Brian Daboll's first season as the Giants head coach saw them return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and saw Daniel Jones improve enough to earn a long-term contract. Now they've got to prove it wasn't a fluke, and that they can take another step forward with a bit more talent around Jones.
2022 Review
Record: 9-7-1 (10)
PPG: 21.5 (15)
YPG: 333.9 (18)
Pass YPG: 185.7 (26)
Rush YPG: 148.2 (4)
PAPG: 30.6 (25)
RAPG: 30.6 (8)
2022 Fantasy finishes
QB: Daniel Jones QB12
RB: Saquon Barkley RB5
WR: Richie James* WR50, Darius Slayton WR51
TE: Daniel Bellinger TE34
*No longer with team
Number to know: 6.42
This one is simple: It's Daniel Jones average intended air yards per pass attempt, the second-lowest mark in the NFL last season. Only the soon-to-be-retired Matt Ryan had a lower one, though Jones was tied with Justin Herbert at 6.42, a good sign that this isn't just about physical limitations. It's about the choices both the quarterback and the coaching staff make when putting the ball in the air.
But it's also, in its way, about the choices the general manager makes in putting a team together. Outside of Darius Slayton, the Giants didn't really have anyone who could consistently win down the field last season. If you're a believer in Jones, you're betting that the additions of Darren Waller and Jalin Hyatt, the team's third-round pick out of Tennessee, will help Jones take an even bigger step forward by allowing him to be more aggressive down the field.
If, like me, you are skeptical of Jones, you'll note that his apparent breakout came in one of the most conservative offenses in the league, which makes his league-best 1.1% interception rate and career-high 67.2% completion rate a lot less impressive than they might seem at first glance. I think Jones is a decent Fantasy option thanks to his rushing abilities, but I think he remains too limited as a passer to be much more than a low-end QB1. We'll start to find out this season, I suppose.
2023 Offseason
Draft Picks
1. (24) Deonte Banks, DB
2. (57) John Michael Schmitz, OL
3. (73) Jalin Hyatt, WR
5. (172) Eric Gray, RB
6. (209) Tre Hawkins, CB
7. (243) Jordon Riley, DL
7. (254) Gervarrius Owens, DB
Additions
TE Darren Waller, LB Bobby Okereke, DL A'Shawn Robinson, WR Parris Campbell, DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches,
Key Departures
WR Kenny Golladay, S Julian Love, C Nick Gates, G Jon Feliciano, WR Richie James
Available Opportunity
54 RB carries, 25 RB targets, 112 WR targets, 22 TE targets
Rankings and Projections
| Award |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Jones | 16 | 19 | 13 | 14 |
| Saquon Barkley | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Isaiah Hodgins | 60 | 55 | NR | NR |
| Darren Waller | 5 | 5 | 9 | 6 |
Chris Towers' projections
| QB | Daniel Jones | PA: 564, YD: 3834, TD: 23, INT: 11; RUSH -- ATT: 94, YD: 517, TD: 4 |
| RB | Saquon Barkley | CAR: 282, YD: 1242, TD: 10; TAR: 85, REC: 63, YD: 476, TD: 3 |
| RB | Eric Gray | CAR: 47, YD: 188, TD: 2; TAR: 11, REC: 9, YD: 63, TD: 0 |
| WR | Wan'Dale Robinson | TAR: 85, REC: 59, YD: 592, TD: 4 |
| WR | Isaiah Hodgins | TAR: 68, REC: 47, YD: 497, TD: 3 |
| WR | Parris Campbell | TAR: 73, REC: 51, YD: 513, TD: 3 |
| TE | Darren Waller | TAR: 124, REC: 78, YD: 899, TD: 6 |
Biggest question
What does the receiving hierarchy look like?
Barkley is locked in as the top rusher and the newly acquired Waller figures to be the top target for Jones in the passing game. Beyond that, very little is certain about this offense, which currently has 15 wide receivers on the roster after the signing of Cole Beasley. There's an opportunity for someone beyond Waller to step up in this passing game, but it's next to impossible to handicap the depth chart right now. Take the one you see above with a boulder of salt, because we don't know who is going to earn a role right now.
One sleeper, one breakout and one bust
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The Giants wide receiver depth chart is chock full of a lot of guys who profile best as move-the-chain, possession types, but Hyatt is one obvious exception. He was a big play machine in an explosive Tennessee offense, and ran a 4.40 40-yard dash at the combine, proving he has the speed to get behind defenses. Whether he'll do enough early on to distinguish himself from the crowd in the Giants receiver room is a big question at this point, but that he's an outlier in terms of skill set here does help his chances. I have my questions about whether this offense will be worth chasing, but Hyatt's one of the few guys in the passing game I could see getting excited about.
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Part of why I'm skeptical about this offense is I just don't feel great putting much faith in a guy who will turn 31 early in the season and has missed significant time over the past few seasons with hamstring and knee injuries. But it's hard to deny the upside Waller could bring to your Fantasy team if he stays healthy and rediscovers his pre-2022 form. Between 2019 and 2021 he averaged between 74.8 and 60.5 yards per game, and he should be the clear No. 1 option here, something few tight ends can say at this point. I think there are plenty of outcomes where Waller is a pretty big disappointment, but he might also have as much upside as anyone at the position besides Travis Kelce. That's worth chasing, even with my concerns.
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When he's right, Barkley can be a dangerous playmaker and the focal point of this offense, and now that he's reported to camp, I think it's perfectly reasonable to project him as a top-five RB for Fantasy. But it's worth remembering that his 2022 season was pretty front loaded from a Fantasy perspective -- he averaged 14.9 points per game in PPR scoring over the final seven games of the regular season, and then managed one game with 27.6 PPR points and one with 10.1 in his two playoff games. Barkley's role in the offense gives him a high floor, but he's not quite the explosive, big-play guy he used to be, and with more targets in the passing game, there's a chance his receptions drop, pushing him more toward the back end of the RB1 group.
