Saquon Barkley Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Giants released RB Corey Clement. It looked like he might be pushing for the #2 RB role early in camp, but Clement (predictably) faded. Devontae Booker is locked in as Saquon Barkley's handcuff. Rookie RB Gary Brightwell is currently the #3.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley (knee) participated in live drills in joint practice with the Patriots on Thursday and said he "felt good." Barkley was still sporting a non-contact jersey but said he wasn't thinking about his surgically repaired knee. It's another important step as he pushes to be cleared for Week 1.

Giants HC Joe Judge described RB Saquon Barkley's return to practice on Monday as "very encouraging." Judge added that Barkley's work is an "extension of his rehab" right now. The team continues to take it slow with its star RB coming off a multi-ligament knee injury. But it sure seems like Barkley is trending in the right direction.

The Giants have officially activated RB Saquon Barkley off the PUP, according to The Associated Press. This falls in line with earlier reports. We'll see about his participation level and reports on how he looks in the coming weeks. We'll also keep tabs on his ADP. Barkley has often slipped to Round 2 in recent drafting.

Giants HC Joe Judge said Monday that it'll be a "slow buildup" for RB Saquon Barkley (knee) in his return to practice. He'll be limited to individual drills to start. No surprise there. Judge also reiterated that Barkley's status for the start of the season remains uncertain. We'll closely track his progress over the next month.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley (knee) is expected to be activated from the PUP list and return to practice this week, insider Zack Rosenblatt reports. Barkley is now about 10.5 months removed from his multi-ligament knee injury and about 9.5 months removed from surgery. The Giants have taken a cautious approach bringing him back -- an approach that could continue into the season. ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported back in May that Barkley's workload could be limited early on. And NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said just a few days ago that Barkley might miss the first 2 games altogether. We'll see how he fares in practice over the next month.

Giants RB Corey Clement has outplayed RB Devontae Booker in camp so far, according to insider Zack Rosenblatt. "Booker is still the top backup," Rosenblatt concedes. "But he’s not necessarily performing like it." The Giants gave Booker a 2-year, $5.5 million deal in free agency vs. Clement's 1-year deal worth a little less than a million. So the team was likely banking on Booker winning the backup job behind RB Saquon Barkley. But that contract isn't big enough to guarantee him anything. We'll continue to monitor this situation, but there's no strong handcuff to Barkley right now.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that, "The Giants will likely see RB Saquon Barkley by Week 3 and although no one will rush him, no one has completely ruled out Week 1, either." Both Barkley and the Giants coaching staff have hinted all offseason that the star back might be not ready come Week 1 -- but this is the first real timetable for a debut we've gotten. "This is a long-term play," Rapoport adds. "No one is gonna rush Saquon on the field." A healthy Barkley still has a fantasy ceiling that rises near the top of his position. But fantasy owners should plan to potentially be without him for the first game or 2. And he probably won't be back to 100% until October at the earliest.

As expected, the Giants signed RB Alfred Morris on Monday. The 32-year-old averaged 4.3 yards on 55 carries for the G-Men last season. He's mere backfield depth for the team this summer as they continue to monitor RB Saquon Barkley's rehab.

Giants HC Joe Judge said he's "very pleased" with RB Saquon Barkley's progress in his return from last year's knee injury. Barkley ran full speed and did some cutting in Thursday's practice, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan. It qualifies as the first piece of good news on Barkley's rehab in months. It's still unclear if he'll be ready for Week 1 -- and how big a role he'll play early this season.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that RB Alfred Morris is scheduled to meet with the Giants "early next week" and that the team is expected to sign him at that point. Morris carried 55 times and caught 3 passes for last year's Giants, as they scrambled to fill a backfield missing Saquon Barkley. That they're looking to add a veteran RB now seems like yet another signal that we should expect a slow start for Barkley to this season. Expect Barkley to remain 1 of our most closely tracked players throughout the next month and a half (and maybe beyond). Do not expect Morris, however, to become a 2021 fantasy factor.

Giants HC Joe Judge refused to commit to RB Saquon Barkley (knee) being ready for Week 1 when asked on Monday. “Look, ideally we’d love to have him back as soon as possible,” Judge said. "But ultimately we’ve got to make sure when he comes back he can play 100 percent; he can play aggressive and confident; and that we have him back. So that’s the approach we’re taking. We’re really just watching day by day and evaluating where he’s at and affording him the ability to come back when he’s fully ready to go, because the plan is when we get him back to keep him back. We don’t want to rush him back and do something that’s not best for him individually or best for the team, and we’re really taking a big picture and a long-term view of this.” The "long-term view" has been the theme for Barkley's return from last September's torn ACL all offseason. It's clear the Giants will have no issue holding him out of games -- or perhaps limiting his touches -- if he's not ready to go. We'll continue to keep a close eye on his progress.

The Giants announced Thursday that RB Saquon Barkley is opening camp on the active/PUP list. That means the team can activate him at any point. Barkley would need to remain on the list all the way until the final cutdown to 53 players to be eligible for the regular-season PUP. We'll obviously track his participation and status throughout camp. We're assuming at this point Barkley will be active for the start of the season.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley (knee) said "we'll see" when asked Monday about his availability for Week 1. "Taking it day by day. Just listening to my body," he added. "Whenever I'm able to get out there, just make sure I'm 110 percent. Not just for ... my well-being, but just so I go out there and compete at a high level and show the world who Saquon is." While it would have been nice for Barkley to sound confident about his readiness for the start of the season, this was a more honest answer. We're still almost 2 months away from Week 1, so it's reasonable that neither he nor the Giants know whether he'll be ready. We should have a better idea by the end of August. For now, Barkley is the biggest risk/reward pick in Round 1 of fantasy drafts.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley, speaking to the media for the 1st time this year, refused to give a timetable for his return from knee surgery. "You know me, I’ll take it one day at a time," Barkley said. "It’s going to be whenever my body tells me I’m ready." It's noteworthy because players tend to be over-optimistic about their recoveries. ESPN's Jordan Raanan suggested a couple of weeks ago that Barkley might be limited at the beginning of the season. His status will be 1 of the bigger fantasy storylines this summer.