Engel grabbed Malik Nabers +125 at BetMGM to score, stressing that New York must lean on its best playmaker to stay competitive. Nabers has recorded eight-plus receptions in each of his last two meetings with Dallas and opened 2025 with a 5-71 line despite the Giants’ overall struggles. Engel expects the Cowboys to jump out early, creating a pass-heavy script that should yield 35+ Russell Wilson dropbacks and multiple red-zone looks for Nabers. With no other Giant topping 40 receiving yards in Week 1 and Dallas’ secondary adjusting to post-Parsons personnel changes, Engel likes the + odds for Nabers to find the end zone.

Jon Warner opted to slide Malik Nabers to 8.5 receptions (3.8x) inside the same bomb ticket, reminding the crew that Nabers "led the world in usage last year" and expecting Russell Wilson to pepper him with targets in New York. The reception ladder helped push the overall payout toward the desired 50x mark.

Eric Moody projected Malik Nabers for a breakout Week 1, noting Washington surrendered 4.8 yards per carry last season and will likely stack the box to slow Tyrone Tracy Jr. That invites vertical shots for Nabers even if Marshon Lattimore shadows him—a matchup Moody is comfortable attacking given Lattimore’s recent durability issues. The Giants’ new pass-first lean under Brian Daboll plus Nabers’ personal motivation to avenge two 2024 losses to college buddy Jayden Daniels add fuel. Moody expects double-digit targets and league-winning upside in both redraft and DFS.

Matthew Betz warned that Malik Nabers carries more downside than most first-round receivers because of a chronic toe injury that dates back to his LSU days and resurfaced last December. Nabers himself has already said he will "likely need surgery" on the toe eventually, so Betz expects the wideout to battle the issue all season. Given that Nabers has also dealt with minor shoulder and low-back problems this summer, Betz advised fantasy managers in single redraft leagues to break ties against him at picks 10-12, arguing there are plenty of similarly elite options without the same medical baggage in this deep first round.

John Laghezza said Malik Nabers is the slam-dunk Round-1 selection. Nabers logged 90%-plus snaps, saw roughly 31% of targets per route, and commanded 41% of the Giants’ air yards during his 2024 rookie campaign yet still finished as fantasy’s WR7 despite a revolving door of sub-par quarterbacks (Daniel Jones, Tommy DeVito, Drew Lock, Tim Boyle). Laghezza argues the switch to Russell Wilson is a clear talent upgrade and "almost no conceivable way" Wilson can be worse than last year's mix, so drafters are getting a top-5 caliber asset at a small discount.

Jeff Mueller is unfazed by Malik Nabers' chronic turf-toe and recent back tightness, noting the wideout dominated at LSU while managing the same toe issue and has never required surgery. Mueller pointed out that players drafted around Nabers—Nico Collins (hamstrings) and A.J. Brown (swollen knee, hamstring)—carry comparable medical risk but offer less weekly ceiling. Given the Giants' likely target funnel toward Nabers, Mueller prefers betting on his superior upside despite the small chance the toe flares up during the season.

Tom Strachan hyped Malik Nabers as a rock-solid anchor at pick 8, noting he shattered the rookie reception record with 109 catches and still finished sixth in fantasy points despite four different quarterbacks. Either Russell Wilson or Jaxson Dart will bring higher yards-per-attempt and completion rates than last year’s carousel, and Nabers faces almost no competition beyond Wan’Dale Robinson. With the same massive target share and a QB bump, Strachan expects Nabers to repeat—or even improve on—a top-10 wide-receiver season.

Shawn Siegele said Malik Nabers should be drafted before Justin Jefferson in the mid-first round. In Siegele’s freshly updated top-200 he lists Nabers seventh overall and Jefferson eighth after removing the “target” caution tag from Nabers. Siegele isn’t worried about Nabers’ lingering toe issue and is even less impressed with the current state of the Vikings offense surrounding Jefferson. He expects Nabers to compete with Drake London for the league lead in targets and liked pairing the two to lock in elite volume early. The takeaway: when you draw pick 6–9, do not hesitate to click Nabers over Jefferson if you want ceiling, target share, and portfolio diversification.

