Daniel

Bellinger

Bellinger’s touchdown catch was on a shovel pass from Jaxson Dart. Dart was under heavy pressure and evaded a sack by throwing a back-handed toss to Bellinger, who caught the ball just inches off the ground and rumbled 29 yards for a touchdown. The 25-year-old had some moments of success earlier in the season when the Giants’ receiving room was really banged up and will finish with 19 catches on 26 targets for 286 yards and two touchdowns. He’ll be a free agent in the offseason, and it remains to be seen if he’ll return to his committee role in New York.

Two weeks missed with an illness is rather unusual. We hope Johnson is alright and the story about the illness isn’t too gruesome. Johnson returned five touchdowns with a 45/528 line, becoming more involved with the offense when Jaxson Dart took over against the Chargers in Week 4. It’s possible that Johnson exits the 2026 offseason with a TE1 case, but he feels more like a high-end TE2 from where we sit today. His absence in Week 18 gives Daniel Bellinger a chance to feast against Dallas.

On the Giants’ first drive, Bellinger nearly secured a pass more than 15 yards downfield, but could not hold onto it after getting leveled by a Raiders defender. He earned just two targets after that, though one occurred late in the game on 3rd-and-8, from the Raiders’ nine-yard line. He caught the pass and was stopped two yards shy of the end zone. Bellinger returns to TE2 status against the Cowboys next week if TE Theo Johnson (illness) is good to go.

The Giants threw the ball 13 times in a losing effort against the Vikings last week, so even if Johnson were to play today, his target volume would be difficult to project. His absence gives No. 2 TE Daniel Bellinger a chance to operate as a full-time player, though, putting him on the touchdown-dependent TE1 radar.

Johnson nearly caught not one but two touchdowns in this one. He was targeted on a pedestrian 17 percent of his pass routes but remained involved in the red zone as the Giants’ biggest pass catcher. Jameis Winston has not looked to Johnson the way Jaxson Dart did before his Week 10 concussion. Dart’s potential return in Week 13 should be a boon for Johnson. Giants TE Daniel Bellinger ran just eight routes to 33 routes for Johnson against the Lions.

This is unfortunate, but it was expected. Slayton aggravated his nagging hamstring injury after catching 4-of-4 targets for 89 yards in Week 10 against the Bears. Watching the Giants’ downfield wide receiver work with the cannon-armed QB Jameis Winston would have been fun. Slayton’s absence against the Packers condenses the Giants’ reliable pass catchers to slot WR Wan’Dale Robinson and the tight ends. Robinson is a strong bet to lead the team in targets and can be started as a WR3 in an albeit tough matchup. No. 1 TE Theo Johnson warrants TE1 treatment. No. 2 TE Daniel Bellinger (groin) is best-suited to deep leagues as a touchdown-dependent bet. Keep an eye on possession WR Isaiah Hodgins, who the team brought back earlier this week. He is not worth starting this week.

Bellinger cannot catch a break. The 25-year-old tight end has been an injury report mainstay for some time, most recently dealing with a neck injury. His continued participation suggests he will play this weekend, though it is worth monitoring his Friday participation. The Giants’ pass-catching corps is already short-staffed.

Bellinger, returning from injury, ran a route on 25 of the Giants’ 45 drop backs but played well behind Theo Johnson, who had 75 yards on seven catches. The Giants run enough two tight end sets to make Bellinger somewhat interesting in deeper formats. He’s better left on your waiver wire ahead of the Giants’ Week 11 matchup against the Packers.

Johnson, who missed practice time this week with a shoulder issue, had another solid outing as Jaxson Dart’s middle-of-the-field target. He now has at least three catches in three straight games. On Sunday against Chicago, Johnson ran a route on 36 of the Giants’ 45 drop backs and was second among New York pass catchers in targets, trailing only Wan’Dale Robinson. TE Daniel Bellinger, meanwhile, ran 25 routes and had two targets. Johnson will be a viable streaming play in Week 11 against the Packers.

Neither is Daniel Bellinger. Johnson will be a fringe TE1 this week against a beleaguered Bears defense. Bellinger’s playing time hasn’t been consistent enough to believe in him as more than a TE2.