WR Malik Nabers has been the most impressive player at Giants camp so far, according to most accounts. The rookie has impressed with his downfield speed, route running, and hands.
Giants TE Theo Johnson (hip) passed a physical and was removed from the PUP list. The rookie made his training camp debut on Sunday.
Steelers QB Russell Wilson missed his second straight day of practice Friday because of injury. HC Mike Tomlin downplayed what's being reported as "calf tightness," saying the team wants "to keep a minor thing from becoming major."
TE Darren Waller has told the Giants that he will retire, according to both NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Jordan Ranaan. This confirms the news we passed along a little less than a week ago. It sets up Daniel Bellinger as the likeliest season-opening starter at TE, with rookie Theo Johnson competing for time. Neither makes for an exciting 2024 fantasy football option, though you could take a shot on either low in TE3 range of your best ball draft.
ESPN's Jordan Ranaan reports that Giants TE Darren Waller is expected to announce next week whether he'll play this season -- and that "people in and around the team expect that he's going to retire." The team has a two-day mandatory minicamp starting on June 11. Waller's expected to deliver his decision ahead of that.
The Giants selected Purdue RB Tyrone Tracy in Round 5 of the NFL Draft. This prospect fired us up in the pre-draft process. One reason why: Tracy’s background as a WR. His college career began as a WR at Iowa, where he’d make an impact in 2019 following a 2018 redshirt (36 catches, 589 yards, 3 TDs). A pandemic-shortened 2020 slowed progress, and then Tracy’s role dipped in 2021. Tracy transferred to Purdue ahead of the 2022 season in search of more touches. Instead, he finished 5th on the team in catches; 6th in receiving yards. 2023 turned up a position switch – one that changed the trajectory of his pro prospects. “I was a little skeptical at first,” Tracy said of the move. “I didn’t know if he [new HC Ryan Walters] was trying to say I’m not a good receiver, or ‘Hey, man, we actually think you can do this.’ I kind of just prayed about it. I talked to my mom and dad about it. And my dad was basically saying, ‘I know you’ve been doing this your whole life.’” Tracy saw only 114 carries last fall, but he excelled in the limited opportunities. Among 157 RBs with 100+ attempts, he ranked top-20 in yards per carry, yards after contact per attempt, and PFF Elusive Rating. The 5’11, 209-pounder popped in 8 rushing scores. Tracy’s game needs refinement, but his raw athleticism reminded us of Antonio Gibson coming out of Memphis. His stock only increased at the NFL Combine with a 9.78 Relative Athletic Score. The main negative here surround’s Tracy’s advanced age – he’ll turn 25 in November. With only 148 career carries, though, he enters the league without much wear and tear. Getting Round 5 draft capital is a small win for Tracy. And the landing spot is good. The Giants’ RB depth chart is topped by Devin Singletary, who signed a modest three-year, $16.5 million deal in free agency. There’s room for Tracy to carve out a role here – particularly in the passing game – as early as this season.
The Giants selected Penn State TE Theo Johnson in Round 4 of the NFL Draft. A converted WR, Johnson spent four years with the Nittany Lions – two as a full-time starter. Career-best numbers surfaced as a senior, but he wasn’t a major performer (34-341-7). He accounted for 13.8% of the team’s catches, 12.2% of the receiving yards, and 20.3% of the receiving TDs. He managed just 1.26 yards per route run -- down from the 1.58 figure he tallied as a junior. The real promise here lies in Johnson’s athletic gifts, which helped him to play all over the formation (47.9% inline, 38.8% slot, 9.8% wide). At 6’6, 259 pounds, he’s simply a rare athlete. Look no further than his Combine performance, which included a 4.57 forty, a 39.5-inch vertical, a 125-inch broad jump, and a 4.19 shuttle. Altogether, Johnson posted a historic 9.99 Relative Athletic Score. Now, his game needs refinement – most notably in his route running. Johnson also found himself in two off-field incidents that led to misdemeanors. He joins a Giants team that’s still waiting to hear whether TE Darren Waller will continue his football career. If not, TE Daniel Bellinger would stand as Johnson’s top competition for snaps. That’d give the rookie an outside shot at 2024 fantasy value – although he’s more of a dynasty bench stash.
The Giants drafted WR Malik Nabers sixth overall. Nabers is an explosive athlete, confirmed by a 4.35-second 40 time and 42-inch vertical at his Pro Day. Those are 91st- and 97th-percentile marks for his position. A big play waiting to happen both after the catch and going deep, Nabers averaged 15.9 yards per catch for his college career. He flashed as a freshman at LSU and then broke out as a sophomore, leading the team with 72 catches and 1,017 yards. Then came a massive junior season: 89 catches, 1,569 yards, and 14 TDs. Nabers led the FBS in plays of 20+ yards (34) and 30+ yards (17). He also led all 286 qualifying WRs in Pro Football Focus receiving grade and ranked third in yards per route. In many ways, his 2023 season was better than Marvin Harrison Jr.’s. Nabers isn’t as polished as Harrison, needing work on his route running and ball skills. But his pure athleticism should create plenty of 2024 fantasy value. And his long-term fantasy ceiling might be higher than Harrison’s. The Giants present opportunity for Nabers to immediately lead the team in targets. The team picking him instead of a QB in Round 1 also bodes well for the 2024 fantasy outlook of QB Daniel Jones, who has been going at the bottom of QB3 territory in early best ball drafting.
The Browns and QB Jameis Winston have agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $8.7 million, according to insider Jordan Schultz. Winston had interest from "multiple teams," per Schultz, but was presumably not offered a starting job. He'll slide in behind QB Deshaun Watson in Cleveland. Watson is coming off a disappointing 2023 season that ended with a right shoulder injury that required surgery. Considering what the Browns are paying him, though, Watson will need to be even worse this year for Winston to see the field. Winston is only worth stashing in deeper superflex dynasty leagues. This signing means that QB Joe Flacco won't be back in Cleveland.
