I spoke about Kadarius Toney last week as a top fantasy football week 5 waiver wire pickup. This article may be considered reactionary, but the rookie is poised for a league-winning second half of the 2021 season.
adds:
Devontae Booker: 76151x
Darrel Williams: 68145x
Geno Smith: 24266x
Kadarius Toney: 18558x
Amon-Ra St. Brown: 15691x
Indianapolis Colts: 15641x
Ricky Seals-Jones: 9573x
Jerick McKinnon: 9505x
Hunter Henry: 9313x
Zach Ertz: 8738x— The Fantasy Football Robot (@theffrobot) October 12, 2021
(That means go out and get him ASAP, use 30%+ of your FAAB if you have to.)
THE BREAKOUT
Week 5 vs the Cowboys was Toney’s coming-out party. Kenny Golladay went down with an injury early on (his injury history is outlined in the previous article) and with both Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley exiting, Toney saw the lion’s share of targets, making the most of his new stage time. He finished the night with 10 receptions for 189 yards on 13 targets in the loss. This line had Toney nominated for Rookie of the Week, falling short in the voting to fellow rookie stud receiver, Ja’Marr Chase.
News from Giants’ camp all season has been all about getting Toney up to speed. The outburst we saw on Sunday was the culmination of a lot of things – injuries, preparation, and most importantly, a willingness to get the ball in the hands of their 20th overall selection. In basically three weeks of running routes, Toney has really impressed, ranking ninth among all receivers in average separation yards (3.9 yards).
Trevon Diggs trying to play press on Kadarius Toney was funny — Toney embarrasses him, twisting, turning, not a chance at stopping him.
The break of the route where he opens his hips and changes direction is the best separation creator I've seen this year from a NYG WR. pic.twitter.com/sAAevPc661
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) October 12, 2021
Trevon Diggs, the current frontrunner for DPOY, was brutalized by the quick feet and shiftiness of the youngster. With added attention in the passing game and the majority of looks from Mike Glennon, at least in the short term, over 10 targets a game should be the norm moving forward. Glennon targeted Toney on 9 of his 15 attempts before Toney left the game, a massive 60% target share.
REST OF SEASON OUTLOOK
Jones shouldn’t miss too much time with a concussion, but the same can’t be said about Barkley. His ankle injury looked pretty rough, and a stint on short-term IR isn’t out of the question. Devontae Booker held his own following Barkley’s exit, but the absence of New York’s lead back should bode well for their pass catchers. Toney is poised to slide into the battle for the top of the depth chart against the Rams in Week 6.
This should be the outlook on Toney for the remainder of the year, as he gets more acquainted with the speed of the NFL and gains the head coach’s trust. Shaky running back play will also force the ball into the air more often in New York, which only stands to benefit the young talent on the Giants’ roster.
Toney checks in at WR30 (+7 vs ECR) on The Wolf’s Fantasy Football Week 6 Rankings.
