Since signing with the New York Giants Kenny Golladay’s ADP has taken a slight dip. Don’t get me wrong. I get it.
Amongst the fantasy community the perception is that Daniel Jones isn’t very good and that Jason Garrett is a washed up boomer who runs the ball 110% of the time.
You can believe all that if you want, but when I’m drafting for the 2021 season I plan on taking advantage of that good ol’ discount on Kenny Golladay (and maybe even getting some late round shares of Daniel Jones while I’m at it).
Drafters are forgetting that Golladay was a top 5 WR in his last full season (2019). And while Daniel Jones isn’t Matthew Stafford, the underlying numbers to Jones’ 2020 show a quarterback that has a higher ceiling than most of us realize.
Is Daniel Jones possibly”¦ good?
If you’re laughing at my question, I totally understand.
You see the images of Jones falling flat on his face in the open field. You see the 11 TD and 10 INT from 2020 and think the guy completely regressed in his sophomore season. He can’t possibly be a good QB, right?
The really smart folks over at PFF would actually tell you he is better than you think.
According to PFF, Jones was actually a better passer than he was in his rookie season. That was a rookie season where he threw 24 touchdowns and became the first rookie QB in history to throw for 350 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions in a single game.
PFF’s Eric Anderson writes, “Jones’ tight-window throw rate (22%) tied for fourth-highest in the league in 2020. His percentage of tight-window throws was also higher than Golladay’s old quarterback, Matthew Stafford (20%).”
“Jones also impressed with his deep-ball last season. He posted the third-best grade and highest passer rating (132.5) on throws of 20-plus yards despite the Giants’ OL finishing dead last in PFF pass-blocking grade.” Jones’ PFF grade increased from 65.7 to 78.4 in year 2.
Now, I’m not saying that Jones is Josh Allen and Golladay is Steph Diggs, but there’s no reason to believe that the addition of Golladay to the Giants offense shouldn’t improve Jones’ overall production.
Jones just didn’t have much healthy talent around him last season. And he didn’t have much time to throw the ball behind a pretty awful offensive line.
Add in the fact that he rushed for 30 yards per game and there’s a good chance Jones’ could be a decently productive fantasy asset in 2021. Especially at his current ADP which has him going as the QB22.
As for Kenny Golladay, drafters seem to be shying away from him, because there’s a perception the Giants will barely throw the ball under second year OC Jason Garrett.
It’s almost as if no one remembers that Jason Garrett oversaw the Cowboys offense from 2007 to 2019. And in that time Dez Bryant, Terrell Owens, Amari Cooper, Miles Austin (remember him), and Jason Witten all had incredibly productive fantasy-friendly seasons.
If you’re sitting there thinking Garrett isn’t going to try to get the ball in his new wide receiver’s hands you may as well just give up and stop playing fantasy football altogether.
Since 2018 Golladay is fourth in receiving yards of 20-plus yards and fourth in contested catch percentage since 2019. By the way, Daniel Jones had the fourth highest tight-window throw rate in 2020 (22%). That’s higher than Golladay’s former quarterback, Matt Stafford (20%).
Ok, but how does he fit in with the Giants?
Personnel-wise the Giants have been missing that big bodied wide receiver who is willing to go over the middle and make plays in traffic. Kenny G is that guy.
Golladay has also proven that he can stretch the field with the best of them as the alpha wide receiver in an offense.
The Giants will have no problem finding ways to get him the ball. Especially off play action involving the threat of all-world running back Saquon Barkley.
Often when players find themselves in new situations like adjusting to a new OC, QB, or an entirely new team I try to get a read on whether or not they not only fit into the scheme on the field, but also the scheme behind the scenes.
After Golladay signed with the Giants this is what coach Joe Judge had to say:
“You can’t just grab a player, put him on your team and think everything’s going to work out,” he said. “It has to be the right fit for your team going forward and that’s a fit culturally and a fit schematically, and it’s got to go both ways. There’s things that we do here that, look, we don’t make it easy on our players and coaches, that’s by design. The guys we have in this locker room have bought in, we have a lot of fun here through doing that, but we have a way of doing things. That’s not for everyone, to be honest with you.”
QB Daniel Jones followed that up with this:
“I’m very excited to have Kenny. He’s been a big time playmaker in this league. When we spoke, he was interested in the culture we have in the building and the mindset of the team. I think he had heard it from coaches but wanted to hear how we saw it as players and how much we believed in it. I think finding the right fit in that sense was important to him. I can’t wait to get out on the field and get to work with him.”
Golladay has spent his entire career on a team that had a losing culture. He’s never played in a playoff game. Something tells me we may get to see the 27 year old wideout put up numbers and actually be a part of winning season during his time in New York.
His addition to the New York Football Giants is only going to make the entire offense and team better. For fantasy purposes, I think the investment in him on draft day will bring back returns that will be a steal at his current ADP.
And maybe Golladay won’t only help the Giants’ playoff chances, but your fantasy team’s as well.
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