Giants expected to sit starters Week 18

The New York Post's Ryan Dunleavy reports that the Giants are expected to sit "key starters" in Sunday's regular-season finale vs. the Eagles. New York is locked into the NFC's #6 seed and has nothing to play for. We've been projecting QB Daniel Jones and RB Saquon Barkley to sit all week. Look for QB Tyrod Taylor to get the start and for RBs Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell to handle backfield duties. WRs Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins and Richie James could also be held out or be pulled early in Sunday's game.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley has no immediate plans to sign his franchise tag, making him ineligible to participate in the team's offseason program beginning next week, Newsday's Kim Jones reports. The Giants, meanwhile, are not interested in signing Barkley to a long-term deal, according to Fox Sports' Ralph Vacchiano. "There’s no real crisis until training camp begins and from what I hear no camp holdout is expected — at least not yet," Vacchiano adds. This will certainly be a situation to monitor into the summer. But, for now, we're not adjusting our 2023 fantasy outlook for Barkley. He's most likely to play out the 1-year deal with the Giants before hitting free agency next offseason.

The Athletic’s Dan Duggan believes RB Saquan Barkley will sign a long-term deal by the July 17 deadline. (The 26-year-old was franchise tagged in March.) New York offered him a long-term deal in-season, but it was reportedly low on guarantees. We’ll track contract negotiations right up to the deadline. Right now, Barkley remains a clear-cut top-8 dynasty RB.

The Giants are applying the franchise tag to RB Saquon Barkley. It's not yet clear whether it's the exclusive version, which would keep Barkley from being able to negotiate with other teams. But the tag effectively keeps him with the Giants. It's unlikely another franchise would give two first-round picks for the right to sign Barkley. Expect the star RB to stick with the team that allowed him to finish fifth at the position in PPR points per game this past season.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley recorded 9 carries for 61 yards and 2 catches for 21 yards in Saturday's Divisional Round loss vs. the Eagles. Though the Giants' season ended in a disappointing fashion, Barkley has a lot to be happy about entering free agency this offseason. The Pro Bowl back played in 16 games for the 1st time since his rookie season in 2018 and set a career-high in rushing yards (1,312) in 2022. The soon-to-be 26-year-old will be a dynamic fantasy asset regardless of what team he suits up for in 2023 and beyond. He said after Saturday's game that “everyone knows I want to be a Giant for life," taking away any potential mystery around his intentions. We'll see if his desire to return to New York comes to fruition in the coming weeks.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that the Giants held long-term contract talks with RB Saquon Barkley during the season. Per Rapoport, the team wants Barkley and Daniel Jones to return for 2023. (No surprise there.) The franchise tag remains likely to be used on 1 of those guys. Per Spotrac, New York currently has the 3rd most cap-space league-wide (~54$ million).