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2023 Fantasy Forecast: New York Giants

The New York Giants were one of the best stories of 2022 under new HC Brian Daboll. @ReflipeWThenuz breaks down the team's prospects heading into 2023 highlighting the top dynasty assets on the roster.

The New York Giants were one of the biggest surprise teams of the 2022 season. During the team’s first year under Head Coach Brian Daboll, the Giants saw a dramatic turnaround. They went from one of the worst teams in the NFL to winning a playoff game. For dynasty purposes, there are a number of talented players on the New York roster. This article will delve into each offensive position and hash out their outlook and potential value to your squads. Without further ado, let us examine the New York Football Giants.

QB: Daniel Jones

Jones was one of the biggest winners of the 2022 NFL season. The former Duke University first-round pick entered 2022 under the last year of his rookie contract. The Giants had turned down his fifth-year option and were forcing him to play for his NFL future. Rising to the occasion, he played the best football of his short NFL career and led his squad to a playoff victory. But who is Daniel Jones?

As I mentioned above, Jones was a first-round pick out of Duke. He was learning under the tutelage of David Cutcliffe, the same coach who guided former Giants legend Eli Manning through his college career. Duke was certainly no powerhouse program, and Jones put up yeoman-like numbers at best. Despite the lack of gaudy college production, the talent made itself known several times. Jones possessed all the tools an NFL franchise could want. You will find his college numbers and combine testing scores below.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
Passing Table
Passing
YearSchoolConfClassPosGCmpAttPctYdsY/AAY/ATDIntRate
*2015DukeACCFRQB
2016DukeACCFRQB1227043062.828366.66.4169126.3
*2017DukeACCSOQB1325745356.726915.95.51411112.0
*2018DukeACCJRQB1123739260.526746.86.9229131.7
CareerDuke764127559.982016.46.25229122.9
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 7/27/2023.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
Rushing & Receiving Table
RushingReceivingScrimmage
YearSchoolConfClassPosGAttYdsAvgTDRecYdsAvgTDPlaysYdsAvgTD
*2015DukeACCFRQB000
2016DukeACCFRQB121414863.47100.001424863.47
*2017DukeACCSOQB131615183.270001615183.27
*2018DukeACCJRQB111043193.13166.001053253.13
CareerDuke40613233.317263.0040813293.317
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 7/27/2023.

The surprising area of his game that stands out is his rushing ability. Jones has shown a remarkable ability to take off and make yards for his team when the pocket breaks down and nobody is open in the passing game. Jones has built upon this area of his game at the NFL level. This is particularly useful when it comes to fantasy points.

Jones played okay but lacked in the first three years of his stint in the Big Apple. It wasn’t until the arrival of new Head Coach Brian Daboll that Jones finally seemed to realize his full potential. On the biggest note, he cut down on the number of turnovers. He also became a much more efficient runner, hitting a career-high stat line of 120/708/7! This made up for his lackluster passing stats as Jones finished 2022 as the QB11 overall on the season. 

The most impressive part of Jones finishing 2022 as a low-end QB1 was that the Giants lacked a true WR1 in the passing game. Rookie receiver WanDale Robinson and Sterling Shepard were both injured. Former high-end free-agent addition Kenny Golladay was an absolute bust with the Giants. The team had also parted ways with former first-round tight end Evan Engram. Daniel Bellinger’s replacement had a wonderful start to his rookie campaign before suffering one of the more gruesome eye injuries you will ever see on a football field, fracturing his eye socket. 

Heading into 2023, Daboll and the Giants did their best to surround Jones with better weaponry after giving him an excellent four-year $160 million deal. The team added former Colts second-round pick Parris Campbell, whose speed will help on the perimeter. They also added the reigning Belitnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt from the college ranks. Most important for Jones, though, was the team’s acquisition of tight end Darren Waller. The big 6’6″ Waller finally gives Jones a bonafide mismatch in the passing game.

It is my belief that Jones is poised on the precipice of a true breakout in 2023. If the additional weapons placed around him can help him get back to 24 or more passing TDs to go along with his rushing numbers, he will be a threat to crack the top five at his position. He has an offensive-minded head coach who will simplify the system for him and put his weapons in the best position to succeed. Jones has an all-world running back who is one of the top receivers out of the backfield in the game, one of the top tight ends, some speedy receivers, and the wheels to do things, as you see below. 

One of the best parts about Jones for dynasty purposes is the price tag. Unless your league has a true believer who already manages him, you will find the price very affordable relative to young high-end starting quarterbacks. When looking through trades on the Dynasty Nerds Trade Browser, you see him being moved for older veterans or even less than rookie signal callers like Bryce Young. These are crazy good values in Superflex leagues. Do yourself a favor and scoop up Jones before it’s too late.

