As we inch closer to training camp, the fantasy hive-mind begins sorting out how they feel rosters and depth charts will settle by the time we get the regular season. Some spots are easy. Patrick Mahomes will be the QB1 for the Kansas City Chiefs. Some spots are much trickier. The New York Giants WR room is one of the trickiest in the league. A combination of middling veterans and unproven youth cause this group to be underwhelming. Despite no true superstars, someone will have to catch passes from Daniel Jones. Who will it be? Knowing the answer now will give you a massive edge over your league mates.
Tier One: The Tight End
Despite this being a discussion about the WRs, the highest-ranked pass-catcher in ADP (not including Saquon Barkley) at 97.5 overall, and TE9 on Sleeper is Darren Waller. Waller is going around three and a half rounds before the first WR for the Giants. He may cost more than all the other Giants pass-catchers, but he is also the only one that could finish first at his position this season. While it is more likely he is a top-five guy or maybe even top-three, there is a path for him to finish as the TE1 in fantasy. If Saquon Barkley’s contract situation is not resolved, the Giants will need more help in the red zone than last year, especially if they do not want to rely on Daniel Jones in the run game as much. A large frame like Waller could have some serious touchdown upside on a week-to-week basis and potentially huge volume.
Tier Two: The Recent Draft Picks
The next group to come up in ADP are the Giants’ two recent day-two draft picks at the position, Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt. Currently, Hyatt is going as WR51 and Wan’Dale as WR64, both going significantly later than Waller. While neither of these SEC products was the most enticing prospect of their class, they both offer some exciting big-play potential. I tend to like Hyatt more despite Wan’Dale being drafted higher and flashing a bit as a rookie. Wan’Dale profiles more as a gadget guy that will be harder to predict weekly, while Hyatt could have a more involved role in the offense. The Giants’ organization wants these two players to succeed the most, so they will be given their shots. Both are fine assets, given their ADP in the WR50+ territory.
Tier Three: The Middling Veterans
Our next batch in ADP is a bunch of guys that have been around but are not exactly superstars. Isaiah Hodgins comes in at WR84, Parris Campbell at WR93, and Darius Slayton at WR99. There is one that clearly stands out as the one I am most interested in acquiring, and that is Parris Campbell. While the other two have been in the offense longer and worked with Daniel Jones longer, I believe they have reached their ceilings. Parris Campbell has battled injuries, dealt with poor quarterback play throughout his young career, and has sometimes shown flashes. There is a chance he catches like 20 passes this year, and this is a cold take waiting to be exposed, but at WR93 and 231.8 overall, I will take my chances. Low-risk investments will fizzle out sometimes, and that’s okay. Hodgins seemed to succeed from having a lack of competition around him last season. Slayton has this thing he does where he gets past the whole defense, Jones throws him a perfect pass, and he just drops it. Many dollars in daily fantasy have been lost for me with those drops.
Tier 4: Sure, I guess they are still in the league
Really only two guys to talk about here, and this is for deep leagues only: Sterling Shepard and Jamison Crowder. If they are on waivers and you have a player you want to cut, be my guest. I would not trade an actual asset for either of them, though. I think they are both likely on the team long enough for Wan’Dale to come back from injury and then maybe hold on if there is another injury. The ceiling does not seem particularly high for either of these players and will likely be the first thing you cut when Week 1 waivers run.
Plan of action
I have suggested a few names I would like to acquire in this group, but directly targeting them is not the right strategy. Excluding Waller, I would try to acquire all of these guys as throw-ins on bigger deals. I like the strategy of waiting until someone reaches out to me for a trade and countering their offer that I like already with one of these guys on top. If it is a trade with some decent assets, adding one of these players will not be enough to make or break the deal, but it is a way for you to snag a little upside in a deal you were likely to make anyways. Another path you can take if you haven’t completed your rookie draft yet is to trade a 3rd/4th this year while on the clock if another manager really wants a specific guy.
The big thing is the psychology of the interaction. If you reach out for the player first, the owner will likely try to leverage whatever they can out of that player, since at market value, they aren’t much otherwise. Offering a 2nd might land you either of the tier-two guys, while it is too much for any later tier players listed. A 3rd might be the right value for tier-three guys, but I would likely decline that offer. A 3rd has so little upside to it that many owners aren’t likely to make that move. While if I let them come to me wanting something, I can get one of these players for free.
Thanks so much for reading. If you want to discuss more, reach out to me on Twitter @DougHarrelson. Thanks also for your membership to DFF! For those signed up for an annual membership, you can always reach the rest of the DFF team and me on our Discord server! Exclusively for annual memberships only. Sign up today!
