The regular season might be less than ten days away, but if you’re like me you’re still drafting fantasy football teams as often as your heart desires. I had two drafts on Sunday night, and I’ll fit in a few more before kickoff.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know the NFC East has a ton of fantasy firepower again this season. The Eagles will soar with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith; Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson are looking spicy in the Commanders’ new-look offense with Eric Bieniemy now calling plays; and the Cowboys will ride Tony Pollard and CeeDee Lamb until the wheels fall off.
Today, however, we’re going to focus on the squad that I feel is being overlooked from both on-field and fantasy perspectives. Some may call them Big Blue. Others may call them the G-Men or even the Fighting Danny Dimes. I simply call them the New York Football Giants.
New York Giants Fantasy Football Outlook
Daniel Jones Fantasy Football Outlook
The Giants appear to finally have a competent offensive playcaller and game plan designer in Brian Daboll. Daniel Jones, who had four offensive coordinators in four seasons before finally settling into Daboll’s system, is looking to take another step forward this season and is someone I’m in on if I miss on the top tier of QBs. Watching him confidently step into throws this pre-season has me feeling some kind of way. Maybe that’s what not having to change OCs and playbooks during an off-season will do for a talented quarterback. Of course, his legs will continue to be a fantasy asset. As a reminder, yes, it’s still a good idea to wait on drafting a quarterback if you miss out on the top-tier options. With an ADP over 100, Jones fits that mold.
Darren Waller Fantasy Football Outlook
Aside from benefitting from consistent coaching, Jones now has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal that will allow this offense to attack vertically and stretch out defenses after spending half a season throwing to guys who were on their couches two weeks prior. My favorite Danny Dimes target is Darren Waller. I have completely re-fallen in love with Waller during training camp, and I have found myself taking him probably more often than I should. I’m not reaching for him, but others’ hesitancy to use a sixth-rounder on him has kept my Waller cup full. He’s been a highlight reel throughout camp and the preseason. If you draft him, be ready with a Plan B in case the injury bug bites again. But 13 or more games of Waller plus whoever you replace him with still has at least a TE3 ceiling across the entire season for that roster slot. I wish I knew how to quit him, but I don’t.
Daniel Bellinger Fantasy Football Outlook
Before moving on from the tight end room of the Giants, Daniel Bellinger isn’t someone I’m going to tell you to roster. However, don’t be surprised to see Bellinger rack up four or five TDs this season and be someone who can help in leagues with touchdown-heavy scoring settings. There is absolutely a scenario where, depending on the matchup, New York decides to have Waller be the man between the 20s and work Bellinger more in the red zone as we briefly saw this preseason. There have been trade talks swirling around the second-year pass catcher, but he’ll play a key role for the Giants even with Waller around. Plus, he’s absolutely shredded. Just Google “Daniel Bellinger muscles.” It almost makes me want to draft the handcuff to my tight end. Don’t do that, but I mean come on. He looks like the newest Marvel superhero who’s about to catch 35 balls in a season for seven touchdowns.
Saquon Barkley Fantasy Football Outlook
All that field stretching going on can only help Saquon Barkley, who is coming off his best season since his rookie year. Barkley got a new contract, albeit a one-year deal, so he’ll be eager to prove that he once again should receive another payday before next season. Not having to constantly run into eight and nine-man boxes will help that cause. The offensive line is just good enough, with the interior probably being the weak link, but they will be more than serviceable for a back with the talent of Barkley and the way defenses will have to respect the Giants downfield.
Will Saquon reach the 350-touch mark as he did last season (295 rushes, 57 receptions) in his return to fantasy relevance? If the Giants want to be as competitive as I think they will be, he needs to at least land in the 300-325 touch range. I have seen Saquon somehow slip into the middle of the second round of drafts on multiple occasions. Capitalize if your leaguemates commit the same travesty. If you’re at the first/second round turn and he falls to you, don’t overthink it. Just take him and move on.
Giants Wide Receivers Fantasy Football Outlook
We can’t forget about the aforementioned Big Blue pass catchers looking to get vertical. Is there a clear-cut WR1 on this roster? Probably not. But have you seen the wheels on Jalin Hyatt? After the Giants put him in motion across the formation against the Jets on the very first play of the game, Hyatt blew right by Sauce Gardner and showed off his ability to separate. He’s being taken around pick 160 and is oozing with upside.
Isaiah Hodgins went for 33-351-4 in the final eight weeks of the season for Big Blue and is being drafted after pick 200. You could do a lot worse with your final picks. The rest of the wide receiver room has a few question marks but is talented, nonetheless. Parris Campbell signed with New York this offseason and hopes a change of scenery is what he needs to succeed. Wan’Dale Robinson and Sterling Shepard are returning from injury and will contribute to this offense, and Darius Slayton will get some run between the 20s as well. However, Hyatt and Hodgins are the wide receivers to roster in what will be an extremely fun offense to watch.
