Malik

Nabers

Nabers’ first 100-yard game of the season almost didn’t happen after he re-injured his shoulder on a soaring first quarter reception, his first catch of the afternoon. He thankfully shook it off and went on to score his first touchdown, as well, a 25-yarder in the second quarter. He got matched up 1-on-1 with LB Mack Wilson, and Jameis Winston did not miss. It was a desperately needed outing for fantasy managers who were beginning to wonder if Nabers would even produce WR2 returns, let alone WR1. The top 12 is probably still a little far fetched, but this was an encouraging outing heading into next week’s road date with the Commanders.

The good news is that Nabers didn’t appear bothered by his shoulder injury and led the Giants with a 27 percent target share. The bad news is everything else. With Jameis Winston under center, the Giants took the air out of the ball and ran 33 times compared to just 22 pass attempts. Winston also stuck mostly to check-down duties, taking any chance of a big play for Nabers off the table. The Giants should be forced to throw more next week, but this isn’t going to be an exciting offense without Jaxson Dart under center. Nabers is likely stuck in the WR2 ranks for Week 4 versus the Cardinals.

It sure didn’t seem like he had great chemistry with Jameis Winston on Monday night, leaving Nabers feeling more like a mid-range WR2 than someone you’d really want to count on to carry you to victory in what will be a windy Week 3 game against the Titans. Still, he’s fully healthy and got in full practices in each of the last two days of the week to clear the injury report.

Nabers speaking to the media is likely also good news for his availability on Sunday. The 23-year-old wideout is practicing and upgraded to full today, so he’s likely to be good to go and has a chance at avoiding a questionable tag on Friday altogether.

Nabers hurt his shoulder in the Giants’ Week 2 loss to the Rams, staying in the game and catching zero passes after the injury. The Giants had a walkthrough practice on Wednesday, listing Nabers as limited. When asked if the 23-year-old had X-rays done, head coach John Harbaugh gave his usual vague answer, saying, “I don’t know.” A limited practice listing indicates Nabers is not dealing with a major issue, but his practice status is worth monitoring leading up to Week 3 against the Titans.

Nabers departed the game at the end of the first quarter with a shoulder injury but was able to return after missing only one drive. His putrid box score can largely be attributed to uneven quarterback play from backup Jameis Winston, whom came on in relief of the injured Jaxson Dart after the team’s first possession. Beyond the fact that fantasy managers were left with a near goose egg from their third round selection, Nabers could be forced to contend with backup-level quarterback play in the coming weeks considering the mechanism of Dart’s knee injury. Even so, it will be difficult to sit Nabers in a cake matchup with the Titans in Week 3, making him a classic hold-your-breath start.

Nabers left at the end of the first quarter with an apparent shoulder injury but returned to the game half way through the second quarter. Nabers has had a right shoulder issue dating back to his college days, something that could help to explain how he was injured on what looked to be a routine play. Fantasy managers can breathe a quick sigh of relief, at least for the time being.

Nabers appeared to injure his shoulder late in the first quarter on what looked to be a routine play. He went up to attempt a contested catch and came down holding his shoulder. He immediately walked off the field and was seen in visible pain while be attended to by trainers. The team deemed him questionable to return shortly thereafter. Nabers caught 1-of-2 targets for one yard prior to departing.

Nabers told NFL insider Josina Anderson after the Giants’ Week 1 win against Dallas that he had canceled his family’s trip to the season opener “because I thought I wasn’t playing.” It was Nabers’ first action since tearing his ACL in 2025 and undergoing a somewhat complicated recovery that made him iffy for Week 1. Nabers easily led the team in air yards and targets on his way to six catches for 69 scoreless yards against the Cowboys. He ran a route on 70 percent of the Giants’ drop backs — a rate that’s likely to rise in the coming weeks barring setbacks to his knee.

Nabers took his decision to play all the way up to inactives, ultimately deeming himself healthy enough to take the field against a divisional rival. Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy didn’t take long to knock the rust off his alpha receiver, giving him a quick out on his first target to get his feet wet and get into the flow of the game. Nabers would make numerous athletic plays from that point forward, combining with newcomer tight end Isaiah Likely to account for 17 targets on only 29 Jaxson Dart pass attempts. Fantasy managers can likely project that volume forward as the offense appeared to run entirely through its top two options through the air in the opening game. Nabers gets a difficult matchup against the Rams in Week 2, where he remains a back end WR1 in fantasy circles.