Giants' Malik Nabers' Fantasy Draft Landing Spot, Value amid Daniel Jones' Struggles

Fantasy managers who want to believe in Malik Nabers' ability to transcend a questionable offensive ecosystem with the New York Giants this season may have gotten a rough wake-up call on Saturday.

Daniel Jones made his preseason debut on Saturday against the Houston Texans. It didn't go great, as he went 5-of-9 for 70 yards with two interceptions and another pass right into the arms of Derek Stingley Jr. that was dropped.

While there is very little concern about Nabers' talent, betting on a wide receiver with an unstable quarterback situation does make it hard to determine how high you should select him in a fantasy draft.

This reception from Nabers late in the second quarter against the Texans shows how much he's capable of elevating a passing game when the ball comes his way.

Per FantasyPros.com, Nabers' average draft position is currently at 54.8 in PPR leagues. He is the No. 24 wide receiver coming off the board, with DeVonta Smith and Amari Cooper sandwiched around him.

Smith caught 81 passes for 1,066 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Cooper set a career-high with 1,250 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 15 games.

Both Smith and Cooper were top-20 receivers in PPR last season. They had much better offensive infrastructures than what Nabers will have. Jalen Hurts had turnover issues for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023, but he also threw for 3,858 yards across 17 games.

The Cleveland Browns had to use five different starting quarterbacks last season. Joe Flacco was somehow the best of the bunch with 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns in five games. He's no longer on the roster, so the pressure is on Watson to perform.

Watson's QBR of 42.9 in six starts last season was better than Jones' mark of 36.3 in his six starts. The Browns also have a much better offensive line to protect Watson.

A better point of comparison for Nabers than Cooper or Smith is probably Garrett Wilson of the New York Jets. He racked up 178 receptions for 2,145 yards and seven touchdowns with Zach Wilson as his primary quarterback over the past two seasons.

Wilson ranked 21st among all receivers in PPR points during his rookie season and 26th in 2023. His 168 targets were the fourth-most among all wide receivers last season.

There are an abundance of targets to go around for the Giants, a hefty number of which should, in theory, be funneled to Nabers. Darius Slayton was their most-targeted player last season (79). They also have to replace the 134 targets no longer on the roster after Darren Waller (74) retired and Saquon Barkley (60) signed with the Eagles as a free agent.

Nabers should be able to rack up a lot of receptions from a high target volume by virtue of being the best all-around receiver on the team already. His touchdown total might be depressed because the offense is unlikely to be explosive, and that will negatively impact his overall fantasy value.

If you're comfortable with Nabers as your WR2 knowing he could have boom-or-bust tendencies early in his career, he's worth selecting in the fifth or sixth round.