Fantasy Football Player Notes

He's now played in six games with the Giants and is averaging 8.3 targets per game, with a minimum of six targets every week. That's elite volume for someone who's traditionally played as a WR3. He's also tallied at least 80 yards in four of the five games without Sterling Shepard in the lineup. The emergence of Slayton can cloud things, especially since the bye week should allow them to involve him more. The Bears have Buster Skrine in the slot, a player who's been a pleasant surprise for them. He's allowed just 34-of-53 passing for 323 yards in his coverage with two touchdowns, and that includes a matchup with Cooper Kupp last week, who finished with 3/53/0. He's done well, holding Keenan Allen to 7/53/0 on 10 targets, and Adam Thielen to 2/6/0 on six targets. Tate is a monster after the catch, so it's worth noting 124-of-323 yards have come after the catch in Skrine's coverage. With Engram still out, Tate should eat up targets over the middle of the field, though it does appear that Sterling Shepard may return for this game. Tate should be played as a WR3 even in a tough matchup with how well he's performed/how many targets he's received.

With Sterling Shepard expected back this week, Slayton's fantasy value plummets. Once Engram is back, he will drop even further. He is a boom or bust option against Chicago this weekend.

Shepard has been out since Week 5, but it appears he will be returning to the field this week. Unfortunately, his return comes against a tough Chicago defense. Shepard is around a WR3 or 4 in his return, but should probably be monitored in his first game back to see if he can make it four quarters, especially with the physical Bears defense.