Odell Beckham Jr. has boosted his fantasy stock in deeper leagues after a strong training camp and preseason with the New York Giants. Despite facing an uphill battle to make the roster, his performance earned him a spot and could lead to meaningful volume. While unlikely to be a top-50 receiver due to a crowded depth chart, Beckham could offer WR3/flex appeal in deeper leagues, especially if other receivers miss time. He is currently ranked WR118 with an ADP of 262.6
Jalin Hyatt’s decision, voluntary or otherwise, to surrender No. 13 to Odell Beckham Jr. wasn’t the only back-to-the-future move when it comes to Giants receiver numbers. Rookie Malachi Fields shed No. 0, which he had worn during the preseason, for No. 88. And that got Giants fans thinking immediately about former Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks. A first-round pick in 2009, Nicks spent five years with the Giants, one with the Colts, and a final season with the Giants. He was a member of the Super Bowl XLVI championship team, catching 10 passes for 109 yards in the victory over the Patriots. But Nicks’s number isn’t the only one making a comeback. Hyatt picked No. 81 after giving up No. 13. That number was worn by Amani Toomer from 1996 through 2008. He was a member of the Super Bowl XLI-winning team, catching six passes for 84 yards in the victory over the Patriots. Before 2004, receivers typically wore numbers from 80 to 89. In 2004, 10 through 19 were added to the mix. Nowadays, they can also wear single-digit numbers
Odell Beckham Jr . came into the league in 2014 as the No. 12 overall pick out of LSU, joining the New York Football Giants as an expected star. Since then, he's taken a number of paths in the league, and it seems all roads lead back to 1 MetLife Stadium Drive, East Rutherford, New Jersey. On Sunday, NFL teams narrowed down their teams for the upcoming season, needing to be at 53 players by 6 p.m. ET. This means a total of 1,184 players will be released by their teams. According to an ESPN report, Beckham is not one of those players . Beckham signed with the Giants this offseason, looking not only for a reunion with his old team but also with his former coach. Beckham worked with current Giants head coach John Harbaugh when they were both with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. Harbaugh complimented Beckham's efforts as the 33-year-old was working to make the roster. Earlier this week, Harbaugh added that this was OBJ's "best week" at training camp. "Yes, he has done enough to make an NFL roster, for sure," Harbaugh said. "He's played well. He's gotten better as camp's gone along. He deserves credit for that. He's done a really good job with it." Beckham has some unfinished business with the Giants and feels like he has more to give on the football field, and gets his chance this year with the Giants when they kick off their season on Sept. 13 at home against division rival Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. The Giants' starting quarterback is Jaxson Dart , with Jameis Winston backing him up. The wide receiver room also includes Malik Nabers , rookie Malachi Fields , Darius Slayton and Darnell Mooney . "It would mean everything to me if I made it," Beckham said earlier this week. "... I feel like I gave everything I've had. Super grateful for the opportunity. ... I know that I have a good feeling about myself. I feel like there is ball to be played, plays to be made. Right now, I'm just truly grateful for that opportunity and experience." His journey has included many bumps in the road, injuries, team changes and up-and-down play. Beckham last saw an NFL regular-season game as a member of the Miami Dolphins in 2024. He was eventually waived in December of the same year. Ahead of the release, he appeared in nine games, finishing with nine receptions for 55 yards. In October of 2025, Beckham was suspended for six games for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. He would not play a single snap all season, making his last in-game appearance on December 8, 2024, against the New York Jets, where he had one reception for one yard. OBJ spent the first five years playing for the Giants, recording memorable moments like the one-handed catch and racking up four 1,000-plus-yard receiving seasons, and earning all three of his Pro Bowl selections during his time with the team. He was one to watch from the beginning, winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2014, but after a solid first year with the Browns, an ACL injury impacted his stat line and playing time in Cleveland. His time with the Browns was not without drama: he played for them in 2019, 2020 and six games in 2021 before joining the Los Angeles Rams in November of 2021. Beckham played eight games for the Rams, recording 27 receptions for 305 yards on the Super Bowl-winning team. OBJ was sidelined for the majority of the big game after scoring the first touchdown of the contest against the Cincinnati Bengals due to an ACL injury. He didn't get to play the entire game, but he did get his ring. He didn't end up signing with a team for the following season, sitting out all of 2022 before joining the Ravens for one season in 2023 and Miami in 2024, bringing us to his latest venture. Beckham discussed having to sit out two full seasons in his career and the decision to keep playing, even with some roadblocks. "It was a tough couple years, taking a step back and deciding whether to move forward with life. Are you done? The mental battles that [... truncated ...]
