Darius

Slayton

Slayton remains with the Giants on a solid three-year deal after leading the team in receiving in four of his six years with the franchise. Even so, the speedster has peaked at 50 receptions (twice) and 770 yards during that time as a primary deep threat, leaving his fantasy value in the WR4 range. Given where the Giants are at quarterback, it’s hard to imagine the lower-rung members of the Giants passing game having significant fantasy value in 2025.

New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard named the Chargers, Panthers, and Steelers as potential suitors for the veteran wideout. Slayton, 28, expects to garner attention from teams that need to add speed to their roster. He led the Giants in receiving in four of his six seasons in New York, with 21 career touchdowns. In the Giants’ Week 5 win over Seattle this past season, with rookie sensation Malik Nabers sidelined due to a concussion, Slayton had eight catches and 122 receiving yards. Slayton said his goal is to land with a winner, “somewhere where they’re striving to be competitive and that the goal is to win.”

Slayton attempted to make the most of a season where he took a backseat to both Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson. The sixth-year vet caught 39 passes for 573 yards and two touchdowns on the season but enjoyed a few splash weeks in games where Nabers was sidelined. Those strong few weeks made up most of his production on the year, as Slayton managed just 10 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown in his final eight games. Slayton seems unlikely to return to the Giants after he voiced frustration over his contract last offseason. He could help several teams as a field stretcher who is capable of more when called upon, but he’ll be hard to trust in fantasy as anything more than a late-round dart throw who is probably best suited for best ball leagues.

Operating as the team’s No. 3 wideout, Slayton doesn’t have much of a path to consistent fantasy production in the New York offense. With only five receptions over his past three games, Slayton can be safely left on waiver wires ahead of the Giants’ Week 16 game against the Falcons.

The No. 3 receiver spot is predictably proving to be a brutal place to be with Drew Lock under center. Even if the G-Men go back to Tommy DeVito for Week 15’s plus Ravens matchup (in terms of pass defense, not game flow), Slayton won’t crack the top 60 in fantasy wideout ranks.

Nabers suffered a hip flexor injury during Thursday’s practice and didn’t take the field on Friday. He underwent an MRI after practice. The fact that he wasn’t ruled out today suggests the MRI didn’t reveal any major issues. Still, at the end of a lost season, Nabers won’t be pushed to play through the injury if he isn’t close to fully healthy. At this point, losses are more valuable than wins for a Giants team with one eye on the draft. If Nabers is ruled out ahead of kickoff, Wan’Dale Robinson will take over as the team’s top receiver with Darius Slayton also playing a larger role.

Slayton and Lock were nowhere close to being on the same page, and anything that was even close to longer yardage fell incomplete. The six targets ranked second behind Malik Nabers’ 13, but don’t let that fool you. Slayton will remain a WR5/6 going forward no matter who the quarterback is for the Giants.

We didn’t have high hopes for the Giants’ No. 3 receiver with Tommy DeVito under center, but it’s safe to say this was the worst-case scenario. In theory, DeVito might look down the field a little more often than Daniel Jones, but he kills so many drives with sacks. Slayton is a fantasy nonentity down the stretch of the 2024 season.

Slayton practiced in full all week and should be a full-go on Sunday. Slayton offers fantasy managers a wide range of potential outcomes as a WR4/5 or flex option. New starting quarterback Tommy DeVito is an unreliable passer and No. 1 WR Malik Nabers is currently listed as questionable to play while dealing with a nagging groin injury.

All signs are pointing to Slayton clearing concussion protocol before the weekend. The veteran receiver suffered a concussion in the team’s Week 9 loss to the Commanders and missed Week 10’s game against the Panthers as a result. Slayton is nearly three full weeks removed from his concussion. He should be good to go for Week 12, but doesn’t profile as anything more than a boom-or-bust WR4 in fantasy.