After eight years away from the team, Odell Beckham Jr. is back with the team that drafted him all the way back in 2014. OBJ put up 1,000 yards in three of his four seasons for the Giants, but has only done it once since exiting New York. Can the 33-year-old make a resurgence to his old self and provide fantasy football value this season? Let’s take a dive into the Giants receiving room and see where he fits in.
Let’s start with the bona fide number one receiver. Barring injury, Malik Nabers should lead this team in targets, catches and receiving yards. Nabers is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he only featured in four games, but let’s not forget his rookie season where he put up over 1,200 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. When Nabers is healthy, he’s one of the best wideouts in the league and he will be the focal point of not only the receiving room but the offense as a whole.
Then, we have Darius Slayton. Wan’Dale Robinson led the team in receiving a season ago, but signed a deal with the Titans in free agency. That leaves Slayton as the leading wideout out of returning players. Slayton caught 37 balls for 538 yards and a touchdown last season. Additionally, the Giants have added Darnell Mooney from Atlanta in the offseason. Mooney finished last season with 443 yards and a touchdown.
On top of that, we have the addition of TE Isaiah Likely in free agency. Likely is sure to eat up some targets in this offense, which ultimately takes away opportunities from Beckham Jr. He only recorded 307 yards and a touchdown last season, but keep in mind he was competing for reps with Mark Andrews in Baltimore. In New York, Likely should be the clear number one tight end and record better stats than the previous campaign.
So where does OBJ fit into all of this? I have a hard time seeing him having any fantasy impact this season. Injuries could potentially help him rise up the depth chart and into fantasy relevancy, but apart from that I think his ceiling in this offense is WR3, competing with Isaiah Likely for the third most production in the receiving offense.
