Jalin

Hyatt

This makes back-to-back disappointing seasons for Hyatt, who was drafted by the Giants in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The speedy receiver has caught just 31 passes for 435 scoreless yards in his first two years as a pro, struggling to find his footing in a Giants offense that is short on receiver talent outside of Malik Nabers. With Darius Slayton likely to depart in the offseason, a role could open up for Hyatt in 2025, but we wouldn’t hold our collective breaths. Both Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson should have solidified roles for next season, leaving Hyatt to compete with whoever else is brought in during the offseason.

Hyatt stepped into a starting role with Darius Slayton sidelined because of a concussion. The second-year wideout acquitted himself well, moving the chain on multiple plays while catching every ball thrown his way. He also drew a long pass interference call earlier in the game. Slayton should be back following New York’s Week 11 bye, sending Hyatt back to the bench for the time being. Hyatt is worth holding onto in dynasty leagues as the Giants move into evaluation mode, though redraft managers can do better off the waiver wire this week.

Slayton didn’t practice Wednesday as he works his way through the concussion protocol, but the 27-year-old veteran will be able to get a session in before Week 2’s game against the Commanders. If Slayton isn’t able to go, Jalin Hyatt will operate as the starter in the anemic New York passing attack.

Slayton suffered a concussion in the Giants’ Week 1 loss to the Vikings and is now in the concussion protocol. Second-year receiver Jalin Hyatt would assume a full-time role if Slayton can’t go. As Daniel Jones’s deep threat, Hyatt is not on the fantasy radar even with a full complement of routes.

Slayton will need to clear that protocol in order to be eligible to play against the Commanders in Week 2. The 27-year-old was held to three catches for 26 yards in the blowout loss. If Slayton can’t go, it would lead to added snaps/targets for Jalin Hyatt and potentially Bryce-Ford Wheaton.

Dan Duggan noted that Hyatt left the stadium with his eye black still on, so clearly he was in a hurry to get out of there. Can’t really blame him, can you? Hyatt didn’t receive a target during Sunday’s blowout loss, and received a snap count of only 16 — or 23 percent of the offensive plays. There was some hope that Hyatt could be a breakout option in his second season, but that breakout isn’t going to happen soon.

Hyatt declined to provide the exact number, though his increased bulk was apparently been a frequent topic of discussion during Giants OTAs. “That was one of the things I wanted to improve on,” Hyatt said. “Playing on the outside, you’re going to get more press coverage and more body-to-body catches. So just getting bigger, getting strong with my catch point, getting stronger with my hands, and so far everything is working.’’ Coach Brian Daboll also believes Hyatt is playing faster this offseason. Hyatt has understandably fallen off the fantasy radar after his quiet rookie campaign and the Giants’ subsequent first-round selection of Malik Nabers, but he’s a sensible, talent-based zero-cost flier in the final rounds of deeper drafts.

Hyatt could never quite find his footing after being drafted in the third-round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He didn’t light up the stat sheet this season catching 22 passes for 373 yards and no touchdowns. Occasionally, whatever Giants’ quarterback was playing would dial up a big play to Hyatt in hopes of jump starting the offense. Hyatt didn’t play in more than 60% of the snaps until Week 6. His best game of the season came in Week 12 when the Giants only scored seven points in the contest. Hyatt tallied five receptions for 109 yards on six targets in that contest. With the Giants having no postseason aspirations, they got a better look at Hyatt as he played more than 70% of the snaps twice between Weeks 15 and 17. Next season, he and Wan’Dale Robinson are likely to be the Giants’ top-two receivers whichever direction the organization decides to go.

Anything would have been better than Hyatt’s catch-less performances in Week 15 and 16, and he did at least add three receptions to his stat line this time around. However, 25 scoreless yards don’t do much for fantasy managers hoping for the rookie to re-emerge after a few quiet weeks. Hyatt has 38 yards over his past four games and is not on the fantasy radar for the final week of the season.

Hyatt’s past five yardage totals: 0, 13, 109, 7, 0. So, yes, there is theoretical upside but a lot more downside. Even vs. the Eagles’ leaky pass defense, Hyatt can’t be trusted as a WR5 for the fantasy semifinals in Week 16.