Assuming that all of the WRs are healthy for camp, who is going to get the most snaps?
What muddies the waters is Wallers. Kafka will be lining him up a lot as the single X receiver in 3x1 sets, and he looks to be the de-facto WR1 at least some of the time. Bellinger will also be stealing reps from the WRs as I see the Giants running lot of 12 personnel.
The other thing that will make things interesting is that KC and the Bills don't line up their WRs in the same place twice during a game. Neither team has what anyone would consider to be traditional X and Z receivers.
I also see playing time evolving over the course of the season. The WRs starting the at the beginning of the season probably won't be the same at the end of the season.
Here's how I see the competition:
WR4 Hodgins: 33 Rec./351 Yds/4 TDs. While he clearly built rapport with DJ, and is a feelgood story, I think out of this group, he's the guy most vulnerable to losing snaps. He's a reliable receiver, but he's not particularly fast or elusive. Kafka had to do a lot of scheming using picks and stacked alignments to get him open. I see him falling to WR4 over time as Hyatt, Shepard and Robinson start stealing his snaps.
WR2 Campbell: 63/623/3 in a dismal Colts Offense. Campbell can fly, and I see him starting the season as WR2, primarily lining up in the slot. He matches Mecole Hardman's role wit the Chiefs, and may see the most snaps.
WR1 Slayton: 46/724/2 without playing early in the season. Slayton is the closest thing the Giants have to a true Z receiver, and I see him as WR1 playing a more traditional role on the outside.. Slayton's biggest negative is his drop%.
WR3A Shepard: Injuries have destroyed what could have been a productive career. Shepard is a strong short/medium range receiver that has a knack for getting open. There's definitely a place for him in the offense doing a lot of the dirty work running option routes and inside working against LBs.
WR3B Hyatt: Hyatt is wild card #1. Kafka and Daboll are going to want Hyatt's 4.31 speed on the field. The dream scenario is for Hyatt to quickly develop, and he could wind up stealing snaps from all of the receivers above. At 6'0", he has the size to line up at X, Z or in the slot.
WR3C Robinson: Wild Card #2. Robinson's skill set appears to be similar to Shepard's, and he could overtake him as the season progresses. Robinson also has value being a gadget receiver running fly sweeps. Robinson could start the season on the PUP list.
As I said earlier, Kafka and Daboll historically haven't used WRs in traditional roles. If healthy, all of the receivers above will have roles in the offense dependent on matchups. I don't think I'd draft any of the Giants WRs into a fantasy league. Other than Campbell, I don't see any of them getting 75% of the snaps.
Starting Lineup at the beginning of the season:
X: Hodgins
Z: Slayton
Slot: Campbell
Starting Lineup at the end of the season: This puts a ton of speed on the field.
X: Hyatt
Z: Slayton
Slot: Campbell
A primary formation will be 3x1 with Wallers as the boundary X, Slayton as the boundary Z, and Campbell and Hyatt in the slot.
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