Dynasty Dilemma: Daniel Jones

The New York Giants, an organization that has received mixed opinions over the last few years while having their success questioned is now on the rise. Finishing 9-7-1 and reaching the postseason, the Giants have made incredible strides to become a top contender in the NFC East. However, if you know anything about Fantasy Football and pay any attention to the waiver wire, you have probably noticed a lot of Giants players that go undrafted or that are being overlooked. What if I told you, you could get away with the steal of the draft at Quarterback with the Giants very own, Daniel Jones. 

REASON TO BUY

Rushing Upside

Daniel Jones finished 2022 with his best stat line since his draft in 2019 with 3,205 passing yards, 708 rushing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, and 7 rushing touchdowns finishing as QB9.. Daniel Jones had his longest run last year of 80 yards and puts him in the top 5 for longest rushes. However, he is being overlooked and many rankings have him placed at QB14 behind quarterbacks like Dak Prescott, Kyler Murray, and Deshaun Watson. One of Daniel Jones best attributes as a Fantasy Quarterback is his ability to run the ball. Daniel Jones finished 5th in rushing last year with an average of 5.9 YPC. Jalen Hurts is the only quarterback in this top 5 who has a less YPC than Daniel Jones with 4.6. Also, Jalen Hurts only accumulated 52 more rushing yards than Daniel Jones but also had 45 more attempts. Another quarterback who gets drafted before Daniel Jones is Dak Prescott who only ran for 182 yards and 1 rushing touchdown compared to Daniel Jones and his 700+ yards and 7 rushing touchdowns. 

Added Weapons

Daniel Jones finished with 3,205 passing yards and 15 touchdowns last year, finishing as QB15 when it came to passing. He was above quarterbacks like Deshaun Watson, Justin Fields, Dak Prescott, and Kyler Murray who have all been taken several rounds before. To add, the Giants have made some offseason acquisitions like Parris Campbell, Darren Waller, Cole Beasley, and rookie Jalin Hyatt to support Daniel Jones.The biggest of all these pickups is Darren Waller and rookie Jalen Hyatt. One of Darren Waller’s best years came in 2020 where he had 1,196 receiving yards, 9 touchdowns, 74% catch rate and finished second among tight ends. Jalin Hyatt also has a strong history with finishing 1st in the SEC with 1,267 receiving yards, 1st in the SEC with 15 receiving touchdowns, and 5th in the SEC with 18.9 receiving yards per reception. Now that Daniel Jones has these lethal weapons to throw to, it only adds to his value compared to other quarterbacks. One quarterback who is taken higher than Daniel Jones is Justin Fields. NFL.com had Justin Fields ranked as QB13 compared to Daniel Jones at QB18. Justin Fields finished with 1000 less passing yards, 6 more interceptions, 10 more fumbles, and a 60.4 percent completion compared to Daniel Jones’s 67.2. However, Justin Fields gets selected 3-4 rounds before.

Trusted Coaching Staff

Not only does Daniel Jones now have a strong receiving core and incredible running ability he is now under a new coaching staff who trusts in Daniel Jones’s ability to win games. Giving Daniel Jones a 4 year $160 million dollar contract illustrates the confidence that Brian Daboll and the Giants have in him to win. Now let's speak about Brian Daboll. Prior to accepting the job with the Giants, he was the Bill’s offensive coordinator from 2018-2021 and worked with Josh Allen. In 2018 Josh Allen finished ranked as QB 22, but through the coaching of Brian Daboll he finished as QB9 in 2019 to then QB1 in 2020. It is clear that Brian Daboll knows how to run an offense and utilize the quarterback. Through those 3 years, Josh Allen went from 2,074 yards in 2018 to then 4,544 yards in 2020. Not to mention, in 2018 Josh Allen was averaging 17.2 FPPG which was under Brian Daboll’s first year coaching. However, in 2020, as QB1 he averaged 24.2 FPPG. Similarly, in Daniel Jone’s first year with Brian Daboll he averaged 17.8 FPPG, and the pattern shows this will rise. 

REASON TO SELL

Saquon Barkley

Now let us be a bit more reasonable. In the past few weeks, the Giants have had major controversy with their star running back Saquon Barkley by not coming to terms on a contract. Saquon Barkley is the heart and soul of the New York offense and averaged 18 carries a game last season finishing with over 1300 yards and 10 touchdowns. There is no doubt that there is strong chemistry between this elite Running back and Daniel Jones. In a recent podcast, Saquon listed possible options for himself during this season which included the option of him not showing up and allowing the Giants to realize how much he means to that offense. If this were to come true it is no doubt Daniel Jones will struggle to facilitate this offense and not produce the numbers that he is projected to. Last year Saquon Received 76 targets which was more than Isaiah Hodgins, Darius Slayton, Daniel Bellinger, and Wan’Dale Robinson who are the current Giants WR core. This reliance on Saquon Barkley targets could hurt Daniel Jones’ ability to keep up a similar level of production. 

Chemistry and Decision Making

Another reason to sell on Daniel Jones is the lack of chemistry between him and his skill players and his decision making. Many analysts have highlighted that Daniel Jones’ ability to make decisions at the moment has been slow. This is apparent whether it be to choose the right receiver, run into a wall of defenders, or even just hold the ball for too long. The Giants have acquired many weapons which gives Daniel Jones a wider variety of targets to throw to but until their connection is established on the field, it is uncertain whether or not he will produce consistent numbers. 

VERDICT

Daniel Jones is that late round sleeper everyone is looking for and is someone who I recommend you definitely buy. Given that he has a new receiving core and a strong coaching staff, he is on the path to definitely produce greater numbers.Trusting that he will work further

with his offensive squad, this offense is on the road to be one of the top NFC East contenders. Known for his excellent ability to run the ball, he will take charge of this offense and look to push another 3,200 passing yards with a 1000 yard rushing season. This could be the transformation year that leads to Daniel Jones to being a top 10 quarterback and not slept on.

BUY