Harbaugh calls Skattebo a ‘top tier’ back

Skattebo was limited for the second day in a row, but he at least ditched his red non-contact jersey. The Giants’ lead running back should be good to go for Week 5 against the Commanders. He sits on the RB1/2 border once again.

Skattebo was participating in a red non-contact jersey today. His limited participation puts him on track to play in Week 5 against the Commanders, but this is obviously worth tracking. The Giants’ starting running back has handled reliably larger workloads this season. Hopefully, he is feeling up to the task again on Sunday.

With the G-Men and Cardinals trading sacks and turnovers in a sloppy but close contest, Skattebo seemed to be in a 50-50 committee with Najee Harris. That is until Harris got “Peanut punched” at the 11:14 mark of the fourth quarter, losing a fumble. Harris was never heard from again as Skattebo received seven touches from that point forward. The G-Men are understandably hunting for some sort of alternative or caddie for their unexplosive, default lead back in Skattebo, but unsurprisingly, Harris is not going to be the answer in that regard. Skattebo will keep hanging around the low-end RB2 ranks heading into Week 5 against the Commanders.

With the Titans struggling to amass more than a handful of first downs, John Harbaugh was more than happy to grind out three yards per carry with his lead back for the better part of four quarters. Skattebo’s only explosive play came on a downfield shot from Jameis Winston. Skattebo got open deep while Winston fled the pocket and the two connected for a 30-yard gain. That alone was enough to make Skattebo the team’s leading receiver. Skattebo’s strong workload will keep him in the RB2 ranks for Week 4 against the Cardinals, even though the offensive environment has taken a massive hit with Jaxson Dart out for the regular season.

The Giants’ game plan was thrown for a loop when quarterback Jaxson Dart was forced from the game on the team’s first possession and were largely unable to get anything going with Jameis Winston under center. The result was a haphazard scheme thrown together to minimize Winston’s exposure to a relentless Rams defensive front, which drowned the fantasy production of all parties, to include Skattebo. More startling to Skattebo’s fantasy managers was the involvement of Najee Harris in the red zone, who was unable to cash in on two carries from the six on consecutive plays in the second quarter. Skattebo gets a plus matchup against the Titans in Week 3, where he returns to a viable RB2 in fantasy circles.

Although Skattebo was not targeted in the pass game, his 18 carries handily led the team. Furthermore, presumed backup Tyrone Tracy lost a fumble on one of his two carries, resulting in Devin Singletary taking over primary backup duties for the remainder of the game. Those two variables should keep Skattebo’s weekly volume high after showing no ill effects of the devastating ankle injury suffered in 2025. His touchdown now gives him eight total scores in nine professional appearances despite only six of those being starts, a rate that will keep Skattebo in the weekly borderline RB1 discussion moving forward. Tracy managed just two snaps to Singletary’s 25, leaving Singletary as the primary backup for the moment. It’s possible Najee Harris gets into this discussion after being a healthy scratch in Week 1.

Speaking on Up and Adams, Skattebo said he told himself in college that he would retire if he suffered a major injury. It’s a surprising comment on its face, but football fans shouldn’t be shocked that a young player questioned his choice of profession after suffering a gruesome ankle injury in his first season. Skattebo ultimately attacked rehab and returned faster than most people expected. He was a full-go early in the offseason and is now ready for Week 1.

It’s worth noting that Cam Skattebo continues to be the first running back up in practice, but it sounds like the Giants could have a vision for Harris, who signed with the team on a one-year, minimum-salary deal, per Raanan. Harris is returning from a torn Achilles that ended his 2025 season in Week 3, but there’s plenty of room for him to earn snaps behind Skattebo once he gets up to speed. A blown pass-blocking assignment by Tyrone Tracy in the team’s first preseason game against the Vikings raised immediate questions about whether or not the Giants will trust Tracy in pass-blocking situations this season, and Harris has proven to be a capable pass-blocker in the past. At this point, it’s hard to imagine Harris having any standalone fantasy value in a healthy Giants backfield, but he could be worth a handcuff to Skattebo in deeper leagues based on these latest reports.

Coming off a serious leg injury that ended his 2025 season in November, Skattebo has fared well in offseason practices and training camp, claiming he’s fully healed from his leg break. For now he’s listed as a co-RB1 alongside Tracy, who was up and down as the Giants’ lead back last season after Skattebo went down to injury. Devin Singletary listed as the lone RB2 likely means Tracy would get first crack at lead back duties if Skattebo misses any time in 2026. Tracy will be worth rostering in most 12-team formats.

It’s a sneaky way that Tracy could cut into Cam Skattebo’s workload. Duggan went as far as to say it “figures to be a time share, with Skattebo the 1-A and Tracy the 1-B,” and while we wouldn’t go quite that far with Skattebo being the lead back in most other drills and being anointed the starter for most of camp, it does cut Skattebo’s value just a smidge.