New York

Giants

It was an awful outcome for a receiver who was the Giants’ most explosive and productive pass catcher on extremely limited work in Week 2. Pro Football Focus charted Hyatt as playing only 16 snaps in Santa Clara. Coach Brian Daboll clearly believes the third-rounder is only capable of being a package player for the time being. With Wan’Dale Robinson returning to the fold this evening, the Giants’ receiver rotation has only gotten deeper. Hyatt isn’t worth a bench stash in 12-team leagues.

Slayton has essentially had the same game all three weeks of 2023. The G-Men are unwilling to increase his volume, while Slayton hasn’t forced the issue with enough big plays. With New York’s receiver corps something of an endless, bottomless rotation right now — one that just got back Wan’Dale Robinson — Slayton feels miles from WR5 relevance ahead of Week 4 against the Seahawks.

Pro Football Focus charted Robinson as playing only 11 snaps, but he was targeted on each of his first four routes. That shows a clear commitment to getting him the ball. With Parris Campbell continuing to look like one of the least explosive receivers in football, it is easy to see why the Giants tried to force the issue with his backup. Robinson might not remain Campbell’s slot No. 2 for long, but his stamina and fitness remain a question after his quick recovery from last November’s torn ACL. There’s no reason yet to put out the PPR call for the Giants’ second-year wideout.

Campbell led the Giants in catches while tying for the team lead in targets, but he continued to provide pathetically little production. The ex-Colt is now averaging 4.3 yards per grab through his first 11 catches as a Giant. That would be horrendous for a running back, to say nothing of a receiver. It’s probably as much about the offensive environment as Campbell’s skills, but Campbell has at no point looked explosive since he finally stayed healthy beginning last season. With Wan’Dale Robinson back from his torn ACL and contributing four catches this evening, Campbell’s PPR volume could quickly dry up.

Matt Breida dominated the Giants’ backfield snaps in Saquon Barkley’s absence, but Brightwell tied him in touches and out-produced him 36-18. Neither back, of course, covered themselves in glory on an awful offensive night for the Giants against a dominant defense. Week 4 opponent Seattle is far more permissive on the ground, but there isn’t a FLEX case to be made for Brightwell in 12-team leagues for that one.

It was the definition of “saved his fantasy night with a touchdown.” Pro Football Focus charted Breida as dominating the Giants’ backfield snaps, but he wasn’t able to cobble together touch volume since the G-Men spent the entire evening playing from behind, frequently by two scores. He also got out-gained 36-18 by Gary Brightwell despite the No. 2 back also handling just six touches. With Saquon Barkley finally admitting before the game he is battling a high-ankle sprain, it is probably going to be these two backs again for Week 4 against the Seahawks, but it could be Brightwell who gets a chance to operate as the 1A the second time around. Breida can’t be trusted as a FLEX even in what should be better game script against a softer opponent.

It was a night to forget for the Giants’ No. 1 pass catcher, who was being treated more like a traditional wideout than seam stretcher by coach Brian Daboll. It resulted in some unfortunate lowlights, including a fourth quarter pick where Waller let the ball bounce off his hands into the air. In Waller’s defense, it wasn’t a particularly high-upside decision from Daniel Jones. Danny Dimes and Waller also failed earlier in the half to connect on a would-be first down conversion after Waller didn’t properly calibrate a jump. Off to a slow Big Apple start — 12 catches for 132 scoreless yards — Waller at least has 11 days to rest up for a potential Week 4 springboard matchup with the Seahawks.

Playing behind a makeshift offensive line against the 49ers’ ferocious front seven, Jones had his second scoreless outing in three 2023 starts. Jones, as always, was overly conservative, but there just wasn’t much he good do against this defense with the limited number of playmakers at his disposal. Jones and play-caller Brian Daboll tried to force the issue with Darren Waller, but it resulted in an inefficient night for the pass catcher and an interception for Jones. Waller let a fourth quarter target clang off his hands and into the air for the pick. Jones has bookended last week’s strong fantasy effort against the Cardinals with dominations at the hands of Dallas and San Francisco’s elite defenses. The Seahawks should offer a Monday night respite in Week 4.

There have been a truly absurd amount of word games going on with Barkley’s injury, but he has finally confirmed what seemed obvious when he required the assistance of two other players to get off the field on Sunday. Barkley told Rooks his Thursday absence was a “pain-tolerance issue,” but not even the most highly-rehabbed NFL player could play through a high sprain four days after the fact. Two weeks is a bit of a different story, though those kinds of heroics are usually saved for the playoffs. Barkley does have 11 more days to get healed up for Week 4 with the Giants playing on Monday Night Football. We would still expect him to need at least one more week.

It ended up being a relatively quick recovery for the impressive 2022 rookie, who went down last Week 11. The Giants still badly need play-making ability in their skill corps, but Robinson figures to be nowhere close to ready for a high-volume role. For now, he is merely worth monitoring in 12-14 team leagues. Inactive for the Giants are RB Saquon Barkley, LT Andrew Thomas, LB Azeez Ojulari, OG Ben Bredeson, CB Cor’Dale Flott, S Gervarrius Owens and DT Jordon Riley.