Adam Ronis said Malik Nabers is set up for a monster second season in TE-premium formats because volume and efficiency could both spike. Nabers already saw 170 targets last year, turning them into 109-1,204-7 despite cycling through multiple quarterbacks. Ronis expects an upgrade in deep-ball accuracy with Russell Wilson opening the year under center (with Jameis Winston or Jaxson Dart waiting if Wilson falters). Wilson’s willingness to push the ball downfield should unlock routes Nabers rarely hit in 2024. If the wideout converts that target flood into double-digit touchdowns, Ronis believes he can finish as one of the overall WR1 candidates.

Ryan Heath placed Malik Nabers inside his overall top-12, citing Nabers’ rookie totals of 170 targets, 109 receptions, and 18.2 FPG—numbers only OBJ, Chase, Jefferson, and Nacua have matched in the modern era. That quartet averaged 20.2 FPG in Year 2. With little added target competition and a likely mid-season upgrade to Jaxson Dart, Heath anticipates 1,400+ yards and at least nine TDs, making Nabers a slam-dunk first-round pick.

Jake Ciely said he will have "zero Malik Nabers" at current draft cost. Ciely listed a growing list of red flags: Nabers has battled the same turf-toe issue since college, has now added a preseason shoulder injury, and has already missed consecutive practices. Ciely worries the Giants will open the year with Russell Wilson – whom he called "mediocre Russ" – then could pivot to Jackson Dart mid-season, creating two radically different (and unproven) passing environments. If Dart resembles last season’s version of Drake Maye, overall passing volume could crater. Ciely added that if New York is 3-11 by Week 14 the front office may shelve an already-dinged Nabers for future-year preservation, all of which caps his fantasy ceiling. Because of the compounded risk Ciely prefers Drake London and Brian Thomas straight up over Nabers in season-long drafts.

Pat Mayo slotted Malik Nabers inside his top eight wide receivers, betting on the classic sophomore explosion. Mayo noted that Nabers "established himself as such a stud" as a rookie and pointed to the league-wide trend of year-two receivers leaping into elite production tiers. After watching camp clips of Russell Wilson and Jackson Dart simply taking five-step drops and lofting jump-balls to Nabers, Mayo expects the Giants to funnel down-field targets to their young playmaker. The combination of an expanded route tree, contested-catch ability, and big-play upside led Mayo to place Nabers ahead of veterans like CeeDee Lamb in his initial rankings.

Tom Strachan endorsed Malik Nabers as a swing-for-the-fences hero-WR after his record 109-catch rookie campaign that produced a WR6 finish in 2024. He believes quarterback play can only improve: Russell Wilson and first-round pick Jaxson Dart are battling, both clear upgrades on last year’s foursome of Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito and Tim Boyle, all bottom-20 % in YPA. Nabers still faces minimal target competition (Wan’Dale Robinson the most notable), setting the stage for another top-10 positional finish with even modest QB efficiency. Strachan admitted Nabers sits on the riskier end of Round 1 but loves the potential target avalanche.

Frank Ammirante said drafters should keep Malik Nabers locked into late-Round-1 or early-Round-2 territory even after the wideout missed Wednesday’s practice with shoulder and toe issues. Ammirante called the ailments "nothing to worry about," stressing that Nabers remains one of the league’s most talented receivers and that Jaxson Dart’s promising debut reassures the quality of his targets. He advised readers to "fire him up at the 1/2 turn" before any August ADP rebound wipes out the discount.

Matthew Freedman said Malik Nabers is the safest volume bet on the board, projecting a league-leading 166 targets (WR1 in his model) and WR4 fantasy points while he is being drafted 12th overall as the WR5. Freedman reminded readers that Nabers earned a 35% target share and a 109-1,204-7 receiving line in just 15 games last season, then noted that the Giants passing game should improve now that Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Jaxson Dart are competing for the job instead of last year’s carousel. Freedman believes Nabers can easily beat his Round-1 ADP if those quarterback upgrades stick, calling him a player who "could naturally be even more dominant in his second season."

