The New York Giants have spent the offseason trying to convince everyone that the John Harbaugh era is going to look different.
Now we're getting to the point where there is actually evidence.
And as of this morning, the Giants have plenty to talk about.
The biggest fantasy storyline remains the addition of Najee Harris. The biggest roster-development story is yesterday's trade of Daniel Faalele to Jacksonville. And the biggest question surrounding the entire offense remains whether Malik Nabers can be ready for the opener.
Put all three together and the Giants suddenly have one of the more interesting fantasy situations in the NFC East.
Najee Harris Changes the Backfield — But Not Immediately
Let's get this out of the way first:
Najee Harris is not walking into New York and immediately taking over the Giants' backfield.
The Giants signed Harris to a one-year deal after his workout, bringing in the former first-round pick and four-time 1,000-yard rusher. But he's still working his way back from the Achilles injury that ended his 2025 season after only three games with the Chargers.
John Harbaugh has already made it clear Harris isn't completely back to football shape.
That's important for fantasy.
The Giants aren't signing Harris because they desperately need someone to carry the ball 20 times immediately. They're signing him because they want another experienced, physical running back available when the games actually count.
And that could eventually become extremely interesting.
Harris has 4,373 career rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns, and he topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first four seasons with Pittsburgh.
That résumé doesn't disappear because of one Achilles injury.
The Fantasy Catch
The problem is Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. aren't going anywhere.
Skattebo remains the player fantasy managers should be most interested in. He has already demonstrated the Giants intend to use him, and his preseason workload is being managed rather than ignored. Tracy continues to get meaningful work as well.
So Harris should currently be viewed as:
An extremely interesting late-round fantasy pick — not a player you draft expecting 20 touches every Sunday.
If Harris gets fully healthy, however, this could become a legitimate three-man workload battle.
And that's where things get interesting for DFS, too.
If the Giants establish a physical, run-heavy identity under Harbaugh, the eventual winner of this backfield could become considerably more valuable than the current fantasy market is pricing in.
Yesterday's Trade Actually Matters to Fantasy Football
The Giants traded offensive lineman Daniel Faalele to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
At first glance, that's not exactly the sort of transaction that causes fantasy managers to spill their coffee.
It should matter.
Faalele had been expected to provide depth at guard after starting the previous two seasons for Baltimore. With him gone, the Giants are reshuffling their guard depth around Jon Runyan Jr. and first-round pick Francis Mauigoa. Aaron Stinnie, Josh Ezeudu and Jake Kubas are among the players now competing for additional playing time.
And offensive-line stability matters because of what the Giants appear to want to do.
Run the football. Protect Jaxson Dart.
That's fantasy-relevant.
The Giants aren't building an offense around Dart throwing 45 times a game. They're trying to make life easier for their young quarterback.
That potentially helps:
- Cam Skattebo
- Tyrone Tracy
- Najee Harris
- Jaxson Dart's rushing/fantasy floor
- Play-action opportunities for Malik Nabers
- Play-action opportunities for Isaiah Likely
So while Faalele's name won't be appearing in your fantasy lineup, his departure is part of a larger roster puzzle worth watching.
And Yes, They Cut JuJu Smith-Schuster
The roster move you were thinking of was JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The Giants released Smith-Schuster to make room for Harris.
Fantasy-wise, this is much more interesting for what it tells us about the Giants' receiver room than anything Smith-Schuster himself was likely to provide.
The Giants have a crowded group competing for spots behind Malik Nabers and Darnell Mooney, including Darius Slayton, Calvin Austin III, Malachi Fields and Odell Beckham Jr.
That makes Malachi Fields particularly interesting.
The rookie already caught a 15-yard touchdown from Jaxson Dart in the preseason opener, and the combination of his draft capital, preseason production and the Giants' willingness to move on from Smith-Schuster gives him a path to fantasy relevance.
He's not someone you need to draft aggressively.
But he's someone you absolutely want on your preseason watch list.
Malik Nabers Is Still the Fantasy Domino
This is the biggest offensive question in New York.
