Fantasy Football Player Notes
2021 Draft Rankings
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4.
Saquon Barkley
RB - (vs . WAS)
After setting the fantasy world on fire his rookie season with over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns, Barkley hasn't exactly lived up to expectations producing 1,535 total yards and eight touchdowns over 15 games the last two seasons. He tore his ACL early in the season, which should give him plenty of time to bounce back, though his violent running style could take a bit longer in recovery. The Giants suddenly have more weapons than ever in the passing game, so Barkley is unlikely to come close to the 121 targets he saw in 2018, though he should have more scoring opportunities. There is some risk with Barkley at the top of drafts due to his knee, but when on the field, we know he'll produce.
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45.
Kenny Golladay
WR - (vs . WAS)
Going to a new team is never easy, especially for someone who's coming from a team that was lacking any depth of pass catchers. It was easy for him to get eight-plus targets per game, especially when Marvin Jones was hurt. Now going to the Giants, who have a bevy of options, including Sterling Shepard, Kadarius Toney, Darius Slayton, Evan Engram, Kyle Rudolph, and Saquon Barkley is going to be tough. To be fair, you don't go out in free agency and sign someone like Golladay to give him five targets per game, but he's not going to get the consistent targets he got in Detroit, and the targets he does get aren't going to be as efficient coming from Daniel Jones.
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132.
Evan Engram
TE - (vs . WAS)
Based on the targets Engram received and where they took place on the field, he scored 41.4 fewer fantasy points than he was expected to, which ranked as the second-worst mark among tight ends. In fact, he was supposed to finish as the TE5 based on his opportunity. It's no surprise the Giants felt the need to go out and add playmakers this offseason. On top of adding Kenny Golladay, Kyle Rudolph, and Kadarius Toney, they'll also get Saquon Barkley back, which will surely cut into Engram's target share. He's no longer an every-week starter in fantasy.
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144.
Daniel Jones
QB - (vs . WAS)
When you throw 11 touchdowns in 14 games in today's NFL, that's a problem. Sure, Jones didn't have top-tier pass catchers last year, but Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, and Golden Tate were competent. The Giants seem to believe Jones was simply lacking weapons, so they went out and signed Kenny Golladay and Kyle Rudolph, and then drafted Kadarius Toney in the first round. Based on what we've seen from Jones to this point, it's tough saying he's anything more than a boom-or-bust quarterback who'll need some rushing totals in order to make him streamer-worthy.
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168.
Sterling Shepard
WR - (vs . WAS)
Once the Giants decided to move on from Golden Tate, it got me excited for Shepard, who was slated to move into the slot, an area he had a lot of success in earlier in his career. When the Giants signed Kenny Golladay in free agency, it surely lowered the target ceiling for Shepard, but again, he was going to be the starting slot receiver. After that, they went and drafted Kadarius Toney in the first round, a receiver who's essentially slot-only. Will he start over Shepard right away? Will they move Shepard opposite Golladay and send Darius Slayton to the bench? We don't know those answers right now, but there's certainly less appeal with Shepard now that all these new faces are around.
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189.
Darius Slayton
WR - (vs . WAS)
While 2019 seemed like Slayton might have a bright future in the NFL, 2020 wasn't as kind to him. He did lead all Giants wide receivers in targets (97) but it didn't lead to much in the production department, as he tallied just 50 receptions for 751 yards and three touchdowns. The Giants appeared to lose confidence in him, too, as they signed Kenny Golladay in free agency, and then drafted Kadarius Toney. Suddenly, Slayton may not be a starter on this offense, as Sterling Shepard and Golladay are the locked-in starters, while Toney figures to start in the slot. At this point, Slayton shouldn't even be drafted.
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253.
Kadarius Toney
WR - (vs . WAS)
His NFL career has gotten off to a rough start so far. First, it was contract issues. Next, it was an injury that kept him sidelined through rookie mini-camp. Lastly, it was being placed on the COVID reserve list. With all the setbacks, my guess is that the Giants open the season with Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, and Darius Slayton in 3WR sets while Toney has to earn a place in the offense. There's no guarantee that happens early in the season, making Toney a very shaky pick in redraft formats.
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282.
New York Giants
DST - (vs . WAS)
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283.
Devontae Booker
RB - (vs . WAS)
After exiting Denver's mess to join Las Vegas, most assumed Booker's career was nearing an end, but he was solid with them, averaging 4.5 yards per carry and eating into Josh Jacobs' workload a bit. While I don't expect the same thing to happen with the Giants, he's the clear No. 2 on their depth chart behind Saquon Barkley, who's had plenty of health concerns in his short career.
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301.
Kyle Rudolph
TE - (vs . WAS)
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308.
Graham Gano
K - (vs . WAS)
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344.
John Ross
WR - (vs . WAS)
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460.
Gary Brightwell
RB - (vs . WAS)
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481.
Corey Clement
RB - (vs . WAS)
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555.
Dante Pettis
WR - (vs . WAS)
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570.
Elijhaa Penny
RB - (vs . WAS)
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573.
Rysen John
WR,TE - (vs . WAS)
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578.
Kaden Smith
TE - (vs . WAS)
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