Note: This Stock Watch comes from a COMPLETELY unbiased point of view and not one from a butt-hurt Patriots fan who was not pleased when he found out Golden Tate took a 4-year, $37.5 million deal over signing with the receiver-needy Patriots.
Now that we have that out of the way, the Giants made a very peculiar decision when they signed the 30-year old stud slot receiver to a 4-year deal after dealing away Odell Beckham Jr. They currently have a slot receiver in Sterling Shepard, who lined up in the slot 55 percent of the time in 2018 and although it looks like they’ll likely kick Shepard outside and let Tate (70 percent slot snaps in 2018) run the slot, it seemed like one of the worst signings in free agency.
From the looks of it, the team wants to extend Elisha Manning beyond 2019, which doesn’t make sense from a rebuilding perspective. So, not only did they pass on Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen and Josh Rosen in favor of a running back, it now looks like they’ll pass on Dwayne Haskins or Drew Lock in favor of… winning now?
Anyways, from a scheme and fantasy standpoint, the fit does not make much sense. As stated above, they have a young and capable slot receiver in Shepard who will now be forced out of position by the signing. They also have Manning throwing him the rock. Manning was rated the No. 28 QB by PFF, and they noted his lack of ability to fit the ball into tight windows as one of his biggest downfalls. With Tate losing a step (will be 31) and Manning unable to get him the ball on the regular, it’s no surprise that Tate lands at WR38 on our current Big Board.
