The New York Giants enter the 2020 season with a new head coach, new coaching staff, two completely new systems, a handful of new faces and a plethora of returning young talent.
By most accounts, they are poised to turn the corner and finally begin their ascension after years of residing in the basement.
But what might some of the individual numbers look like when all was said and done? ESPN’s recently pondered the same as part of their 2020 fantasy outlook, and projected some solid statistics for several different Giants.
After suffering a down year as the result of a high ankle sprain, ESPN projects only a mild improvement for running back Saquon Barkley: 1,158 rushing yards, 460 receiving yards and 12 combined touchdowns.
Barkley’s 2019 season fell short of lofty expectations, but the 2018 second-overall pick finished strongly and remains an elite fantasy asset. Barkley, who missed three games because of injury, was on the field for 84% of New York’s snaps — about the same as his rookie season (83%) — when active. His 16.7 carries per game were up slightly from 2018 (16.3), though his targets inexplicably fell from 7.4 to 5.5 per game. Barkley still managed the third-most fantasy points among RBs during his 12 full weeks. We shouldn’t count on a big rebound in targets with Jason Garrett running the offense, but Barkley does figure to see more run at the goal line (only seven carries inside the 5 last season). Only Christian McCaffrey is a clear superior fantasy asset to 23-year-old Barkley.
Entering his second NFL season, ESPN projects a substantial boost in yardage production from Daniel Jones, but the remainder of his statistics look eerily familiar: 3,733 yards pass, 267 yards rushing, 27 combined touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Jones was in and out of the lineup during his rookie campaign, but the 2019 sixth overall pick certainly made an impact when on the field. During 12 starts, Jones paced all rookie QBs with 24 pass TDs and was fifth in fantasy points. Jones’ efficiency wasn’t good (62% completion rate, 6.6 YPA), but inconsistency is common for rookie passers. Despite the Giants’ top targets playing zero games together due to injury, the New York offense ranked 13th in touchdowns during Jones’ rookie campaign. Jones is armed with a solid supporting cast and adds value with his legs (he ranked seventh in rushing yards as a rookie). Consider him a fringe top-12 QB and a breakout candidate.
Here’s a quick look at some of ESPN’s other stat projections for the Giants:
- Sterling Shepard: 71 receptions for 789 yards and six touchdowns
- Golden Tate: 65 receptions for 803 yards and five touchdowns
- Darius Slayton: 55 receptions for 777 yards and five touchdowns
- Evan Engram: 64 receptions for 690 yards and five touchdowns
- Aldrick Rosas: 25/31 on field goals, 36/40 on PATs
On the downside, ESPN also projects the Giants’ defense to finish 31st in the league, barely edging out the Carolina Panthers, who are predicted to finish dead last.
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