Jaosn Moore said he moved Malik Nabers one spot ahead of Puka Nacua in his rankings and drafted Neighbors as his WR5. The sole reason for the flip is what Moore called the "bad vibes" surrounding Matthew Stafford’s health and the Los Angeles Rams passing attack this summer. Moore still likes Nacua’s talent but does not want to attach a second-round pick to a quarterback whose toe issues and general durability continue to surface in camp reports. With Neighbors not carrying a similar quarterback red-flag, Moore views him as the safer, equally explosive option in early-round builds.

Andy Holloway said Malik Nabers is almost bust-proof after setting the rookie record with 170 targets in just 15 games. Holloway has Nabers projected for 168 targets in 2025 and added that Jason Moore landed on the exact same total while Mike Wright came in at 176. The only path to failure Holloway sees is a complete offensive collapse—an early 0-4 schedule (at Washington, at Dallas, vs Kansas City, vs Chargers) that could force mid-season quarterback or even coaching changes. Even in that scenario the Giants would still funnel passes to Nabers, who lined up outside 73 % of the time and in the slot 27 %, giving defensive coordinators nowhere to hide. Holloway expects a 30 %+ target share on a team projected to trail often, calling 200 targets an attainable ceiling and labeling Nabers a top-three fantasy finish candidate.

Best Ball Guy gushed over first-round wideout Malik Nabers, calling him “the goat” and “one of the greatest prospects I’ve ever seen coming out.” He noted respected analysts Shawn Siegele and Ben Gretch had Nabers graded above Marvin Harrison Jr. in several models. With a clear path to WR1 volume in New York and elite collegiate production, Nabers is someone Best Ball Guy is happy to draft aggressively for tournament-winning upside.

Mattek moved Malik Nabers ahead of Puka Nacua in his ranks because Matthew Stafford is now expected to miss the Rams’ joint practices on 8/5. Rams beat writers framed that absence as the line of demarcation between routine veteran rest and a real health issue. If Stafford opens the season limited—or worse, the Rams roll with Jimmy Garoppolo—Nacua’s target quality and ceiling take a major hit. Nabers, meanwhile, carries top-of-board talent without that quarterback land mine. Given equal draft capital, Mattek wants Nabers for both weekly reliability and league-winning upside.

Chris Allen said drafters sitting at pick 1.08 can confidently open with Malik Nabers and ignore running back for several rounds. Nabers posted a league-best 34.9% target share, a 30.9% targets-per-route rate and the fourth-highest air-yard share among wide receivers. While only 75% of his looks were charted as catchable (28th of 70 WRs with 400+ routes) because of New York’s shaky quarterback play, Allen argued the sheer volume outweighs efficiency concerns. Nabers supplies a weekly double-digit target floor, allowing managers to hammer mid-round backs and still lock in WR1 production—making a classic Zero RB build the optimal path whenever he falls to 1.08.

Hartitz reminded readers that Nabers just posted the third-highest PPR points per game by a rookie wide receiver in NFL history, trailing only Odell Beckham Jr. and Randy Moss. Fantasy Life projections slot him for a league-high 162.5 targets in 2025. While he flagged a lingering toe issue and poor Giants quarterback play as worries, Hartitz still thinks the volume and talent make Nabers a top-six option with overall WR1 paths.

Adam Rank projected Malik Nabers to soak up "all of the targets" for the Giants regardless of whether Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, or even rookie Jaxson Dart ultimately runs the huddle. Rank’s volume-over-efficiency stance pushes Nabers into his Tier-2 rankings and positions the young wideout as a top-five upside pick in season-long leagues.

Michael Florio doubled down on Nabers’ ceiling after labeling him a breakout one year ago. The second-year Giant led the NFL with a 31% target rate and set the rookie record with 109 catches, yet still logged 875 unrealized air yards (3rd) and a 21% uncatchable-target rate (9th). New York addressed quarterback play by signing Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston and drafting Jaxson Dart. Wilson’s 2024 deep-ball line—654 yards, 5 TDs, 111 rating on 45.5% completions—dwarfed the entire Giants QB room. Florio believes even average accuracy could let Nabers pace the league in receiving yards and finish as the overall WR1.

