Malik Nabers’ preseason debut made him a fantasy football red flag

The New York Giants lucked into one of the best wide receiver prospects in recent memory with the No. 6 pick. Malik Nabers is the latest in an increasingly long line of standout wideouts from LSU. He managed 89 receptions for 1,569 yards as a junior, taking purchase in the end zone 14 times in 13 games.

In terms of raw, live-wire athleticism, few NFL players can touch Nabers. It's never easy transitioning from college to the pros, but Nabers shouldn't have a problem generating separation at the line of scrimmage and taking the lid off of defenses with his unfathomable straight-line speed. He is equal parts evasive and explosive. A true wonder to behold.

Now, he gets a crack at filling the Saquon Barkley-sized star power void in East Rutherford. The Giants are trying to salvage a sinking ship. Daniel Jones' future with the organization is tenuous at best. It's not clear which coaches or even players will survive beyond this season. New York is in an openly transitional period, and yet Nabers has the chance to blaze his path to stardom in an instant.

If there's anything holding Nabers back, it's his teammates. It doesn't really matter how quickly he gains an advantage over the defense if the quarterback can't deliver the football.

Nabers' first appearance in a Giants uniform Thursday evening confirmed this fear.

Malik Nabers is awesome, but the Giants offense is not

Drew Lock, considered by many as the best backup QB of the 2024 free agent class, is off to a rocky start behind the Giants' threadbare offensive line. He completed 4-of-10 passes for 17 yards and an interception before Tommy Devito took over (and looked much better). Nabers ran 12 routes and was on the field for two-thirds of the first unit snaps, but he didn't receive a single target.

It's not often that highly-touted rookies are completely absent from the game plan in their first preseason game. Now, obviously the Giants tried to get Nabers involved, but there wasn't much emphasis on forcing the football his direction. Lock overlooked Nabers in his progressions and spread the wealth (rather unsuccessfully) to New York's less gifted playmakers.

This is one chunk of one preseason game, so we shouldn't extrapolate this into a definitive takeaway. Daniel Jones, for all his flaws, has a solid arm and he's going to lean on Nabers. Lock won't see the field unless Jones gets hurt, so that partnership is hardly a priority. What we can do, however, is use this as a warning — a red flag.

Nabers' rookie season will have its ebbs and flows. This New York offense is not going to generate consistent yardage week-to-week. For those looking for an upside swing in fantasy football, certainly don't ignore Nabers. The target share and route tree should be favorable. But, don't reach too high. There are other more established options in more established offenses.

It could also be a matter of patience. If it takes a few weeks for the Giants' offense to sort itself out, perhaps Nabers becomes the midseason, buy-low trade candidate that determines the outcome of your fantasy league.