There’s renewed excitement around the Giants this offseason. They got as much as they could’ve hoped for from Jaxson Dart in his rookie season, John Harbaugh has signed on as head coach, and the team has the fifth pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. Challenges remain, but it feels like the ship is headed in the right direction after nine years of almost constant failure.
There’s excitement for Big Blue from the fantasy football perspective as well, and that’s also a change from the recent past. With free agency and the draft still in front of us, it’s a little early for a meaningful analysis. Plus, questions abound. Who will be the new Offensive Coordinator, and what kind of offense will they run? Will Wan’Dale Robinson be back? When will Malik Nabers be a full go? How about Cam Skattebo? Will the team add another playmaker with that high first rounder, or in free agency? Those questions will be answered over time, and I’ll do a full Giants’ fantasy preview over the summer. Today, I’m taking a look at the Big Blue fantasy season that was, as it was the best one in a while.
It’s often the case that NFL teams that have terrible records have some value for fantasy football, and especially in the passing game. Squads that are trailing regularly need to play catch-up, which usually means a lot of throwing. If they’ve got a competent QB and some decent playmakers in the passing game, fantasy goodness can flow from the fountain of those negative game scripts.
Want a good example? Look no further than the 2025 Arizona Cardinals. After winning their first two games, the red birds went 1-14, including a brutal nine-game losing streak to end the season. While all that horrible football was going down, fantasy points were flying. Jacoby Brissett was the fantasy QB2 from the point that he took over for Kyler Murray as the starter (Week 6) though the end of the fantasy regular season (Week 14). Michael Wilson was the fantasy WR3 from Week 11 through the end of the fantasy playoffs (Week 17), and Trey McBride was the runaway fantasy TE1 over the entire season. Bad can be good!
Of course, it can also go the other way, and when it does, you want no part of it. A good example of that was the team that shares MetLife Stadium. The 3-14 Jets were straight-up awful in 2025, but chasing points didn’t help them. Garrett Wilson, who didn’t play after October 5, ended the season as the team’s leading receiver, with less than 400 yards. Breece Hall suffered from bad game scripts and poor QB and O-line play, and none of the QBs could get anything going. The 2023 Giants followed a similar pattern, as did the 2024 team outside of rookie phenom Nabers. Bad can be bad, too.
The 2025 Giants were more towards the Cardinals’ end of the spectrum and provided some fun moments and worthwhile options for fantasy managers this season. Even with Nabers going down for the season in Week 3 and Skattebo (who had emerged as the team’s clear RB1) being lost a month or so later, the Giants sustained drives and scored points, and were an unexpectedly competent offense most of the time.
New York scored 381 points in 2025-26, which ranked 17th in the NFL. That’s middle-of-the-pack and certainly not great — but consider that in the two prior seasons the team ranked 29th and 31st in scoring, with less than 280 points tallied in both seasons. Compared to those anemic units, the 2025 team looked like the 2000 Rams, and outside of the brutal Minnesota game, the offense was fairly consistent, and much better than recent versions.
Let’s look at how the Giants’ top players on offense did in 2025. Obviously, Nabers gets an incomplete, and his production was missed. All positional rankings shown are for Half PPR scoring, on a fantasy points per game (FPPG) basis.
Quarterback
Let’s start with Dart. He exceeded expectations and was a very valuable waiver pickup in a lot of fantasy leagues, in large part due to his gaudy rushing totals that included nine TDs runs (tied with Trevor Lawrence for second most in the NFL, behind Josh Allen’s 14). He did miss two games with a concussion and didn’t run as much when he came back, but still, from Week 4 (his first start) through Week 17 he was the QB8 in fantasy, at 20.6 FPPG. That’s a fantasy QB1, folks, and his scoring average landed him right between two guys you may have heard of — Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes.
He did that with plenty of adversity: Nabers going down in the first half of his first start, Skattebo also sufferering a season-ending injury, a late-season coaching change, the aforementioned concussion (and let’s be honest, he probably had a few others), and more. Dart is going to be drafted as a low-end QB1 with upside next season, and he’ll be featured on a lot of fantasy “breakout” lists. For my money, he already broke out.
Wide receiver
Another Giant who stood out for fantasy in 2025 is Wan’Dale Robinson, who was a great value as a late-round pick. Robinson finished 8th in the NFL in targets with 140, and for the full season ended up as Top-20 WR in Half PPR and Top-15 in Full PPR. He clearly benefitted from the absence of Nabers, and a lack of quality depth behind him at the position also factored into his usage. No Giants’ receivers beyond Robinson were useable for fantasy on any kind of consistent basis. We’ll see if Robinson is back with the team next season, and how the team addresses the position either with or without him. A WR at Pick 5 is certainly a possibility.
Running back
Big Blue also garnered surprisingly good fantasy production at running back. At different times in the season, both Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy were solid RB2s. Tracy had at least 60 rushing yards in seven of the Giants’ final eight games and was just inside the Top-15 RBs during that stretch. Earlier on, in the six full games he played (Weeks 2-7), Skattebo scored seven total TDs, and was the fantasy RB7 at 17.4 FPPG. It’s way too early to handicap the Giants’ backfield for next season, but assuming he is fully healthy, Skattebo should be drafted as a fantasy RB2, and Tracy should have both handcuff and stand-alone value as well.
Tight end
Tight end was a position that produced mixed results, which of course is true for most NFL teams, as reliable fantasy options at the position are few and far between. Theo Johnson initially took off with Dart’s emergence and managed to score five TDs on the year, but none came after Week 9. He showed flashes but wasn’t consistent, and struggled with drops at times. He ended up as a fringe Top-20 TE and given the overall upward trajectory of the team, should be in the sleeper/upside TE conversation next season, assuming the team doesn’t add a bigger name at the position. Johnson is a big, athletic target and we often see tight ends blossom after a few seasons. He’ll probably be on my sleepers list next season.
I won’t waste your time discussing the kicker or D/ST positions. I just hope the Giants have ONE dependable kicker for all of next season. That would be progress.
The Giants’ arrow is pointing up, and with an improving offense behind a promising young QB who can move the chains with his arms and his legs, they’re no longer an afterthought or the butt of jokes for fantasy. New York should have several sought-after players in 2026 – maybe even some fantasy stars. I’ll have more to say about that later in the offseason. Keep it here for free agency and NFL draft fantasy analysis as well.
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