Tracy in Round 5 of the NFL Draft. This prospect fired us up in the pre-draft process. One reason why: Tracy’s background as a WR. His college career began as a WR at Iowa, where he’d make an impact in 2019 following a 2018 redshirt (36 catches, 589 yards, 3 TDs). A pandemic-shortened 2020 slowed progress, and then Tracy’s role dipped in 2021. Tracy transferred to Purdue ahead of the 2022 season in search of more touches. Instead, he finished 5th on the team in catches; 6th in receiving yards. 2023 turned up a position switch – one that changed the trajectory of his pro prospects. “I was a little skeptical at first,” Tracy said of the move. “I didn’t know if he [new HC Ryan Walters] was trying to say I’m not a good receiver, or ‘Hey, man, we actually think you can do this.’ I kind of just prayed about it. I talked to my mom and dad about it. And my dad was basically saying, ‘I know you’ve been doing this your whole life.’” Tracy saw only 114 carries last fall, but he excelled in the limited opportunities. Among 157 RBs with 100+ attempts, he ranked top-20 in yards per carry, yards after contact per attempt, and PFF Elusive Rating. The 5’11, 209-pounder popped in 8 rushing scores. Tracy’s game needs refinement, but his raw athleticism reminded us of Antonio Gibson coming out of Memphis. His stock only increased at the NFL Combine with a 9.78 Relative Athletic Score. The main negative here surround’s Tracy’s advanced age – he’ll turn 25 in November. With only 148 career carries, though, he enters the league without much wear and tear. Getting Round 5 draft capital is a small win for Tracy. And the landing spot is good. The Giants’ RB depth chart is topped by Devin Singletary, who signed a modest three-year, $16.5 million deal in free agency. There’s room for Tracy to carve out a role here – particularly in the passing game – as early as this season.
The Giants selected Penn State TE Theo Johnson in Round 4 of the NFL Draft. A converted WR, Johnson spent four years with the Nittany Lions – two as a full-time starter. Career-best numbers surfaced as a senior, but he wasn’t a major performer (34-341-7). He accounted for 13.8% of the team’s catches, 12.2% of the receiving yards, and 20.3% of the receiving TDs. He managed just 1.26 yards per route run -- down from the 1.58 figure he tallied as a junior. The real promise here lies in Johnson’s athletic gifts, which helped him to play all over the formation (47.9% inline, 38.8% slot, 9.8% wide). At 6’6, 259 pounds, he’s simply a rare athlete. Look no further than his Combine performance, which included a 4.57 forty, a 39.5-inch vertical, a 125-inch broad jump, and a 4.19 shuttle. Altogether, Johnson posted a historic 9.99 Relative Athletic Score. Now, his game needs refinement – most notably in his route running. Johnson also found himself in two off-field incidents that led to misdemeanors. He joins a Giants team that’s still waiting to hear whether TE Darren Waller will continue his football career. If not, TE Daniel Bellinger would stand as Johnson’s top competition for snaps. That’d give the rookie an outside shot at 2024 fantasy value – although he’s more of a dynasty bench stash.
The Giants drafted WR Malik Nabers sixth overall. Nabers is an explosive athlete, confirmed by a 4.35-second 40 time and 42-inch vertical at his Pro Day. Those are 91st- and 97th-percentile marks for his position. A big play waiting to happen both after the catch and going deep, Nabers averaged 15.9 yards per catch for his college career. He flashed as a freshman at LSU and then broke out as a sophomore, leading the team with 72 catches and 1,017 yards. Then came a massive junior season: 89 catches, 1,569 yards, and 14 TDs. Nabers led the FBS in plays of 20+ yards (34) and 30+ yards (17). He also led all 286 qualifying WRs in Pro Football Focus receiving grade and ranked third in yards per route. In many ways, his 2023 season was better than Marvin Harrison Jr.’s. Nabers isn’t as polished as Harrison, needing work on his route running and ball skills. But his pure athleticism should create plenty of 2024 fantasy value. And his long-term fantasy ceiling might be higher than Harrison’s. The Giants present opportunity for Nabers to immediately lead the team in targets. The team picking him instead of a QB in Round 1 also bodes well for the 2024 fantasy outlook of QB Daniel Jones, who has been going at the bottom of QB3 territory in early best ball drafting.
The Giants signed QB Drew Lock to a one-year, $5 million contract. Seahawks GM John Schneider said shortly after the deal was announced that he was hoping to bring Lock back but that the Giants promised him a shot at the starting job. "They basically sold him on the opportunity to compete to be the starter," Schneider said. "And he felt like it was the right opportunity. He looked at Baker Mayfield’s opportunity last year and felt that this could be something similar." The New York Post's Paul Schwartz has since countered that idea, reporting that the Giants signed Lock as a strict backup. Schwartz adds that Lock "could get plenty of action with the first-team offense in the spring and summer" as QB Daniel Jones works back from his torn ACL but that the Giants expect Jones to be ready for the start of the season. We'll keep you updated on this situation. Neither Jones nor Lock are worth targeting in early best-ball drafts.
The Giants are signing RB Devin Singletary, according to multiple reports. Singletary obviously can't completely fill the Saquon Barkley void, but he enters a backfield with lots of opportunity. And ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that New York is giving him $16.5 million over over three years, with another $3 million in incentives. That certainly points to Singletary most likely leading the 2024 backfield. Expect the Giants to add at least one more RB. But we'll be projecting Singletary to lead the group in touches. Singletary figures to remain a value in best ball drafts for at least a little longer, with a chance to remain a value. He's RB40 in Underdog Fantasy ADP right now.