Nabers already led the league in target rate (31 percent) and set the rookie record with 109 catches, yet he left yards on the table: 875 unrealized air yards (third-most) and a 21 percent uncatchable-target rate. The Giants overhauled their QB room, signing Russell Wilson—whose 2024 deep-ball line (654 yds, 5 TD, 111 rating on 45.5 percent completions) dwarfed the combined output of all Giants passers. Florio thinks a normal completion rate on those verticals could catapult Nabers to the top of the receiving leaderboard and make him the overall WR1, justifying his late-first draft slot.

Billy Ward is slightly above market on Malik Nabers, pointing to Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston replacing Daniel Jones and potentially propelling the Giants passing game. Improved quarterback efficiency plus Nabers’ alpha profile create ADP-beating upside.

McFarland moved Nabers into Tier 1, arguing the rookie’s 17.0 PPG season (35% targets, 37% first-downs, 46% air-yards) puts him in the same historical bucket as Beckham, Chase, Jefferson, Thomas and Nacua— all of whom followed with top-5 seasons. Russell Wilson is a downgrade, yet Nabers already produced with Daniel Jones, Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock, so quarterback volatility is baked in. McFarland therefore recommends treating Nabers as a late-first-round cornerstone with superstar upside.

Tom Strachan said Malik Nabers is one of the few true values at the very top of 2025 best-ball drafts. Nabers absorbed a league-high 162 targets last season, breaking Puka Nacua’s rookie reception record with 105 catches and piling up roughly 1,200 receiving yards despite what Strachan called “the worst group of QBs ever.” The Giants spent a first-round pick on Jaxson Dart, and Strachan argued that even a slightly improved passer would turn Nabers’ already elite volume into week-winning efficiency. Strachan believes that combination of proven target share and plausible quarterback upgrade makes Nabers worth selecting ahead of several first-round peers who carry similar price tags but less upside.

Matt Harmon identified Malik Nabers as one of three young wideouts (with Drake London and Brian Thomas Jr.) most likely to leap into Tier-1 status within the next two seasons. Harmon praised Nabers’ three-level route tree, explosive playmaking, and ability to win both after the catch and in contested situations despite last year’s quarterback carousel. Reception Perception graded Nabers as a strong separator against man and zone; Harmon said only "tightening up small route details" separates him from true elite status. Given the Giants’ need for a target alpha, Harmon expects Nabers to command immediate 25-plus-percent target shares and sees WR1 overall spike-week potential as early as Year-2, making him a cornerstone in dynasty and an upside swing in 2024 redraft.

Meg Shoup said Malik Nabers is her preferred pick in the late-first/early-second tier of WRs because the rookie does not share targets with another established alpha. She noted that the only other Giants wideout she even drafts is Darius Slayton, and that is in the late rounds, illustrating how thin the depth chart is behind Nabers. Shoup also highlighted Nabers’ fantasy-playoff run – Washington, Minnesota and Las Vegas – three secondaries she expects to force pass-heavy scripts in mostly friendly December weather. That combination of clear target dominance and an attractive Week-15-to-17 schedule makes Nabers a priority selection over similarly priced receivers like Puka Nacua, Nico Collins and Brian Thomas Jr.

Jake Ciely ranked Malik Nabers eighth—at the back of his second receiver tier—and explained the downgrade is entirely quarterback-related. Ciely doubts 35-year-old Russell Wilson is an upgrade on last year’s Giants mess and fully expects the team to bench Wilson for rookie Jaxson Dart by mid-season. That scenario introduces two separate risks: Wilson’s declining arm creating a rash of uncatchable targets early, and Dart’s inevitable rookie growing pains tanking efficiency later. Without trustworthy QB play, Ciely prefers Drake London and Brian Thomas, who project for better offensive environments. He still views Nabers as a high-end talent but will not pay top-six pricing for a player tied to what he calls “the league’s most volatile quarterback room.”

Pat Mayo said Malik Nabers is his WR3 after running personal projections through the 4for4 tool. Mayo landed on 109 receptions, 1,350 yards and nine touchdowns—numbers that only Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson beat in his model. He acknowledged New York’s quarterback questions but pointed out that Nabers won downfield and after the catch at LSU, skills that translate even with less-than-perfect accuracy. Mayo believes the rookie can command 150-plus targets immediately because the Giants’ depth chart is barren and the team projects to trail often, keeping pass volume high. At a late-first/early-second ADP, Mayo sees Nabers as one of the few players capable of challenging for the overall WR1 crown in Year 1.

