Call me crazy, but I kind of like Darius Slayton. He’s been effective with his opportunities, and he’ll be getting a lot more of them going forward. The Giants have confirmed that Malik Nabers is out for the year with a torn ACL.
That should lift Slayton into a larger role, with viable numbers possible.
A few weeks back, Slayton caught a 52-yard bomb at Dallas. He can still get deep. Via the numbers, he’s one of the more efficient downfield receivers in the league.
Since 2022, 57 wide receivers have had at least 200 passes thrown their way. Only seven of those guys have averaged more yards per target than Slayton. (Not yards per catch, but yards per target – that’s receiving yards divided by the number of pass attempts). All seven of the players listed before Slayton are players of some note.
| RECEIVERS AVERAGING 9 YARDS PER TARGET (since 2022) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tgt | No | Yards | TD | Yd/Tgt |
| Brandon Aiyuk, S.F. | 266 | 178 | 2,731 | 15 | 10.3 |
| Jaylen Waddle, Mia. | 321 | 219 | 3,251 | 16 | 10.1 |
| Justin Jefferson, Min. | 469 | 321 | 4,742 | 24 | 10.1 |
| Nico Collins, Hou. | 305 | 203 | 3,044 | 19 | 10.0 |
| A.J. Brown, Phi. | 428 | 275 | 4,182 | 26 | 9.8 |
| George Pickens, Pit.-Dal. | 326 | 195 | 3,141 | 16 | 9.6 |
| Tyreek Hill, Mia. | 487 | 334 | 4,666 | 27 | 9.6 |
| Darius Slayton, NYG | 233 | 144 | 2,202 | 8 | 9.5 |
| Puka Nacua, LAR | 316 | 226 | 2,979 | 10 | 9.4 |
| Alec Pierce, Ind. | 225 | 119 | 2,102 | 11 | 9.3 |
| DeVonta Smith, Phi. | 357 | 261 | 3,253 | 23 | 9.1 |
Statistics compiled using search tools at Pro-Football-Reference.com
The Giants know that Slayton has value. When he hit free agency in the offseason, they quickly re-signed him to a three-year deal worth $35.5 million.
Now that Nabers is out for the year, Slayton will be asked to carry a lot more of the load, and I think there will be some weeks that he hits.
He caught 3 passes for 44 yards against the Chargers, suggesting to me that he’s still the same receiver he’s been for most of the last half dozen years. He’s 28.
When Nabers missed two games last year, Slayton caught 14 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. In his last six games with Nabers not on the field, Slayton has averaged 5 catches for 83 yards, with 4 TDs.
I expect Wan’Dale Robinson will catch more passes, but he should be working the shorter routes. (On that yards-per-target route, with the 57 wide receivers, Robinson is the 57th guy.) Slayton will be their primary downfield option.
I’m not suggesting Slayton will be a season saver, but to me, I see a guy who’s good enough that he should be on a fantasy roster, elevating into the starting lineup at times. (They’ve got another game against the Cowboys, right?)
| SLAYTON WITHOUT NABERS | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Opp | Result | Tgt | No | Yards | Avg | TD |
| 2023 | at N.O. | L, 6-24 | 8 | 4 | 63 | 15.8 | 0 |
| 2023 | at Phi. | L, 25-33 | 3 | 3 | 90 | 30.0 | 1 |
| 2023 | LAR | L, 25-26 | 6 | 4 | 106 | 26.5 | 1 |
| 2023 | Phi. | W, 27-10 | 7 | 5 | 62 | 12.4 | 1 |
| 2024 | at Sea. | W, 29-20 | 11 | 8 | 122 | 15.3 | 1 |
| 2024 | Cin. | L, 7-17 | 11 | 6 | 57 | 9.5 | 0 |
—Ian Allan