‘Sounds like’ Nabers will play in Week 1

Nabers fielded quite a few questions from reporters this afternoon, with many focusing on who makes the decision for him to play and whether he will be on a snap count. Nabers was adamant that his participation level is entirely his call. Of course, he chose not to share whether he is leaning toward playing or delaying his return, but noted that he is keeping his long-term health and career in mind. Nabers continues to practice in full, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter said earlier today that Nabers is “on track to play.” We lean that way as well, but his usage is tough to project. He is likely best viewed as a WR2 if active.

Nabers began the week practicing fully with his teammates, and we expect that to remain the case today and tomorrow. Giants coach John Harbaugh stopped short of saying Nabers will face the Cowboys in Week 1, but signs are certainly pointing toward that outcome. Hopefully, we get an indication as to whether the team plans to keep him on a snap count in the coming days.

Giants coach John Harbaugh told reporters he thinks Nabers is ready to go. Harbaugh didn’t fully commit to him playing in Week 1, but we would be stunned if Nabers isn’t out there on Sunday. Even if Nabers takes a few weeks to get back to form, he should be in fantasy lineups out of the gate. Nabers is, at worst, a high-end WR2 for his first game since suffering a torn ACL in Week 4 of the 2025 season.

Nabers told reporters Monday that he still needed to clear a few checkpoints before being ready to suit up for the season opener against Dallas. “Will it take some time? Who knows?” he said. “But I know for sure if I’m out there, I’m going to run some routes.” Some routes and movements, he added, feel better than others on surgically-repaired knee. Even so, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan said the “expectation is [Nabers] will be playing barring some sort of setback.” A target hog who’s explosive with the ball in his hands, Nabers profiles as a risky fantasy selection for now. His absence in the season opener would be a blow to Jaxson Dart’s outlook.

Nabers continues to trend toward playing in Week 1 against the Cowboys, provided he avoids any setbacks. The star receiver officially shed his non-contact jersey on Monday and participated in a limited capacity in 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Raanan said Nabers participated in three reps for both drills and “made a really nice catch when he went down and plucked a pass off the turf.” Speaking after Monday’s practice, head coach John Harbaugh said it would be “reasonable to assume” Nabers will play in Week 1 barring any setbacks. Nabers projects as a low-end WR1 in fantasy this season with the upside for top-five production once he’s back to full strength.

Things are still up in the air on this one. Harbaugh said it’s “a possibility” that Nabers ditches the red non-contact jersey, but added that he doesn’t think it’s “a necessity” to do so this week. The season opener is exactly three weeks away, so delaying the decision by a week might be fine. Nabers is seemingly on track to face the Cowboys in Week 1.

It was a big day for Nabers, as the star receiver participated in 11-on-11s for the first time since suffering a torn ACL last season. While he may not be up to full-speed just yet, it has been a positive summer for Nabers overall. He managed to avoid the PUP list to open camp and has not suffered any setbacks since then. He’s still sporting the red non-contact jersey, but all signs continue to point to Nabers being ready for Week 1 if he continues on his current trajectory.

Nabers reportedly sported a red, non-contact jersey as he took part in a walkthrough period that Giants coaches used to install plays. According to SNY’s Connor Hughes, Nabers caught a couple of passes while running routes against the defense today. Per Hughes, “everything points towards him being back for the start of the season.”

Nabers’ participation in training camp has steadily increased over the last two weeks, and the star receiver has reportedly looked good on his surgically repaired knee. According to Raanan, Nabers has “looked better as the summer progressed” and was able to cut and jump without any trouble. While he has yet to participate in seven-on-seven or 11-on-11 drills, the belief is that Nabers will begin participating in live drills in the coming weeks. The uncertainty surrounding Nabers’ injury has created a nice buying opportunity for fantasy managers who were willing to take a shot on him earlier this offseason at his suppressed ADP. While his price is likely to go up for the remainder of summer, if Nabers is good to go for Week 1, he will be well worth the cost as he projects as a high-end WR1 when healthy.

This is another step in the right direction, although Duggan adds that there was a “slight scare” when S Tyler Nubin got a little too close for comfort on a swing pass to Nabers today. Both players are reportedly “fine,” but Nubin might want to reduce his enthusiasm moving forward. Duggan believes Nabers could join “live team periods” next week, giving us a benchmark to check in on. Stay tuned.