The Giants are coming back from their bye week, but they may not be exactly well-rested after a turbulent week. They benched then released former QB Daniel Jones and will start Tommy DeVito ($4,000) against the Bucs on Sunday. On top of that, Malik Nabers ($7,400; groin) missed practice on Friday with a groin injury, which could put his availability for Sunday’s game in doubt. Even if he plays, he could be limited, which opens the door for Wan’Dale Robinson ($5,200) and Darius Slayton ($4,600) to possibly step up.
Wan’Dale Robinson as a solid play
Robinson’s role in the offense has been relatively stable this year. He had averaged 8.4 targets per game and has at least five catches in seven of his last eight. In the two games he played without Nabers this year, he totaled 11 catches on 20 targets for 86 yards and a touchdown.
In DeVito’s six starts in 2023, Robinson played a similar role with lots of catches but not many yards. He averaged 3.7 catches for 31 yards and did not score a touchdown.
If Nabers sits, Robinson could get enough looks to be a solid flex play and a low-ceiling, high-floor option at $5,200 in DFS contests like the NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st].
Darius Slayton as a value option
Slayton is a little more affordable under $5,000 in DFS contests and is also available on many fantasy football leagues’ waiver wires. One important thing to point out before considering Slayton is that he is coming back from a Week 9 concussion, but the fact that he was able to log a full practice Thursday indicates he has a good chance to be cleared in time for Sunday’s matchup.
The matchup is a good one for both Robinson and Slayton since the Bucs have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season. In their most recent game, the 49ers receivers piled up 228 yards and a touchdown against Tampa, who has surrendered 11 WR touchdowns in 10 games this season.
Slayton will look to take advantage of that matchup and get more work like he did in the two games Nabers missed earlier this year. While Robinson’s workload was fairly consistent, Slayton got 11 targets in each of those games while averaging just 3.7 targets in the games that he and Nabers have played together. He had 14 catches, 179 yards and a touchdown in those two games, producing 29.2 and 11.7 fantasy points.
If Jones was still the starting QB, Slayton would be a must-start if Nabers is out. He’s high-risk, though with a new QB running the show.
Slayton played all six of DeVito’s starts last year and had an average of 3.0 catches for 47.7 yards per game. He also caught two of DeVito’s seven touchdown passes.
The bottom line
Both receivers are viable plays if Nabers sits, although DeVito’s first start does make them high-risk. Of the two, I think Slayton has a higher ceiling and makes more sense for DFS. He gets the bigger boost without Nabers and makes sense as a value play or last-minute snatch-and start off the waiver wire.
The Giants are six-point home underdogs to the Bucs and Wan’Dale Robinson is +380 to score a touchdown while Darius Slayton offers even better value at +450.
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