The Giants have a variety of names vying for the No. 3 wideout role behind Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate. Former first-round pick Corey Coleman (pictured), former second-round pick Cody Latimer, fifth-round rookie Darius Slayton. But those in typical fantasy leagues can probably just ignore this battle; the No. 3 won't have much value.
The Giants have Saquon Barkley, of course, and they also have a top receiving tight end in Evan Engram. They've also got a declining veteran quarterback, who might at some point be unseated by a rookie. The net result is a No. 3 position that's been experiencing a gradual decline in value in recent years.
In a different offense and with a younger, better quarterback at the controls, it was a more interesting spot. In a five-year stretch from 2009-2013, New York's No. 3 wideout averaged 43 catches for 604 yards and 4 TDs. Not outstanding production, but some usable fantasy value in those players.
| GIANTS WIDE RECEIVERS, 2009-2013 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Top 2 | No. 3 WR | No | Yds | TD |
| 2009 | Smith, Manningham | Hakeem Nicks | 47 | 790 | 6 |
| 2010 | Nicks, Manningham | Steve Smith | 48 | 529 | 3 |
| 2011 | Cruz, Nicks | Mario Manningham | 39 | 523 | 4 |
| 2012 | Cruz, Nicks | Domenik Hixon | 39 | 567 | 2 |
| 2013 | Cruz, Nicks | Rueben Randle | 41 | 611 | 6 |
| Average | 43 | 604 | 4 | ||
The last five years? Manning isn't playing as well, Engram showed up, and now so has Barkley. It's been a fairly steady decline in value for those No. 3 wideouts. Last year their 3rd-best wideout (receptions) didn't reach 200 yards.
| GIANTS WIDE RECEIVERS, 2014-2018 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Top 2 | No. 3 WR | No | Yds | TD |
| 2014 | Beckham, Randle | Preston Parker | 36 | 418 | 2 |
| 2015 | Beckham, Randle | Dwayne Harris | 36 | 396 | 4 |
| 2016 | Beckham, Shepard | Victor Cruz | 39 | 586 | 1 |
| 2017 | Shepard, Beckham | Roger Lewis | 36 | 416 | 2 |
| 2018 | Beckham, Shepard | Bennie Fowler | 16 | 199 | 1 |
| Average | 33 | 403 | 2 | ||
Granted, whoever wins the job will maybe come into some value if either Shepard or Tate gets hurt. Then we can start thinking about whether Latimer or Coleman can get into lineups. As a No. 3, though, unlikely.
--Andy Richardson