RB: Saquon Barkley

Regarding the New York Giants and fantasy football, Barkley is king. The former Penn State Nittany Lion is one of the most talented running backs we have seen in the NFL over the last decade or two. Quadzilla has a total skill set allowing him to remain on the field regardless of the situation. Unfortunately for him and the rest of the RB position throughout the league, this spot is a short-term job at the best of times. 

Barkley came into the NFL as one of the most athletically gifted running backs to ever see the field. His combine performance and his work in the weight room were both legendary. You can see his numbers below. 

Throughout his five-year NFL career, Barkley has used his skills well. He has enjoyed three high-end RB1 seasons, split up by two injury-plagued seasons. In the three seasons where he played at least 13 games, he has run for over 1,000 yards in each campaign. He has also displayed a nose for the endzone in those years, putting up an average of nine rushing scores per year. Nobody that has ever watched Barkley play will doubt his rushing ability.

For our fantasy purposes, the most important aspect of Barkley’s game is his abilities as a receiver. Those skills are the ones that make an elite running back in today’s fantasy game. Nearly every rusher in the league can rush for somewhere around 1,000 yards and score some TDs if given a heavy enough workload. However, a few can make the type of plays in the passing game that Barkley can. He has averaged a 66/499/2 receiving line throughout his three healthy seasons. That is good for an extra 120+ fantasy points each season. You can see some of his receiving chops below. Like last season, 2023 is shaping up as a year where Barkley will operate as one of the top pass-catching options in the Giant’s attack. 

Now when it comes to Barkley, the price will be high. As with most high-end running backs, you must pay for the pleasure. Looking through the Dynasty Nerds Trade Browser, you will see some high-end assets being exchanged for the former first-round pick. I have seen everything from multiple first-round picks to last year’s rushing champion Josh Jacobs and a pick upgrade.

Despite his immense upside, Barkley is somewhat of a risk at this point in his career. Unless you are a win-now squad, exploring the trade market for the dynamic back might be a good idea. The recent current contract landscape for NFL running backs has been brutal. Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott were cut by their teams this off-season. Jonathan Taylor has requested a trade, while Josh Jacobs and Barkley himself have had standoffs with their current squads. Essentially, Barkley is a 2-3 year player who is the perfect RB1 for win-now squads. 

Behind Barkley, the Giants have an uninspiring group of running backs. The team currently has Matt Breida, Eric Gray, and James Robinson as the top backups. Breida is the most likely handcuff to carry some value if Barkley were injured. However, the most likely outcome is that if Barkley were to miss time, none of these players would carry real standalone value as the team would divulge into an ugly committee. 

WRs: Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, Parris Campbell, Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins

The wide receiver position is the weakest skill group on the entire Giants roster. Unlike the team’s other skill groups, there is no established go-to player in the wide receiver group. Some intriguing youngsters are on the squad, a couple of retreads, and even some returning from injury. 

As we look at the current Giants roster, the names that stand out to me from an overall dynasty perspective are Robinson and Hyatt. Robinson was last year’s second-round selection. He showed some promising glimpses during his rookie year before tearing his ACL and missing the entire second half of the season. Despite being a diminutive 5’8″ and 185 lbs., Robinson is an electric playmaker with the ball in his hands. He will likely man the slot for Jones when he is fully healthy. From some of his rookie highlights, you can see why the team is excited to get him back into action. 

Hyatt is the other exciting youngster on the roster. Some are overlooking Hyatt due to his fall in the draft. Despite being selected in the third round, Hyatt brings an intriguing skill set. The 6’0″ and 185 lb. playmaker is the reigning Belitnikoff Award winner from the college ranks. Yes, that is right, he was voted the top receiver in all of college football last season while making plays for the Tennessee Volunteers. When you check out his highlights from last season, it is easy to see why Daboll and Jones are excited to work Hyatt into the fold. He profiles as the long-term perimeter playmaker for the Giants. He is already beginning to turn heads in camp with impressive catches and an early connection with Jones. 

The Giants have a new face in town with Campbell and the two intriguing youngsters. He is the former Ohio State speedster who spent the first four years of his career in Indianapolis. The former second-round pick has had a hard time staying healthy. However, when he has been on the field, he has made some very nice plays and flashed the talent that saw him drafted early. The initial reviews out of the Giants camp have been positive. Campbell will have a legitimate shot at claiming one of the starting receiver spots on the Giants due to his skill set and experience. 

