After a close loss at home on Sunday Night Football, the New York Giants are 0-3 three weeks into the season. While they did come close to pulling off a huge win in Dallas in Week 2, the offense has struggled for the most part under veteran QB Russell Wilson. Could the team make the move to rookie Jaxson Dart soon? Let’s take a look at Wilson’s season so far, Dart’s potential, and how his getting the starting nod would impact thre fantasy value of Malike Nabers and Cam Skattebo.
In Week 4, the Giants face a tough Chargers’ defense at home at MetLife Stadium before heading to New Orleans for a matchup in the Big Easy in Week 5. If they don’t pull a major upset and knock off the undefeated Chargers, they’ll go into the matchup in New Orleans 0-4, and if they don’t take that opportunity to go to Dart, he could have a brutal debut. After the Saints, the Giants play the Eagles, Broncos, Eagles again, 49ers, Bears, Packers and Lions. They don’t get a bye week until all the way in Week 14, so they probably will have to make the move from Wilson at some point before then, unless something changes.
Russell Willson: Cooking or just Cooked?
The Russ debate is raging, and not just because he’s playing in New York. He’s given both sides of the argument plenty of ammunition in the first three weeks of this time with the Giants.
In Week 2, Russ genuinely cooked against the Cowboys, racking up 450 yards and three passing touchdowns. While the Cowboys stormed back and won in overtime, Wilson played one of the best games of his career and looked like a legitimate NFL starting quarterback. The “Let Russ Cook!” crowd was back in force.
Unfortunately for them, though, Wilson couldn’t keep that momentum going in Week 3, as he faced a much more difficult opponent in the Chiefs’ defense. Wilson looked cooked, completing just 18-of-32 passes for 160 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions. He did run for 27 yards, but struggled to get anything going at all against the Chiefs, who looked very beatable if the Giants had been able to put together a performance like they did against Dallas.
Instead, though, Russ looked pretty cooked himself:
When asked about the situation, coach Brian Daboll definitely didn’t give Russ a ringing endorsement:
Time for a Dart throw?
The Giants drafted Jaxson Dart with the No. 25 overall pick in the NFL Draft last year out of Ole Miss. He ranked first in the QB class in aDOT (11.1), YPA (10.8) and efficiency rating (181) in his last season of college football. He also ran for 2,009 yards in 45 collegiate games, which could add an interesting dual-threat element to the offense.
This preseason, he worked ahead of veteran backup Jameis Winston, and ultimately completed 32 of his 47 pass attempts for 372 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He added six carries for 52 yards and another score in his three preseason contests, so it’s uncerstandable why Giants fans think he can give the offense a boost.
There were even rumors that the Giants could rotate Dart in for specific packages early in the year. He played three snaps in Week 2 and three more in Week 3, but so far, he has only had two rushes, one that lost three yards and one that gained three yards. He has not attempted a pass yet.
Here’s what Matt Ryan had to say about when the Giants should make the move to Dart:
Dart’s potential fantasy football impact on Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo
Rookie quarterbacks tend to be inconsistent, but it’s hard to think that Dart could be worse for Malik Nabers than Wilson was in Week 3. Wilson didn’t get Nabers any catches in the first half, and he finished with just two catches for 13 yards. When Wilson gave him a chance to make plays, Nabers has shown he can be an electric talent. He had nine catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns against the Cowboys, finishing as the top receiver for the week.
Nabers has WR1 upside, no matter who is at quarterback, but Dart could give him a chance to hit his ceiling more often and also bring more consistency.
In the backfield, Cam Skattebo is taking over as the team’s primary running back after Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s shoulder injury. Dart could vulture some touchdowns from Skattebo, but the ceiling for the whole offense could be raised by more effective quarterback play.
Going to Dart could also lead to more run-heavy playcalling, giving even more work to the rookie running back, who has already proven that he can get the tough yards and grind out solid production as both a rusher and receiver out of the Giants’ backfield.
Skattebo is a solid RB2 with RB1 upside if the offense is going well, and if the team makes the move to Dart, Skattebo could take off as the focal point of the offense. As I wrote this morning, if there’s anything you can do to get Skattebo (off waivers or via trade), his upside demands attention.
The Bottom Line
Next week, Dart is only $4,500 in DFS contests like the NFL $3M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st]. Skattebo is only $5,500, and both rookies have great value potential despite the tough matchup against the Chargers.
For season-long leagues, Dart could be a solid QB2 play due to his rushing upside, and he does have good targets to work with in a QB-friendly system under Brian Daboll. He probably won’t be relevant in single-QB leagues right away, but he could be a bye week fill-in if he is effective once named the starter.
It’s definitely a situation to keep an eye on in the coming weeks, since there is the potential for great value at multiple positions as rookies step into larger roles for the rebuilding Giants.
