After the New York Giants lost Saquon Barkley to the Philadelphia Eagles, they had a gaping void at the running back position. To replace him, they agreed to terms with former Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills RB Devin Singletary, a three-year deal worth up to $16.5 million. Now the presumptive starter for the G-Men, what does this mean for fantasy football?
What Is the Fantasy Impact of Devin Singletary Signing With the New York Giants?
Just one year ago, Singletary was cast aside by the Bills and forced to sign with the Texans to be Dameon Pierce’s backup. No one would ever mistake Singletary for a flashy or explosive player, but he’s always been better than he was given credit for.
In Houston, Singletary played his way into a meaningful role and then straight-up took Pierce’s job. His quality performance earned him this opportunity with the Giants.
Typically, when a running back signs with a new team, it has an immediate effect on the incumbent. For Singletary, that’s not the case. This is a unique situation where Singletary walks into the Giants with absolutely no competition for the starting role.
Before we get overly excited about Singletary’s potential workload, let’s remember it’s only March. The Giants can very easily sign another running back, or use a Day 2 pick on one in the draft. With that said, right now, it looks like Singletary’s backfield.
We will obviously have a much clearer picture of things once May rolls around. But based on the information we currently have, the most likely outcome is Singletary enters the season as the unquestioned starter.
The Giants are not exactly the most desirable offense for a fantasy running back. However, we saw them give Matt Breida two games with a 75% snap share. He scored double-digit fantasy points in both of them. Singletary may not be special, but he’s significantly better than Breida.
Given what the Giants’ backfield currently looks like, there’s a very real chance Singletary commands a 70% snap share or greater.
Singletary is no stranger to heavy usage. He eclipsed a 70% snap share six times last season and eight times the year before in Buffalo.
Singletary is not going to be a league winner on the Giants, but I suspect he won’t exactly be someone fantasy managers are excited to draft. He profiles as a very solid, reliable, floor-based RB2 who fantasy managers can pair with a Hero RB in the later rounds.
The Houston Texans Now Have Their Own Void at RB
I never thought the Texans were serious contenders to sign Barkley. However, a big reason for that belief was I thought they might just roll with Singletary. Clearly, that’s not happening.
As things stand right now, the Texans only have Pierce and Dare Ogunbowale at running back. I don’t know who their RB1 will be, but I tell you with a high degree of certainty that the guy is not currently on their roster.
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The Texans’ RB1 job is suddenly quite a desirable location for fantasy purposes. With C.J. Stroud running the show, the Texans have quite a prolific offense. Whoever starts at running back will have an excellent chance at scoring 10+ touchdowns.
Given the remaining backs available, my best guess is they take a shot on a Day 2 rookie. This RB class doesn’t have a single sure thing, but whoever they end up drafting will likely be worth a shot in fantasy this season.
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