Can Darius Slayton Be Fantasy Football-Relevant With the Giants?

Wide receiver was one of the New York Giants needs of the offseason. The offense is in the midst of an overhaul after releasing Daniel Jones -- who recently signed with the Indianapolis Colts. Malik Nabers and Tyrone Tracy Jr. figure to be the centerpieces of this offense going forward, but Nabers could surely use an upgraded supporting cast.

Despite numerous trade rumors over the last year, New York made the surprise move to re-sign Darius Slayton. While the Giants could still look to bring in new faces to the wideout room, they at least have a No. 2 or No. 3 option with Slayton now locked up for three more seasons in New York.

Slayton hasn't produced the most exciting fantasy results of late, but his production could change with the Giants making big moves this offseason.

Darius Slayton's 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook With the Giants

Slayton's been on the fantasy back burner for essentially his entire career. In fact, he's finished in the top 50 of his position only twice over his six-year career. His career-best mark was WR35 in his 2019 rookie season while 2023 brought his second-best finish as WR45.

According to FantasyPros, Slayton had an average draft position (ADP) of 289th overall and WR87 last year. He slightly surpassed expectations by finishing as WR72. With Nabers in the picture -- who led the team with a 34.9% target share and 45.6% air yards share in 2024 -- Slayton's workload will probably stay within the same ballpark. His "relevance" is simply whether Slayton is worth rostering, mainly in deep leagues.

With that said, he touted only a 13.6% target share a season ago. That's difficult to get excited about, but his 26.1% air yards share and average depth of target (aDOT) of 13.4 yards at least shows his ability to reel in deep balls. After finishing with the seventh-lowest rush-play rate in 2024, there should be an effort from the Giants to improve the run game. Tracy turned in a promising rookie season, and New York's 60.1% pass-play rate from last season (seventh-highest) frankly needs to come down.

Of course, there's some unknown with this offense as the Giants will likely look to the 2025 NFL Draft for a quarterback. In FanDuel Research's 2025 NFL Mock Draft, our Austin Swaim mocked Cam Ward to New York. With a top-three draft pick paired with the potential to trade up for the No. 1 pick, the Giants should bring in a premium rookie talent at signal-caller. FanDuel's odds for teams to select No. 1 overall has New York at +135 closely behind the current top pick held by the Tennessee Titans (-155).

A boost at quarterback should be coming. However, will the Giants still be in the top six of pass-play rate with a rookie quarterback? New York should lean on the run more, attempting to settle its first-year signal-caller.

Slayton is still far behind Nabers in workload, and there's still potential for New York adding another receiver in the offseason. Even with a high pass-play rate, he added little to no fantasy value a season ago. The re-signing helps shore up the Giants' receiving corps, but not much should change around Slayton's fantasy value. He's gearing up to be a potential streamer for season-long leagues, at best.

Think you know who is going first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest NFL Draft odds to check every market available on the NFL's marquee offseason event.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.