The Panthers have applied the franchise tag to Edge Brian Burns. That's no shock. Carolina reportedly declined sizable trade offers in the past for Burns, who will be just 26 for the 2024 season. Any team that believes the young pass rusher is worth two first-round picks could still sign him to an offer sheet in free agency. And the Panthers could still swap Burns to recoup some picks from last year's Bryce Young trade. But for now, we'll assume Burns sticks in Carolina and remains a solid-to-good IDP option.
Giants TE Darren Waller told the New York Post that he's "still undecided" whether he'll continue playing in 2024. He'll turn 32 in September and has dealt with a plethora of injuries throughout his career, including a lingering hamstring issue last year. Waller is set to make $10.5 million this season and count $14 million against the salary cap, but the Giants have no intention of cutting him, according to the New York Post. We'll keep an eye on this situation, but Waller obviously carries elevated risk in fantasy drafts until he makes a decision on his football future. We've moved him down the fantasy football TE rankings for now.
Giants WR Jalin Hyatt has been ruled out of Sunday's finale vs. the Eagles with a hamstring injury. He caught one of two targets for five yards before exiting and finishes his rookie campaign with 368 scoreless yards. Hyatt was considered a project coming out of Tennessee, so his development will be worth watching closely this offseason. He's a dynasty hold.
Texans RB Devin Singletary carried 16 times for 80 yards in Sunday's win over the Titans, adding 3 receptions for 6 yards on 3 targets. That found him doubling Dameon Pierce's carry count and tripling Pierce's target count. Singletary has more than doubled Pierce in opportunities in four of five games since Pierce returned from injury. That includes a 47-15 lead for Singletary over the past three weeks. Week 18 holds a matchup with the Colts, who entered Sunday as the third-best scoring matchup for fantasy RBs. There will be upside to Singletary if you're playing Week 18.
Giants WR Wan'Dale Robinson (quad) is active for today’s game vs. the Rams. He went from limited participation in Wednesday’s practice to full participation on Thursday back to limited on Friday. But we're not expecting the quad to be a significant factor today.
Giants WR Wan'Dale Robinson (quad) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Rams. He went from limited participation on Wednesday to full participation on Thursday back to limited on Friday. We'll look for more info on Robinson's status, but the quad adds some risk to his Week 17 fantasy profile.
Giants QB Tommy DeVito was benched at halftime of Monday's game vs. the Eagles. He produced just three points and 55 passing yards in the game's first 30 minutes. After a few surprisingly competent starts, DeVito has bottomed out the past two weeks. QB Tyrod Taylor will play the second half vs. Philadelphia and figures to start the final two games of the season. He should bring a bit more stability to the Giants' offense.
The Giants placed K Randy Bullock on IR with a hamstring injury he suffered last week. Cade York will handle kicking duties for the G-Men the rest of the way. Hopefully this news doesn't impact your fantasy plans.
NFL Network reports that Seahawks QB Drew Lock is officially starting tonight against the Eagles. That, of course, doesn't exclude an active Geno Smith from entering at some point if Lock falters. But it looks like Lock is the guy if you've been waiting on a Seahawks QB for your fantasy lineup.
Texans RB Devin Singletary controlled the backfield in Sunday's win over the Titans, rushing 26 times for 121 yards and posting a 4-49 receiving line on 5 targets. Singletary took 26 of 28 RB carries for the game and ceded just 1 backfield target to Dare Ogunbowale. RB Dameon Pierce, meanwhile, played just 4 snaps. That marked a season low -- but only trailing his Week 14 by four. Pierce has seen his role shrink significantly since returning from three games lost to injury. The previous two down weeks came in losses, though, including a lopsided defeat to the Jets. Houston did fall 13-0 behind Tennessee early in the second quarter Sunday and trailed 13-3 at halftime. So perhaps game script played into his usage again. But the dramatic difference between his snaps and Singletary's (58) clearly make the latter the favorite to lead the backfield over the final two weeks. Singletary gets a challenging spot against Cleveland in Week 16 before a rematch with the Titans. He should push for a low-RB2 spot in our RB rankings each week. Pierce looks like a handcuff at best.
Giants QB Tommy DeVito exited for a concussion check in the second quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Saints. He took a big shot to the back at the end of a scramble and slammed his head against the turf. We'll update DeVito's status when we know more. He's been replaced by QB Tyrod Taylor.
Update: DeVito returned for the start of the second half.
Giants TE Darren Waller (hamstring) is active for today’s game vs. the Saints. He was just designated to return from IR on Thursday and got in two limited practice this week. We’d try not to use Waller in fantasy lineups in his first action since Week 8.
The Giants activated TE Darren Waller (hamstring) from IR, setting him up to play vs. the Saints on Sunday. Waller has been out since Week 8 and got in just two limited practices this week. We'd be surprised if he played a full slate of snaps against New Orleans tomorrow. See where Waller sits in the Week 15 TE Rankings.
Giants TE Darren Waller (hamstring) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Saints. He said Friday that he expects to play, but it’s tough to imagine Waller getting a full slate of snaps in his first action since Week 8. Waller would be a risky fantasy start.
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