Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shepard's Fantasy Outlook Post-Golden Tate Suspension

New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate reportedly received a four-game suspension for a violation of the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances and is currently in the appeal process.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the update Saturday and noted Tate "believes he has legitimate case" to successfully appeal.

Let's analyze what the receiver's potential absence could mean for some of the Giants' other offensive playmakers in fantasy football.

Saquon Barkley

Barkley, who ranked second to the Dallas Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott in touches last year, was already expected to take on a massive role for the Giants in 2019. His projected involvement has somehow increased even further over the past few days, though.

Wide receiver Corey Coleman suffered a torn ACL in practice Thursday that will force him to miss the entire campaign, while top target Sterling Shepard suffered a fractured thumb. Add in Tate's possible suspension and the team's wideout depth is already running thin.

The number of true workhorse backs across the league has greatly diminished in recent years, but the 22-year-old Penn State product took on that role as a rookie and will do so again this season.

That's why he was already in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick in fantasy drafts alongside Elliott, the New Orleans Saints' Alvin Kamara and the Carolina Panthers' Christian McCaffrey.

All of the recent news, including Elliott's holdout from the Cowboys, suggests Barkley may deserve being considered the clear-cut first choice in all formats.

Sterling Shepard

Shepard's timetable for a return to competitive action is unclear, but he was already back on the field Friday taking part in individual drills after the thumb injury:

The Giants will likely play it safe with him throughout training camp and the preseason with an eye toward having him available for Week 1. If he does make it back in time for the regular season, he'll be a must-start option for the season's first month if Tate is sidelined.

New York's other outside targets, led by Darius Slayton, Bennie Fowler and Alonzo Russell, are unproven and shouldn't represent an immediate threat to Shepard's workload.

His average draft position so far has been late in the 10th round, per Yahoo Sports. Fantasy players should strongly consider selecting him before that point given the Giants' wideout situation, even when factoring in the uncertainty about his thumb.

Cody Latimer

Latimer is quickly emerging as a potential fantasy sleeper.

The former Denver Broncos receiver signed with the Giants in March 2018 but missed a majority of the season because of a hamstring injury. A suspension to Tate, who would have likely taken away at least some of his playing time in the slot, could represent his chance for a breakthrough.

There are too many moving parts with the New York offense to have extreme confidence in Latimer at this stage. But he presents some real upside given the current situation, especially since he's not among the top 100 receivers being drafted, according to Yahoo.

He's worth a late-round flier and could even be worth a Week 1 fantasy start if Shepard, Tate and Coleman are all out and no major signings or trades are made.