Malik Nabers injury update: How will rookie WR perform without Daniel Jones?

Will Malik Nabers suit up for Week 12? Blaine Grisak breaks down the fantasy football implications.

Game day update: Malik Nabers is expected to be active for Week 12 against the Bucs, per Ian Rapoport.

The New York Giants seem to have found a young star at wide receiver in rookie Malik Nabers. However, despite subpar quarterback play, Nabers had plenty of success with Daniel Jones at quarterback. Nabers was a favorite target of Jones as he had 10 or more targets in six of eight games played this season. Now, Jones was released earlier this week following the team’s bye and the Giants will turn to 2023 undrafted free agent Tommy DeVito. On top of a quarterback change, Nabers has been dealing with a groin injury prior to the Week 12 matchup against the Buccaneers.

Malik Nabers Injury Status

According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers will officially be listed as questionable for the Buccaneers game on Sunday. Nabers did not practice on Friday with a groin injury, but told Raanan that he intends to play. The Giants rookie missed two games earlier this season with a concussion. Nabers had a similar groin issue back in Week 7 and still played. While there is confidence that the rookie wide receiver will play on Sunday, he will still be a player to watch. The Giants will host the Buccaneers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

What does Malik Nabers’ injury mean for fantasy football

Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers has been one of the more impressive rookies this season. Earlier this season, he became the first player in NFL history to record at least 250 yards, 20 receptions, and three touchdowns through their first three games. Despite missing two games, he remains on pace to challenge Puka Nacua’s rookie receptions record of 105 that he set last season. Nabers is currently on pace for 103.7 receptions.

The big question will be whether or not Nabers can remain productive with Tommy DeVito at quarterback. While Jones wasn’t winning games or playing consistently well, he showed that he could get Nabers the ball. DeVito was a fun story last season, but completed just nine passes on 16 attempts for 55 yards in his final start. His best game came against the Washington Commanders in which he threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns. In that game, the Giants’ leading wide receiver was Darius Slayton who had four receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown. Saquon Barkley was second on the team in receiving yards with 57 to go with two touchdowns.

Despite being just a rookie, Nabers may have already proven that he is quarterback-proof. In other words, it doesn’t necessarily matter who his quarterback is, he is still going to put up numbers. Nabers is the WR9 this season in PPR formats on a per game basis and remains the most dynamic playmaker in the Giants offense.

The matchup against the Buccaneers could provide a good opportunity for DeVito and Nabers to connect. Todd Bowles has a tendency to mix things up on defense, but the Buccaneers rank 30th in passing yards per game allowed and 28th in pass defense EPA. Tampa Bay has also allowed the eighth most fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season. Nabers’ success could depend on how well DeVito handles the blitz. The Buccaneers blitz at a rate of 29.7 percent which is just outside the top-10. DeVito had a -0.37 EPA per dropback against the blitz last season.

There is an element of uncertainty at quarterback when it comes to Nabers’ situation. However, Nabers has shown the ability to produce with less than ideal quarterback play. At the very least, he projects as a WR2.