It’s no secret New York Giants wide receivers were not flying off fantasy draft boards last season.
Between Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, Darius Slayton and Isaiah McKenzie, there still isn’t a clear No. 1.
However, the Giants lost running back Saquon Barkley in the off-season, and while they have an extension in place for quarterback Daniel Jones, it doesn’t pay what other franchise deals are paying their top guy.
CAN THE GIANTS OFFENSE GET BACK ON TRACK WITH AN ELITE WR1?
Three quarterbacks were taken in the first three selections, followed by the first wide receiver at No. 4. The Los Angeles Chargers held the No. 5 pick. After losing wideouts Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in the offseason it wasn’t clear how they would approach the selection.
Instead of a wide receiver, Los Angeles drafted an offensive lineman. This left the second-best receiver on the board, with top QB prospects still available.
The Giants decided to help its quarterback and wide receiver corps by drafting Malik Nabers No. 6 overall instead of J.J. McCarthy.
MALIK NABERS SCOUTING REPORT
The six-foot LSU prospect fills an immediate starting role in New York.
“Nabers is a dynamic receiver with outstanding competitiveness and production. He explodes off the line in his release, creating immediate separation,” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said. “He isn’t afraid to work in the middle of the field and has strong hands to finish through contact.”
For a Giants team that lost its emergency option in Barkley leaving for Philadelphia when its offense broke down, having a receiver who can work multiple angles of the field is a necessity.
Nabers has proven he can change speeds inside the route to tilt defenders, has a good frame against defenders and can catch on and off-frame balls with the strength of his hands.
His 4.38 40-yard dash is important, solidifying his skills are accompanied by speed. Nabers posesses the skills of Robinson, Hyatt, Slayton and McKenzie in his person alone.
The downside to the move is defenses can try and force the Giants to move the ball without Nabers, meaning he’ll likely be a year-one target hog who’ll hopefully be force-fed right away.
MALIK NABERS 2024 FANTASY OUTLOOK AND DYNASTY VALUE
As a rookie, how Nabers will pair one-on-one with some of the top corners and safeties in the league is unknown. He could fall into instances of a Marshon Lattimore-on-Mike Evans effect until he matures in the NFL.
But, knowing Nabers can legitimately begin the 2024-25 season as New York’s No. 1 makes his fantasy appeal that much more. Any time you can draft a No. 1 position for your fantasy team, you do it. There were matchups last season where playing a Giants wide receiver for one week if you had a hole made sense. The Wolf is extremely high on the rookie, ranking him WR18 on his 2024 Fantasy Rankings.
As far as dynasty is concerned, Nabers doesn’t have a lot of competition. New York could also still draft a quarterback on the board or add one this time next year that can only make Nabers better. As of now, he still sits at WR2 and No. 3 overall on our 2024 Dynasty Rookie Rankings.
