Darius Slayton's Preseason Player Analysis

Bottom Line

Slayton’s tallied between 724 and 770 yards in four of the past five seasons.

His upside takes a hit this year with the arrival of Malik Nabers. Plus, QB play remains a question with Daniel Jones returning from an ACL tear.

We’re not eager to draft Slayton in the later rounds.

What We Learned Last Year

• Slayton led the Giants in targets (79) and receiving yards (770). He tied for the team lead in TDs (4).
  • He benefited from a barren WR corps and several missed games from Darren Waller.
  • But Slayton also endured horrible QB play. New York QBs combined for 15 passing TDs and 197 passing yards per game.
• Slayton hit 50 yards in eight of 17 games.
  • He simply wasn’t consistent enough to use in standard-size fantasy leagues. Slayton finished worse than WR36 in 10 weeks.
• Slayton set a career-high in catch rate (65.8%) while tallying a healthy 15.4 yards per catch.
  • His 1.38 yards per route run fell in line with his career average.

What to Expect in 2024

• Slayton stayed away from the team’s offseason program… until agreeing to a restructured contract.
  • His new deal calls for an extra $650K in incentives, per ESPN’s Field Yates.
  • "I'm satisfied,” Slayton said this spring. “We got done what we needed to get done and just looking forward to playing ball," Slayton said. "We just adjusted my contract this year a little bit. Just tried to make it a little bit more lucrative. Business is business and I'm here."
• He’s set to play more of a secondary role this fall.
  • The Giants added dynamic WR Malik Nabers with a top-10 pick. He projects for a healthy target share right away.
  • Darren Waller retired. His absence removes 74 targets (12 games).
  • The Giants return Wan'Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt. Robinson’s locked into a slot role. Hyatt’s a wildcard as a vertical, outside WR.
• Daniel Jones returns for year three alongside HC Brian Daboll and OC Mike Kafka.
  • Coming off a November ACL tear, Jones is expected to return for Week 1.