For me, Devin Singletary was one of the biggest surprise signings of the 2024 offseason. Sure, he has enjoyed a productive career up to this point. But, he has never managed to lock down the starting job, always leaving his team looking for that next guy. He routinely does just enough to keep his job but never becomes the guy, so to speak. Enter the New York Giants. The Giants handed Devin Singletary a 3-year deal to take over for the recently departed Saquon Barkley. Will this situation equal dynasty gold, or will it be his next opportunity to lose his job? Without further ado, let us examine the outlook for Devin Singletary in 2024.
The Player:
Devin Singletary entered the NFL as a third-round pick out of Florida Atlantic. During his three seasons at Boca Raton, the somewhat undersized Singletary racked up some massive rushing numbers. He ran for over 1,000 yards each year and managed to leave the school as its all-time leading rusher. During that time, he was the engine behind Head Coach Lane Kiffin’s two conference championships. You can see his numbers below.
At the 2019 NFL combine, Devin Singletary was a huge disappointment. Despite his smaller stature, he had a slow 40 time and tested below average in agility. In the end, the Buffalo Bills decided to go with film instead of testing numbers. When you check out his college highlights below, you will easily see why they decided to go with the film.
NFL Career:
From the moment he arrived in Buffalo, it felt like the Bills organization was looking for a way to keep him off the field. The coaching staff never wanted to give him the bell-cow workload he succeeded with in college. Nonetheless, Singletary was extremely effective. He eclipsed 950 total yards in every season. Singletary also managed to average 36 catches a year over those four years.
Singletary finished as the PPR RB 35, 31, 20, and 23 during his time in Buffalo. Despite his quality play, the Bills decided to part ways with their starting tailback heading into 2023. Many believed that Devin’s time as a starter was finished when he only managed to find a 1-year deal in Houston for $2.75 million. At the beginning of the year, he seemed buried on the depth chart, doomed to play second fiddle to sophomore standout Dameon Pierce.
Dameon Pierce struggled mightily throughout 2023 and also dealt with injury. His injury woes allowed Singletary to slowly but surely take the spotlight. When Singletary got his full shot as a starter he exploded for the best game of his career.
Devin Singletary today
— Badge NFL News (@Badge_NFL_News) November 12, 2023
30 carries
150 rushing yards
5.0 average
1 TDpic.twitter.com/YXrpOLoERW
Singletary found his way to free agency, despite enjoying a career resurgence and helping the Texans on their way to a playoff victory. The Texans decided to go in a different direction. To the surprise of many, Singletary managed to find a soft-landing spot for his third contract, netting a 3-year 16.5-million-dollar deal with the Giants.
New York Giants reaches agreement with Devin Singletary for 3-years, $16.5 million contract #NFLFreeAgency pic.twitter.com/RqzcaFwjUl
— Alex Sinex (@AlexSinexx) March 11, 2024
The Team:
Despite the nice new deal, the Giants are not the best possible destination. Singletary finds himself in the unenviable position of replacing the departed Saquon Barkley. For years, the Giants failed to properly support their Pro Bowl running back. This means that sledding won’t be easy. All this being true, Singletary still finds himself in the position to be a 3-down workhorse RB.
The Giants will bring back embattled quarterback Daniel Jones for another season in 2024. He will lead a supporting cast that has gotten better over the offseason. Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, and rookie stud Malik Nabers will play the outside. At tight end, the Giants are currently in limbo with starter Darren Waller contemplating retirement. Behind him, New York has an intriguing pair of TEs, Daniel Bellinger and rookie Theo Johnson.
As it currently stands the Giants have very little in the way of depth behind Singletary. 2023 5th round pick Eric Gray and 2024 5th round pick Tyrone Tracy Jr. are his direct competition. There has been some excitement for Tracy among the dynasty community, but he brings a questionable college profile at best, spending time between Iowa and Purdue. He is also only two years younger than Singletary despite Devin spending five years in the NFL.
Dynasty Value:
Despite being a likely 3-down RB with a 3-year deal, Devin Singletary is extremely affordable in dynasty. Here at Dynasty Nerds, we have him as our 44th-ranked RB. This despite being only 26 with a new deal and likely heavy workload.
Interest in Singletary seems to be quite low as well. Using our trade browser tool in the DynastyGM tool, I cannot find a direct player swap for Singletary on the heels of his new destination.
I would wager that you could entice willing owners with a second-round pick. At that price, Devin Singletary is an absolute bargain. He has been quite durable in his career. He will have a very nice workload in New York, and he will have a highly motivated offensive unit around him, with a quarterback and head coach likely fighting for their futures in NYC.
Final Thoughts:
For my money, Devin Singletary represents a fantastic value in your PPR leagues. He will inherit a high-volume workload from the previous starter, Saquon Barkley. While I do not believe he will see quite as much work as his predecessor, he will take somewhere in the neighborhood of 75% of the team’s offensive touches.
Singletary has some life left; for a contender, he will be the perfect RB3 for a championship run. You will not find a cheaper high-volume RB in all of dynasty. I believe this will finally be the year Devin Singletary eclipses the 1,000-rushing mark. He is primed and loaded to have a productive couple of seasons. He has essentially two years of guaranteed money and very little competition behind him. Do yourself a favor and scoop him up while the price is still cheap.
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