Not much has gone right for the New York Giants this season. That includes at the most important position in football, as the team parted ways with Daniel Jones, who has since signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
Despite all of this, one item the front office can hold their hat on (and perhaps for Joe Schoen, add to his soon-to-be relevant resume) is first-round pick Malik Nabers. While he's been frustrated all season long by poor QB play – and we feel him there – Nabers has shown flashes on the field. Unfortunately, he's been dealing with a hip flexor and lingering groin injury of late, leading some pundits to wonder if the Giants should place him on injured reserve. In doing so, New York would avoid further injury and take a step towards their inevitable rebuild, likely securing a top-3 pick in the process.
Unfortunately, the Giants do not feel the same way. Nabers may indeed play on Sunday despite two lingering injuries.
Will Malik Nabers play today against the New Orleans Saints?
It would appear Nabers is ready to go against the New Orleans Saints, per NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter. The latter specifically noted the risk of starting Nabers this week, even if it's in a limited role.
"Despite the fact that wide receiver Malik Nabers has been dealing with a lingering groin injury and a hip flexor that left him questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Saints, and the team already has been eliminated from playoff contention, the Giants have no plans to shut him down this season, per sources," Schefter wrote on X.
Make it make sense! Yes, the Giants would be worse off without Nabors for the rest of the season, but are they really putting out a good product either way? New York has a lot of work to do this offseason, and asking Nabors to play meaningless snaps isn't going to help matters.
Malik Nabers fantasy football replacements
While the Giants are expected to play Nabers, he should have a limited role only against the Saints. That means limited targets, and this limited points for fantasy football managers, many of whom could be in the playoffs this week. The easiest replacement – if he's still available, which would be a surprise – is Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen, per FanSided fantasy football expert Lior Lampert. If not, Lampert also lists the likes of Keon Coleman and Marquez Valdes-Scantling as viable options.