2020 Dynasty Capsule: New York Giants

Posted on January 22, 2020

Every year we give our premium content members a team-by-team, player-by-player look at the NFL season that was. The coverage will be in-depth, but because the Dynasty Capsule series begins immediately after the season, we won’t use it to discuss free agency or the draft. Come see us in early May once Mr. Irrelevant is off the board for another 32-article series giving you the same detailed discussion you’ll see below.

Buckle up dynasty fans, because you’re about to be reminded why our motto is, “There is no off-season.”

Quarterback

Daniel Jones (ADP: 128, QB17)

Age: 22

What a season for one of the most hated on draft picks this year. He has certainly silenced the critics by putting up a respectable performance as a rookie. In only 12 games as a starter, he put up 3,027 yards and 24 touchdowns after replacing Eli Manning. He also finished as a top-three quarterback in four of the games he played, three of which he was the top-scoring overall quarterback. I think it’s safe to say he’s got the ceiling to become one of the better fantasy quarterbacks.

The main concern with him is the turnovers. Jones had 12 interceptions 11 fumbles lost (18 total fumbles). For those of you counting at home, that’s roughly two turnovers a game. Although I believe this may be an issue in the long term if he is unable to fix it, it’s not going to hold me back from adding him to my dynasty rosters in the interim. You just need to understand what you’re getting with him, a very match-up dependent boom-bust quarterback. That’s not ideal if he’s your first or second quarterback in superflex formats where you’re typically looking for more week-to-week stability, but would definitely be interesting as a third or backup.

Eli Manning (ADP: 240.33, QB43)

Age: 39

The torch was officially passed in New York this season as Manning was benched for his successor after just two weeks of action. Manning got a couple more starts late in the season when Jones was out and looked semi-competent but make no mistake, he is not a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL and his ADP reflects it as he’s being drafted outside the top 36.

It is interesting to note that he is an unrestricted free agent so there may be a desperate team out there that gives him another shot but I’m not betting on it. More likely than not, he lands somewhere with a young developing quarterback as a backup and mentor. Retirement is another possibility because let’s be honest, he’s definitely outplayed his expiration.

Running Back

Saquon Barkley (ADP: 2.5, RB2)

Age: 22

The consensus dynasty 1.01 before the season had a pretty rough go in his second year as a pro. After suffering a high ankle sprain in week three, it was clear Barkley was not operating at full health and lacked the explosiveness we’ve all grown accustomed to. The injury, paired with a stagnant offense and poor play calling by Pat Shurmur led to a disappointing fantasy year.

Despite hitting the rough patch in the middle of the season, Barkley still rebounded in spectacular fashion by closing out with an RB5 and an RB1 finish in weeks 15 and 16 of fantasy playoffs. He finished the season as the RB10 in PPR scoring with 1,441 yards from scrimmage despite missing three games. As a result of his late-season push, there wasn’t too big of an impact on his fantasy value as he only fell one spot behind Christian McCaffrey who is basically a fantasy god.

Moving into next year, I think that’s right where he belongs. I’m personally not at all concerned as I fully expect him to bounce back to the top of the list for running backs. New head coach Joe Judge is already speaking about “an old-school, physical mentality” catering to the strengths of his players. Read: Barkley is going to get fed in 2020. Honestly, I wouldn’t even fight you if you have Barkley as your 1.01 still because there’s definitely a case to be made. Either way, if you’re going into the off-season with Barkley on your dynasty squad, be pumped.

Javorius Allen (ADP: 235.8)

Age: 28

Despite being incredibly inefficient with his touches as a Baltimore Raven, at least he was still in weekly flex consideration in PPR formats. However, with the Giants, he has completely fallen from fantasy relevance. Not to mention he’s hit the dark side of the age curve for running backs. I’m afraid this might be the end. Personally, I wouldn’t be wasting a roster spot on the PPR version of Kallen Ballage.

Wayne Gallman (ADP: 227, RB71)

Age: 25

The former Clemson Tiger just completed his third year as a pro but aside from one touchdown-reliant boom game in week four against the Washington Redskins, he really didn’t do much at all this season. He was a great play for DFS purposes but he was still largely irrelevant from a season-long dynasty perspective. I wouldn’t view him as much more than a low-tier handcuff for Barkley.

Jon Hilliman (ADP: N/A)

Age: 24

The former Rutgers running back was signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent this season. He saw some meaningful snaps when Barkley was out but definitely didn’t show anything for us to take notice or invest in. He’s not someone I would be using a roster spot on.

Wide Receiver

Darius Slayton (ADP: 91.5, WR43)

Age: 23

From late-round dart to mid-season hero, Slayton’s season definitely exceeded expectations. He finished as the WR37 in PPR formats which is not bad for a rookie drafted in the fifth round. I have to give a shoutout to my guy @DynastyPrice who was the first one to alert me to Slayton leading up to rookie drafts last season. His elite athletic profile jumped out (see below from Player Profiler).

