By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
Follow @walterfootball for updates.
Each offseason brings change to NFL rosters, and those changes often have fantasy implications. Below, I lay out the changes at the skill positions and how those moves impact the fantasy status of the new roster.
2017
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QB: Eli Manning, Geno Smith
RB: Wayne Gallman, Orleans Darkwa, Shane Vereen, Paul Perkins
WR: Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, Roger Lewis
TE: Evan Engram, Rhett Ellison
2018
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QB: Eli Manning, Davis Webb, Kyle Lauletta
RB: Saquon Barkley, Wayne Gallman, Jonathan Stewart, Paul Perkins, Terrell Watson
WR: Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, Roger Lewis, Cody Latimer, Travis Rudolph
TE: Evan Engram, Rhett Ellison
Pre-Draft Offseason:
The Giants’ best move so far has been getting Odell Beckham Jr. back healthy and keeping him on the team. A full season of Beckham Jr. will go a long way to make up for deficiencies at the quarterback position. After that, there hasn’t been much movement to speak of. The Giants did let Orleans Darkwa walk and signed Jonathan Stewart, who is a Gettleman alumnus, but Darkwa is likely better than Stewart at this point in their careers and there is a good chance the team will grab a running back at some point in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Post-Draft Update
Saquon Barkley was the best running back in the 2018 NFL Draft, and despite my belief that it was a bad pick for the Giants, there is no debate that he will be a top fantasy back if he stays healthy. The Giants throw the ball to their running backs a bunch, ranking sixth in running back targets last season, 11th the year before and eight before that. Now, add in a receiving back of Barkley’s talent, and his 70 to 90 receptions are in the bag. Add in Pat Shurmur as head coach, and you aren’t losing any targets to running backs, as he is a proponent of the practice. With a lackluster run-blocking offensive line, Barkley may have trouble with his yards per carry to start his career, but he is dynamic enough in the receiving game to make up for any trouble there, plus the Giants did him a big favor with their second-round pick of guard Will Hernandez out of UTEP. Hernandez may not make this group great, but he’ll do a lot to help bring it some stability.
The Giants didn’t draft a quarterback until the 108th-overall pick, but they did get a player with extreme accuracy in college and one who could likely do well with the great weapons in New York at the moment. Lauletta is still a longshot to become a top quarterback in this league, but he has the tools to get the ball to stud players and let them do the heavy lifting.
2018 Fantasy Outlook:
Stud: Saquon Barkley, Odell Beckham Jr.
Solid: Evan Engram
Sleeper: Cody Latimer
For more recommendations, check out WalterFootball.com’s Fantasy Football Rankings.
More 2018 Fantasy Football Articles:
Fantasy Football Rankings
2018 Fantasy Football Rankings:
2018 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks - 9/5 (Walt)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings - 8/29 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs - 9/5 (Walt)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings - 8/29 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers - 9/5 (Walt)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings - 8/29 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends - 9/5 (Walt)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings - 8/29 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Rankings: Kickers - 8/21 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defenses - 8/21 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: Dynasty - 8/21 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: Dynasty - 5/18 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts:
Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 9/1 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 8/30 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 8/27 (Walt)
Fantasy Football PPR Mock Draft - 8/23 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 8/22 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 8/16 (Walt)
Fantasy Football PPR Mock Draft - 8/9 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 8/2 (Walt)
Fantasy Football PPR Mock Draft - 8/1 (Chet)
Fantasy Football PPR Mock Draft - 7/26 (Walt)
Fantasy Football 2-QB Dynasty Draft - 5/25 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets:
2018 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 PPR - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 2-QB - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 Touchdown League - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Custom - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football: Dynasty Rankings - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Spreadsheets - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Articles:
2018 Fantasy Football Stock Report: OTAs, Training Camp - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Sleepers - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Busts - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Mid-Round Values - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 NFL Preseason Game Recaps - 8/31 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Stock Report: Preseason Games - 8/31 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Notes - 8/31 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Quarterback Preseason Targets Tracker - 8/30 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football D/ST Drafting - 8/28 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football ADP Values: Running Backs - 8/16 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Round-by-Round Strategy Guide - 8/15 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football ADP Values: Quarterbacks - 8/15 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Tight Ends to Target - 8/9 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football - PPR Draft Strategy: Rounds 1 and 2 - 7/27 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football: Doug Baldwin's Value - 7/25 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football: Chris Hogan's Value - 7/18 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football: Alvin Kamara's Value - 7/16 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule: Tight Ends - 7/11 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule: Wide Receivers - 7/6 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule: Running Backs - 7/5 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule: Quarterbacks - 7/4 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Tight Ends Better Than ADP - 6/29 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Wide Receivers Better Than ADP - 6/28 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Target Shares - 6/22 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Points Per Game - 6/13 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator - 6/2
2018 Fantasy Football Value Players - 5/25 (Chet)
2017 Fantasy Football Quarterback Look-Back - 1/28 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football: Running Backs with the Most Carries - 1/28 (Walt)
NFL Picks - Nov. 17
2025 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 13
NFL Power Rankings - Nov. 12
Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 4