The Giants are signing RB Devin Singletary, according to multiple reports. Singletary obviously can't completely fill the Saquon Barkley void, but he enters a backfield with lots of opportunity. And ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that New York is giving him $16.5 million over over three years, with another $3 million in incentives. That certainly points to Singletary most likely leading the 2024 backfield. Expect the Giants to add at least one more RB. But we'll be projecting Singletary to lead the group in touches. Singletary figures to remain a value in best ball drafts for at least a little longer, with a chance to remain a value. He's RB40 in Underdog Fantasy ADP right now.
QB Russell Wilson announced late Sunday night that he'll be signing with the Steelers after his release from Denver becomes official. The vet will be signing for just $1.2 million, thanks to the Broncos being on the hook for about $39 million. That Pittsburgh number is far from guaranteed-starter money. But Wilson's quick decision on the Steelers almost certainly means they guaranteed him at least a chance to compete for the starting job. If Wilson can't beat out Kenny Pickett this summer, it'd be either the worst sign yet for his career or a huge step forward for Pickett. We'll head toward summer assuming Wilson will emerge as the starter. The landing spot, though, isn't exciting for his fantasy outlook. And Wilson's arrival -- after the way he performed the past two years -- doesn't elevate Pittsburgh's pass-catchers.
The Panthers have applied the franchise tag to Edge Brian Burns. That's no shock. Carolina reportedly declined sizable trade offers in the past for Burns, who will be just 26 for the 2024 season. Any team that believes the young pass rusher is worth two first-round picks could still sign him to an offer sheet in free agency. And the Panthers could still swap Burns to recoup some picks from last year's Bryce Young trade. But for now, we'll assume Burns sticks in Carolina and remains a solid-to-good IDP option.
As expected, the Broncos are releasing QB Russell Wilson. The team will endure large cap hits this year and next but avoid having to pay Wilson in 2025. He remained decent last year, rebounding vs. 2022 in most stat categories. But it clearly wasn't good enough for the Broncos, who turned to Jarrett Stidham to start the final two games. We'd bet on the 35-year-old Wilson landing another starting gig -- or at least a chance to compete for a starting gig. Denver, meanwhile, has to find a new answer. Stidham has never looked like a long-term NFL starter. The Broncos pick 12th in the upcoming NFL Draft, which might prove too late for any of the top four QBs. We wouldn't be surprised to see Denver try to move up. The values of WR Courtland Sutton, WR Jerry Jeudy, WR Marvin Mims, TE Greg Dulcich, and others will depend heavily on that QB decision.
Giants TE Darren Waller told the New York Post that he's "still undecided" whether he'll continue playing in 2024. He'll turn 32 in September and has dealt with a plethora of injuries throughout his career, including a lingering hamstring issue last year. Waller is set to make $10.5 million this season and count $14 million against the salary cap, but the Giants have no intention of cutting him, according to the New York Post. We'll keep an eye on this situation, but Waller obviously carries elevated risk in fantasy drafts until he makes a decision on his football future. We've moved him down the fantasy football TE rankings for now.
Dolphins S Jevon Holland (knees) and LB Jerome Baker (knee) are active for tonight's game against the Bills. It's the second straight game for Holland after he returned last week from a four-game absence. Baker missed the past four games with his injury and remained limited in practice this week. We've added him to the Week 18 LB rankings and knocked David Long down.
Giants WR Jalin Hyatt has been ruled out of Sunday's finale vs. the Eagles with a hamstring injury. He caught one of two targets for five yards before exiting and finishes his rookie campaign with 368 scoreless yards. Hyatt was considered a project coming out of Tennessee, so his development will be worth watching closely this offseason. He's a dynasty hold.
Saints backup QB Jameis Winston agreed to a restructured contract that adds two years to his deal, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports. But the move was reportedly done merely to spread out his cap hits. Those two extra years void "early in the new league year," according to Fowler. That means Winston can still hit free agency this spring. The 30-year-old will be interesting to watch on the market. Winston is stashable in dynasty leagues now (where possible) in case he lands behind a shaky starter. That seems more likely than Winston getting a shot to be some team's bridge QB. Winston previously hit the market in 2020, 2021, and 2022. His most recent New Orleans contract came with a starting opportunity ($28 million over two years), but the Saints stuck with Andy Dalton in 2022 even after Winston got healthy and then imported Derek Carr for 2023.
Texans RB Devin Singletary carried 16 times for 80 yards in Sunday's win over the Titans, adding 3 receptions for 6 yards on 3 targets. That found him doubling Dameon Pierce's carry count and tripling Pierce's target count. Singletary has more than doubled Pierce in opportunities in four of five games since Pierce returned from injury. That includes a 47-15 lead for Singletary over the past three weeks. Week 18 holds a matchup with the Colts, who entered Sunday as the third-best scoring matchup for fantasy RBs. There will be upside to Singletary if you're playing Week 18.
Dolphins S Jevon Holland (knees), CB Jalen Ramsey (knee), and CB Xavien Howard (hip, thumb) are active for today's game against the Ravens. Holland missed the past four games with the knee troubles and remained limited in practice this week. There's likely some risk of re-injury, but Miami also appears to have been cautious in bringing him back. Holland's ultimately worth using as planned in most IDP cases. Ramsey and Howard are no more than low-level IDP possibilities.
Giants WR Wan'Dale Robinson (quad) is active for today’s game vs. the Rams. He went from limited participation in Wednesday’s practice to full participation on Thursday back to limited on Friday. But we're not expecting the quad to be a significant factor today.
Search
