Singletary a health scratch vs. Cardinals

In other words, it wasn’t exactly an endorsement that Jaxson Dart is the franchise quarterback. Dart, out for the year with a meniscus repair, will enter the third year of his rookie contract as the likely favorite to start assuming Nine hasn’t just blossomed into a great quarterback overnight. But it sounds like the Giants are at least open to the idea that McCarthy could alter the calculus here.

Well that sorts out the Giants backfield for the short term. Devin Singletary will take over as the primary passing down back behind Cam Skattebo and should be a usable FLEX play going forward. Tracy will miss the next four weeks after going down with the hamstring injury in the second quarter of New York’s win over the Texans in Week 7. Schoen indicated this isn’t a season-ender for Tracy.

He didn’t get much usage in this one, managing just 19 snaps despite Tyrone Tracy leaving in the second quarter, but Singletary made the most of his final opportunity with a 30-yard touchdown run in overtime to walk off the Texans. With Tracy and (apparently) Skattebo both managing injuries throughout the bye, Singletary could wind up with a reasonable Week 9 role. You probably don’t need to chase it on waivers this week unless you’re in a very deep league.

Nine threatened a really good box score, crossing 200 yards by the third quarter, but both the Texans (playing more aggressive coverage) and the Giants (using Jameis Winston in short-yardage situations) conspired to keep McCarthy scoreless. Still, it was a nice debut start. McCarthy took three sacks but had zero turnovers while managing a handful of nice throws. The Giants head on bye in Week 8, but McCarthy has played like he could be a reasonable superflex QB2 against the Eagles in a few weeks.

The Giants pivoted to “NINE” after he lit up the Saints for 243 yards in the fourth quarter of Week 6. Having already spent some draft capital to acquire McCarthy, the team is going to give him an extended tryout as the starter. If he does well, the Giants will likely hang on to him as Jaxson Dart’s backup next year. They could also trade him in the offseason if he plays well to garner interest from other teams.

Sigh. Three-player backfields are generally fantasy-unfriendly situations, and this one is no different. Skattebo is a capable dual-threat player who has seemingly been limited by the significant ankle injury he suffered last year. The Giants could get him more involved in the passing game, but Tracy can contribute there as well, muddying that opportunity. Singletary would not be a contributor for many NFL teams, but lucky him, he’s a New York Giant. Skattebo and Tracy are viable FLEX options, though both are likely touchdown-dependent.

According to Hughes, “this is the player they targeted and wanted” as their quarterback the minute Jaxson Dart (knee) got hurt. Hughes acknowledges that coach John Harbaugh could eventually bench McCarthy later in the year, but it will take more than a bad “game or two” for that to happen. In the meantime, the weekly fantasy football outlooks for Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely are more volatile than they were with Jameis Winston at the helm. Selling high could make sense. Hughes adds that McCarthy would have to play like a top-10 quarterback to make the coaching staff consider him for the starting role next season. That outcome seems highly unlikely.

John Harbaugh is making the switch after a historic fourth quarter from “NINE”. McCarthy threw for 243 yards and a score in 11 minutes of action as the Giants mounted a frantic comeback against the Saints. Though he came up short in the end, McCarthy gave the Giants’ offense life after three dreadful quarters from James Winston. Now he’ll get the first snap versus a Houston defense that has been surprisingly ineffective this year. McCarthy is a high-risk QB2 for his first start as a Giant. He should at least be added in all Superflex formats.

The move comes a couple days after Harris criticized the New York coaching staff for its handling of the backfield touch distribution. “It’s hard to get into a rhythm with one or two plays...if you’re getting a play here and then get taken out for a series, there’s nothing you could do,” Harris said after the Giants’ Week 6 loss to the Saints. “I’ve never been through none of this before.” Harris had 31 rushes for 99 scoreless yards before getting the boot. With Harris gone, Cam Skattebo could get another chance to see increased playing time after being all but benched last week. Tyrone Tracy, who led the team in rushing attempts against New Orleans, could be the de facto lead back for now.

The fact that he has to think about it probably tips the hand that it will be J.J. McCarthy sooner or later — if not outright now. Jameis Winston was replaced by McCarthy in the fourth quarter yesterday and McCarthy showcased his deep arm and almost erased a large deficit by throwing for 243 yards on 21 attempts. If McCarthy did start against the Texans, he would likely be a bottom five superflex option on the Week 7 slate because of his established history as a starter.