Andy Holloway pumped the brakes on Malik Nabers at his current WR6 ADP, pointing to a brutal opening month (at Washington, at Dallas, vs Kansas City, vs the Chargers) and the league-worst overall schedule Sharp Football assigned to New York. Holloway likes Nabers’ talent but worries about week-to-week volatility on an offense he expects to finish dead last in scoring if Russell Wilson or rookie Jackson Dart starts. Last season Nabers needed 170 targets to post WR7 numbers and still logged seven weekly finishes outside the top-30. Holloway noted Nabers’ early price forces drafters to pass on similarly ranked Brian Thomas Jr., who operates in a better environment, and called the rookie’s 10–12 point half-PPR floor "frightening" for a first-round pick unless New York unexpectedly turns to a gunslinger like Jameis Winston. He advised treating Nabers as a boom-bust WR1 rather than a locked-in fantasy anchor in both season-long and best-ball formats.

Jason Moore said Malik Nabers is the lone bright spot in New York, predicting the rookie will command roughly 30% of Giants pass attempts because Brian Daboll has no other true playmaker. Moore acknowledged the league’s hardest schedule and a potential Russell Wilson–Jackson Dart quarterback carousel, yet compared Nabers’ outlook to Garrett Wilson’s rookie year (147 targets, WR21 on a bottom-five offense). With elite YAC ability, Moore believes sheer volume plus breakaway talent gives Nabers mid-WR2 upside immediately and spike-week potential that plays beautifully in best-ball tournaments. He’s comfortable selecting Nabers in the 6th–7th round despite the surrounding mess.

Ian Hartitz remained bullish on Malik Nabers despite what he labeled a "nightmare" Giants schedule and a likely low-volume, defense-led game script. Hartitz argued that wide receivers and tight ends are the two positions least correlated with overall scoring offense (he cited correlation coefficients below 0.5), meaning elite target earners can still pop on bad teams. Nabers passes the on-field test—"he wins every one-on-one Achilles battle"—and faces minimal competition for targets beyond Darius Slayton and a committee backfield. Hartitz projected 130-plus looks even if New York shies away from shootouts, giving Nabers a mid-WR2 floor with a path to WR1 upside in full-PPR formats.

Davis Mattek said Malik Nabors is the premier ceiling play in the late-first/early-second pocket because the rookie already posted a top-three targets-per-route-run rate in college and has almost no legitimate competition for targets with Darius Slayton profiling as the WR2. Mattek projected Neighbors as one of the few receivers realistically capable of commanding 30-plus percent of his team’s looks—putting him ahead of Nico Collins, Puka Nacua, and even CeeDee Lamb on sheer volume upside. In a ‘nothing goes wrong’ scenario, Neighbors would soak up true alpha usage on a Giants team expected to trail often, giving him league-winning Best Ball upside.

Mike Wright planted his flag on Malik Nabers, insisting the second‑year star owns true overall WR1 upside even if New York’s quarterback room stays unsettled. Wright reminded listeners Nabers soaked up a staggering 166 targets on a bottom‑five offense as a rookie, with 154 of those being first‑read looks—the third‑highest figure league‑wide. Despite constant double teams, he still produced 1,203 yards and seven scores. The Giants trailed or were tied on 90 percent of Nabers’ routes, and Wright expects similar negative game scripts to fuel another 160‑plus targets in 2025. He likened Nabers’ talent profile to Ja’Marr Chase, arguing that if the two swapped teams “you’d draft Nabers first overall without blinking,” underscoring that this is a quarterback/offensive‑line issue, not a Nabers issue. Even a mediocre upgrade—from Russell Wilson to Shadur Sanders or a healthy Jameis Winston cameo—would goose his touchdown ceiling. Wright pegged Nabers’ realistic fantasy range of outcomes at WR1 overall down to WR12 at the floor, urging drafters to scoop him in the mid‑first and ignore worries about Daniel Jones or Wilson tanking his value.