Slayton definitely didn’t check the boxes from an analytics perspective but as a fifth-round dart throw, I was happy to make the investment. I’m glad I did because it’s paid off and I’m more than happy to cash in.

It’s hard to deny the connection Slayton had with Jones on the field who looked his way early and often, resulting in a couple of huge boom weeks and two top-three wide receiver finishes. His ceiling will appeal to dynasty owners and we’ve already seen a meteoric rise in ADP as he’s jumped over 142 spots in ADP since August 2019 as seen on the DLF player search page.

Based on our Dynasty Trade Analyzer, Slayton’s price is best represented by the 2020 2.04 rookie pick. Considering the original investment cost of a fifth-rounder, I’m more than willing to cash out at these values as I think there are question marks around his volume next season with a healthy roster returning to the lineup.

Golden Tate (ADP: 146.5, WR64)

Age: 31

Even at the ripe young age of 31, Tate still turned in a relatively productive season as the WR45 overall and the WR29 on a points per game basis PPR scoring despite only starting 11 games – not bad for someone who had an ADP of over 175 before the 2019 season started, driven largely by his pending suspension. His current ADP is similar to his August 2019 ADP of 142.7.

Tate is on the ugly side of 30 but I think he still has a couple of productive years left in the tank and can be acquired for cheap. It’s going to be hard to move him with a $7.5 million dead cap hit so I expect him to stay with the Giants and continue to be a safety blanket for a young and developing Jones. If I’m a contender, I wouldn’t mind paying a cheap rookie pick to acquire his services.

Sterling Shepard (ADP: 99.50, WR48)

Age: 27

Much like his sophomore season, it was another injury-riddled year for Shepard as he only started 10 games, finishing as the WR48 overall. There were some bright signs though as he was still a borderline WR2 on a points-per-game basis when healthy. Many are fading him due to his concussion history but the juice might be worth the squeeze. He’s proven to be a weekly starter when healthy. He is signed through his age-29 season in 2023 with a potential out in 2022 so job security shouldn’t be an issue, assuming he can stay on the field.

Cody Latimer (ADP: 232.83)

Age: 27

In his second season with the G-men, Latimer continues to be nothing more than a roster filler. You would have to be really scraping the bottom of the barrel to force him into a starting lineup. He’s 27 and has only hit the 300-yard mark once. Not sure about you, but I’m not holding my breath for a seventh-year breakout. Latimer is likely droppable in all formats in a crowded wide receiver room.

Corey Coleman (ADP: 239)

Age: 25

How the mighty have fallen. Coleman’s ADP looks a lot like the return chart for my personal stock portfolio. After getting released by his prior two teams, he was signed the Giants in 2018 but sat out this entire season while on IR. Given his uncertain future, it might be time to cut bait and bid farewell to one of the biggest wide receiver busts in recent memory.

Tight End

Evan Engram (ADP: 58, TE4)

Age: 25

As a stark Engram truther, no one was happier when he started the season on fire as the TE3 through week nine. Unfortunately, my joy was short-lived when he went down due to what we would later learn to be a Lisfranc injury. He will be undergoing off-season surgery to repair it. Hopefully, he returns to form but you never really know with an injury as serious as this. However, his value seems to have held steady, keeping him in the top tier of tight ends behind only George Kittle, Travis Kelce, and Mark Andrews.

Engram is entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract. Without an extension, his future with the team is at risk. There is no question regarding his talent as he’s had one of the most productive starts to a career for a tight end. He’s only 25 and the team would be smart to lock him up. I expect they will do just that if he can pull together a healthy 2020 season. If you have him on your dynasty roster, just be happy you’ve locked up one of the few elite talents at the position.

Kaden Smith (ADP: 239.17, TE41)

Age: 22

The third-string tight end got some play this year as both Engram and Rhett Ellison were placed on IR and strung together a few startable weeks. However, I wouldn’t plan on anything from him going forward once the starters return. As a sixth-round draft pick and bottom percentile athlete, he does not have the profile of a successful tight end and is nothing more than a roster clogger. I wouldn’t even waste a spot on him in tight end premium leagues unless rosters are incredibly deep.

Rhett Ellison (ADP: N/A)

Age: 31

Surprisingly, Ellison was the worst of the three tight ends and his ADP reflects it. He was placed on injured reserve but was largely ineffective even when healthy. Similar to Smith, he’s a bottom percentile athlete with little to no track record. He’s signed on the giants through 2020 but he only carries a two million dollar dead cap. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the team cut him to save approximately five million dollars in salary. Feel free to drop him in all formats.