Nabers has been participating in team drills during his ACL recovery, but he has not yet been cleared for contact. His progress has improved enough that Week 1 is considered possible, but his availability remains something fantasy managers need to monitor closely.
And this is where the entire Giants offense changes.
If Nabers is healthy, Dart becomes much more interesting.
If Nabers isn't ready, defenses can devote significantly more attention to the remaining Giants receivers while forcing Dart to rely more heavily on the running game and underneath targets.
Nabers' status isn't just a Nabers fantasy question.
It's a Jaxson Dart, Isaiah Likely, Malachi Fields and Giants offense question.
Jaxson Dart Is Quietly Becoming One of the More Interesting QB Picks
Dart's preseason debut wasn't spectacular statistically — 3-of-4 passing for 26 yards and a touchdown — but the touchdown came on a 15-yard connection with Fields.
The fantasy appeal is obvious.
Dart can create points with his legs, and the Giants appear committed to putting him in an offense designed around his strengths rather than asking him to become a pocket statue.
That creates a potentially useful fantasy combination:
rushing ability + designed movement + Nabers + Isaiah Likely + a physical running game.
That's the recipe for a quarterback who can outperform his draft position.
The concern is equally obvious: Dart has already had multiple concussion evaluations during his young career, including another evaluation during the preseason opener.
For fantasy purposes, that means the upside is real, but so is the risk.
The Giants' Season Outlook Is Getting More Interesting
There is a legitimate reason for optimism in East Rutherford.
This isn't simply the usual August "everybody looks great in shorts and the Super Bowl is basically booked" optimism.
There are actual structural changes.
John Harbaugh is installing his system. The Giants have added experienced players familiar with his philosophy. The team has invested heavily in the offensive line. They added Isaiah Likely. They drafted Mauigoa. They brought in Harris. And the defense has enough young talent to potentially make this team difficult to play against.
Brian Burns being ranked No. 14 on the NFL Top 100 makes him the highest-ranked Giants defender ever to appear on the list.
The bigger question is whether the offense can stay healthy.
If Nabers returns.
If Dart takes the expected second-year leap.
If Skattebo stays healthy.
If the offensive line holds together.
If Harris eventually becomes the player he was in Pittsburgh.
Suddenly, the Giants aren't merely trying to avoid being terrible.
They could actually be competitive in the NFC East.
And Then There's Dallas
The Giants don't get a gentle introduction to the 2026 season.
They host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football in Week 1, September 13 at 8:20 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium.
That's a huge fantasy game.
It's also an enormous test of whether the Giants' new offensive identity is real.
If New York can run the football against Dallas, protect Dart and create explosive plays for Nabers, the fantasy community is going to start viewing this offense very differently.
And if Nabers is cleared?
That Week 1 matchup could immediately become one of the more attractive fantasy environments on the Giants' schedule.
The FantasyDailies Bottom Line
The Giants aren't a team where you should be blindly drafting everybody.
They're a team where draft position and timing matter.
Cam Skattebo: Still the Giants RB I want most in fantasy right now.
Tyrone Tracy Jr.: Remains extremely relevant, particularly if Harris needs time to regain his form.
Najee Harris: One of the more intriguing late-round upside bets in fantasy. The workload may start small, but the historical production gives him a legitimate ceiling if the Achilles recovery continues positively.
Jaxson Dart: High-upside late QB target. The rushing ability gives him a path to fantasy production even if the passing numbers aren't elite.
Malik Nabers: The biggest fantasy question on the roster. His Week 1 status could dramatically change the value of the entire offense.
Isaiah Likely: Interesting because of the quarterback/rushing-game/play-action combination, but Nabers' availability matters.
Malachi Fields: One of the Giants' most intriguing deep sleeper candidates after his preseason touchdown and the Smith-Schuster release.
The Giants have spent the offseason changing the personality of this football team.
Now they're starting to change the fantasy conversation, too.
And with Dallas waiting in Week 1, we're about to find out whether all that optimism is legitimate — or just another August hallucination produced by football fans who have been without meaningful games for nine months.