Malik

Nabers

Nabers’ season ends with a line of 109-1204-7. The No. 6 overall pick did everything that was expected of him in his rookie campaign despite battling through a number of nagging injuries this offseason. At his best, Nabers was erupting for 7-171-1 against the Colts, but he steadily produced for fantasy managers all season long, surpassing 50 receiving yards in all but one game this season. Nabers proved to be a target hog in his rookie campaign and produced at a high level despite catching passes from four different quarterbacks on the season. An easy lock to be a top-12 fantasy receiver next season, Nabers should benefit from what we can only assume will be improved quarterback play next season and already has the look of another great receiver for years to come.

Nabers practiced in full on Wednesday before being downgraded to a limited participant on Thursday and Friday. The Giants are likely just managing his repetitions; he played through the injury last week and finished as the overall PPR WR2. He is a WR1 for Week 18.

Nabers dealt with a toe injury heading into Week 17 against the Colts, only to go nuclear on Sunday with a line of 7-171-1 on eight targets. This is an injury he’s already played through, meaning we’d expect him to suit up for the season-finale, barring any kind a setback. Nabers has caught 104 passes for 1,140 yards and six touchdowns this season and is in a race with Raiders tight end Brock Bowers to set the rookie receptions record. Bowers currently holds the record with 108 receptions on the year and will also look to add to his total in Week 18 against the Chargers.

Nabers’ outburst — which included touchdowns of 31 and 59 yards — soared him past 1K on the season and set a new career high for yardage by 44. His 127-yard outing came all the way back in Week 2. Nabers’ season hadn’t been the same since his Week 4 concussion and subsequent never-ending quarterback woes, but his production had been ramping back up before today’s eruption vs. a Colts pass defense that had been playing lights out. Nabers’ 31-yard TD came on a screen catch-and-run. The 59-yarder was another short pass where he showcased elite tackle evasion. Special stuff, and the kind of plays that made him a lottery pick. Also now proven to be a player who will go at less than 100 percent health, Nabers gets one final chance to juice his statistical profile vs. an Eagles defense that could be resting starters in Week 18.

Nabers has gone “football warrior” mode the past few weeks, playing through injury even as the team around him packs it in. He doesn’t seem particularly close to 100 percent health, but he’s not suiting up for limited action. Although his quarterback and matchup are concerns, Nabers should see enough volume to remain in the top 24. Inactive for the Giants are LB Micah McFadden, C John Michael Schmitz, CB Greg Stroman, CB Dee Williams, DL Cory Durden and QB Tim Boyle.

Rapoport also mentioned that Nabers “looked good in practice” on Friday. Both Nabers’ expected availability and his promising practice showing are reassuring. Fantasy managers should keep the explosive wide receiver in starting lineups this week.

Nabers called himself a “game-day decision” earlier this week and he appears to be just that as the practice week comes to a close. The Giants’ star receiver was unable to practice on Wednesday and Thursday before managing to participate in just a limited capacity on Friday. Nabers’ game-breaking traits keep him in the must-start column, if active, but he is clearly playing at less than 100.0 percent. He profiles as a WR2 with a wider-than-normal range of outcomes for Week 17.

After being DNPs on Wednesday and Thursday, both Nabers and Tracy are also expected to practice. Nabers said on Thursday that he considered himself a “gameday decision” for Sunday’s game, which aligns closely with Daboll’s optimism heading into the weekend. As expected, Tracy was officially listed as questionable. Barring a setback, Tracy is on track for an low-end RB2 ranking to close out the fantasy season.

Take this with a grain of salt. Nabers was a DNP on Wednesday and Thursday and said he would try to practice on Friday. Regardless of what Nabers says, the Giants will ultimately decide whether or not their rookie first-rounder will play through an injury in what is, by all accounts, a meaningless regular season game in yet another lost season for Big Blue.

This news comes from head coach Brian Daboll. Nabers also missed Wednesday’s practice with a toe injury and is trending toward missing Sunday’s game against the Colts if he can’t get on the field in some capacity on Friday. The rookie receiver has dealt with a number of injuries this season, limiting him to 13 games. If Nabers can’t go this week, Darius Slayton could prove to be a valuable sleeper in deeper leagues.