New York Giants DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

New York Giants rookie tight end Theo Johnson (back) was listed as a full participant in Thursday's practice after he went down as limited on the injury report on Wednesday. Johnson has been dealing with a back injury of late but didn't miss the Week 10 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Germany and had extra time to heal up during last week's bye. He had three catches for a season-high 51 yards and the first touchdown of his NFL career in the Week 9 loss to the division-rival Washington Commanders. Johnson has some intriguing long-term upside for those in dynasty/keeper leagues, but he hasn't really moved the needle as more of a TE3 in his first year in the league. The 23-year-old's fantasy stock in 2024 will likely be negatively affected by quarterback Daniel Jones' benching, as well as the impending return of receiver Darius Slayton (concussion).

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton (concussion) is stacking good days coming out of the bye week, practicing in full for the second straight day this week on Thursday. Slayton suffered a concussion in the Week 9 loss to the division-rival Washington Commanders and didn't travel to Germany the following week in the overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers. Last week's bye looks like it did Slayton some good, too, and he should be expected to return to the field this Sunday to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 27-year-old should return to starting three-wide sets alongside rookie Malik Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson, although now he'll be taking passes from quarterback Tommy Devito after Daniel Jones' benching. That's bad news for Slayton's fantasy upside, making him more of a WR5/flex in deeper leagues.

ESPN's Dan Graziano thinks New York Giants rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. could have a big Week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are giving up the fifth-most fantasy points per game to RBs this year. Although Tracy had a costly overtime fumble in the Week 10 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Germany before their Week 11 bye, the rookie did have his third 100-yard rushing performance as well. The fumble shouldn't affect his role moving forward, with Graziano writing that the Giants see him as a more dynamic option than Devin Singletary in an offense that is turning to Tommy Devito under center moving forward. It wouldn't be a surprise for the G-Men to lean on the ground game as much as possible this week against Tampa. Tracy should be viewed as a high-end RB2 for fantasy managers in a week with six teams on bye.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston has passed for at least 334 yards and two touchdowns in two of his past three starts. He will look to stay productive at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12's Thursday night game. The Steelers' tough defense represents a difficult matchup for Winston as they are allowing the second-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. A weather forecast that calls for rain and cold also doesn't bode well for Winston's game. Fantasy gamers should treat him as a low-end QB2 for Week 12.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson was disappointing in last week's win over the Baltimore Ravens and gets another divisional opponent in the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football. The Browns have been middle-of-the-road against the air attack and fantasy QBs this season. While Wilson averages over 235 passing yards per contest, touchdowns have come inconsistently for this Steelers offense, specifically in the red zone. Additionally, this showdown is projected for a meager point total with the over/under sitting at just 36.5. Because of this, Wilson is not a recommended option in most leagues this week, but he can be deployed as a middling QB2 in superflex or two-quarterback formats.