Isaiah

Hodgins

Hodgins operated as the Giants’ clear WR2 behind Wan’Dale Robinson and had his second straight solid outing. He caught a short touchdown from Jameis Winston in the first half and had a nice grab in traffic in the third quarter for a 30-yard gain. Hodgins could suffice in deeper fantasy formats with Darius Slayton battling a hamstring injury and being relegated to WR3 status in the New York offense.

Making his 2025 debut after some nice Giants fill-in work the past few seasons, Hodgins led the team in yards and receptions with Darius Slayton (hamstring) on the shelf. Even if Slayton returns for Week 12 against the Lions, Hodgins is going to be needed for looks, just not enough to truly put him on the WR4 radar in this ultimately limited offense.

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.

This is GM Joe Schoen’s third time bringing Hodgins aboard one of his teams, having first been part of the Bills’ front office that drafted Hodgins in the 2020 NFL Draft’s sixth round. Schoen later plucked Hodgins off waivers in 2022, after Schoen had vacated the Bills’ assistant general manager role for the Giants’ general manager role earlier in the year. Hodgins has toiled away on the Steelers’ practice squad this season. He has never cracked 400 yards in a single season, but at times served as a capable intermediate-depth clasher. Given the state of the Giants’ wide receiver corps, Hodgins could work his way into a starting role at some point, though he cannot be started in 12-team leagues at this time. He is a name to know moving forward.

Chosen caught 9-of-12 targets for 117 yards this preseason, but he did not crack the roster in a banged-up 49ers wide receiver room. He appeared in just two games for the Dolphins last year and could catch on as practice squad depth. The 49ers also released OL Michael Dunn, WR Russell Gage Jr., DL Jonathan Garvin, DL Trevis Gipson, DL Bruce Hector, WR Isaiah Hodgins, CB Fabian Moreau, P Thomas Morstead, LB Curtis Robinson, LB Chazz Surratt, and WR Malik Turner. They waived WR Junior Bergen, LB Stone Blanton, DL William Bradley-King, DB Derrick Canteen, CB Dallis Flowers, LB Jalen Graham, S Jaylen Mahoney, OL Drake Nugent, WR Terique Owens, DL Sebastian Valdez, TE Brayden Willis and OL Nick Zakelj.

Hodgins last played for the Giants in 2024, catching two passes for 12 yards while primarily spending time on the practice squad. He was used less and less by New York, totaling 33 receptions for 351 yards for the Giants in 2022, and 21 receptions for 230 yards in 2023. The 26-year-old now joins the 49ers on a reserve/future deal, giving him a chance to make the squad over the course of the offseason.

Hodgins was waived by the Giants on Tuesday as part of their final roster cuts, but the 25-year-old will still stay in the organization. It wouldn’t be a surprise at all if Hodgins ends up earning targets by the end of the year, but it’ll take unforeseeable events for him to see enough volume to make him fantasy relevant in 2024.

Hodgins was a contributor the last two seasons, totaling 54 receptions for 581 yards and seven touchdowns for the Giants. However, the 25-year-old found himself the odd man out playing behind a deeper receiver group. The Giants also waived/released LB Darrian Beavers, WR Miles Boykin, TE Lawrence Cager, LB K.J. Cloyd, OLB Tomon Fox, DB Mario Goodrich, CB Tre Herndon, CB Darnay Holmes, S Alex Johnson, FB Jakob Johnson, OL Marcellus Johnson, S Raheem Layne, CB David Long Jr., OL Jalen Mayfield, K Jude McAtamney, OT Josh Miles, RB Dante Miller, C Jimmy Morrisey, OLB Ovie Oghoufo, WR Allen Robinson, DL Casey Rogers, and TE Jack Stoll.

Hodgins stepped up in a big way for the Giants’ undermanned 2022 receiver corps, but he didn’t take another step forward amidst the G-Men’s quarterback chaos in 2023. 6-foot-3 with 58 career catches at the reasonable age of 25, Hodgins should draw interest from teams hunting for boundary depth.

Hodgins came on strong at the end of the 2022 season going 33-451-4 in only eight games. He entered 2023 with some promise, but the crowded receiver room coupled with ineffective quarterback play led to regression for the third-year pro. Hodgins failed to top 25 receiving yards in a single game and with an expiring contract looming, it’s fair to wonder if Hodgins next opportunity will come elsewhere. He ends his 2023 campaign with 21 receptions, 230 yards and three touchdowns.