Hodgins and Slayton are the remaining receivers of note on the team. They bring a different skill set from the other receivers I have mentioned. Unlike Campbell, Hyatt, and Robinson, Hodgins and Slayton bring size to the table. At 6’4″ and 201 lbs., Hodgins brings a wire frame to give Daniel Jones some opportunities to play jump ball with his receiver. There is a decent chance he will play a role in the red zone, where his overall height makes him a nice target on fade routes. Slayton is no shorty in his own right, coming in at 6’1″ and 194 lbs. Last season Slayton led all Giants receivers in catches and yards. While I am not as excited about this pair of Giants pass catchers long-term, they may end up with most of the stats this year. 

The one thing that all the Giants pass catchers have in common is their cheap price tag. There might not be another team in the entire NFL devoid of a player worth a first-round pick in their receiver room. Searching through the Dynasty Nerds Trade Browser, you will find all these players being moved for quite reasonable prices. Do yourself a favor and scout these receivers. If you like one of them more than the others, make a play for him because the depth chart is wide-open, and all of the Giant’s receivers are attainable. 

TE: Darren Waller, Daniel Bellinger

Waller was the big off-season acquisition for the New York Giants. In recent NFL memory, the former Georgia Tech receiver has made one of the most successful transitions to the tight end position. His early career stint as a receiver in Baltimore was a forgetful affair fraught with injury and substance abuse setbacks. Those difficulties often cause people to forget just what type of athlete Waller was and is. 

As mentioned above, Waller has enjoyed the most successful conversion to the tight-end position I have ever seen. During his time with the Raiders, Waller became one of the NFL’s most dangerous receiving tight ends. His back-to-back 1,100-plus-yard seasons are among the most impressive tight-end season stats ever.

 
Receiving & Rushing Table
Games Receiving Rushing Total Yds
Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD 1D Lng R/G Y/G Ctch% Y/Tgt Att Yds TD 1D Lng Y/A Y/G A/G Touch Y/Tch YScm RRTD Fmb AV Awards
201523BALWR126162189.001170.33.033.3%3.0029.018000
201624BALWR841231710858.527150.87.158.8%5.00108.585201
201826OAKWR8340667512.504441.518.8100.0%12.5121012121.05.30.3713.796001
201927OAKTE83161611790114512.7353755.671.676.9%9.8250072.50.30.19212.51150318AP CPoY-3
2020*28LVRTE831615145107119611.2968386.774.873.8%8.2010711.211969211PB
202129LVRTE831111935566512.1231335.060.559.1%7.205512.1665205
202230LVRTE8396432838813.9318343.143.165.1%9.002813.9388304
Career7452427298357212.019182754.048.369.8%8.432601218.70.40.030112.0359819330
5 yrsLVR-OAK5648404286346912.117174755.161.970.8%8.632601218.70.50.128912.1349517329
2 yrsBAL18423121038.628170.75.752.2%4.50128.610321
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/2/2023.

I believe Waller will operate as the first option in the Giants’ passing game. No player on the roster has anywhere near the accomplishments in the receiving game throughout their career as Waller does. He is a big physical freak capable of dominating with speed and size. He is a mismatch nightmare. The early reports of Giants camp are that Jones has already developed a connection with his new weapon. 

Many people in the dynasty community seem to have soured on Waller despite the massive opportunity in front of him. He is one of only a handful of tight ends across the league that will be the top pass catcher on his offensive squad. Waller will be a shoo-in for a top-five year if he stays healthy. Better yet, Waller comes at a discount. Looking at the Dynasty Nerds Trade Browser, you will find Waller going for as little as a second-round pick. If I am a contender, I am buying at that price all day, every day. He is one of the best values in his position.

Behind Waller, the Giants will continue to develop promising second-year tight end Bellinger. Last year’s fourth-round pick out of San Diego State enjoyed a very productive rookie year, albeit one that was fraught with injury when he suffered a gruesome eye injury which you can see below. He is a fine player to stash on your taxi squad or bench. He has a chance to learn behind Waller and grow into a useful dynasty player.

Final Thoughts

The New York football Giants are a team on the rise. The marriage of Head Coach Daboll and Quarterback Jones helped turn around the fortunes of the storied franchise. They went from one of the worst teams in the entire league to a squad that actually won a playoff game. The team has made several interesting additions to the defensive and offensive side of the ball. Daboll should continue to develop quality players and turn them into dynasty gold moving forward. Do yourself a favor and scoop up some Giants players. They will surely be an exciting team to watch in 2023. 

Thank you for reading this article! Please be sure to join the #Nerdherd, so you don’t miss out on any of the amazing things we have to offer @Dynastynerds.com. Use my promo code DynastyHolliday for a 15% off discount. You will get rankings, extra podcasts, and access to our rookie film room. For just a couple of bucks more, you can get access to our revolutionary DynastyGM tool. So much for so little; why miss out on all the fun? Also, you absolutely must check out our new mock draft tool. Find it in your Apple & Android app stores. Follow me @ReflipeWThenuz for more dynasty content and other musings.

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