Odell Beckham has not played an NFL game since Dec. 8, 2024, with the Dolphins, as he sat out the 2025 season. He has played only 23 games over the past four seasons. So, when he rejoined the Giants this offseason on a one-year, minimum deal, the question was always: Will he make the 53-player roster? That remains to be seen, but coach John Harbaugh talked up Beckham on Wednesday. “I think Odell’s had a good camp ,” Harbaugh said, via Jordan Raanan of ESPN. “I would say his best week of camp has come this week. He’s looked good and made numerous plays. Just like you saw. Even [Wednesday, he] made numerous plays. So, he’s doing that.” Beckham caught four passes for 23 yards in the first two preseason games, and he is expected to play in Friday’s preseason finale against the Jets. He dropped a touchdown pass against the Dolphins last weekend. “I think the kid can still play,” Giants General Manager Joe Schoen said earlier in the day on WFAN Sports Radio. “He’s going to play on Friday, and we’re going to continue to evaluate those guys. But he has shown enough that he can still play.” Wide receiver Calvin Austin III has a season-ending ACL tear in his right knee, so it’s next-man-up for the Giants. That could open up a roster spot for Beckham. “It just means that the next guy steps up and fills that role,” Harbaugh said. “We have to readjust, and those roles have to be filled, those jobs have to be done. And the next person will do that.” Malik Nabers, third-round pick Malachi Fields, Darnell Mooney and Darius Slayton are locks to make the roster. Dalen Cambre can play special teams, so he would have an edge on Beckham if it comes down to that. Beckham is 33, hasn’t made a Pro Bowl since 2016 and hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2019. So this could be his last best chance to make an NFL roster
Fields could be one of multiple Giants receivers who benefits from added opportunities to begin the season after Calvin Austin (knee) sustained a torn ACL during Tuesday's practice, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, Fields is primarily an "X" receiver and projects to see most of his playing time on the perimeter as a rookie, but the loss of Austin -- who was projected to serve as the Giants' top slot man -- could nonetheless aid his chances of seeing the field. With Austin sidelined, Dan Duggan of The Athletic posts that the Giants will lean on a committee of players in the slot, which could include Malik Nabers (knee). While it's also not out of the question for Fields to see some occasional work as a power slot, the rookie third-round pick would still be a beneficiary of more snaps on the outside if Nabers ends up playing inside more frequently. Fields has drawn generally positive reviews during his first training camp, seeing plenty of reps with the first-team offense while filling in for Nabers, who had been a non-participant or limited participant for much of the summer before being cleared to take contact earlier this week
Jaxson Dart's first preseason game of the 2026 season included an impressive scoring drive that was capped off with a touchdown pass to Malachi Fields . The drive also included a big hit that led to yet another visit to the blue tent, a sight Giants fans hope to see far less of this season after seeing it far too often in 2025. Dart is also less than enthused with the regularity of his visits to the blue tent. He said as much following the Giants' 13-10 loss to the Vikings . "I really respect the rules and the thought behind the NFL in keeping players healthy," Dart said . "At the same time, I'm still puzzled by just feeling like, every time I get hit, I find my way in there. Which, at times, I'm trying to wrap my head around." Dart went to the blue tent after he was blindsided by Vikings safety Jay Ward , who hit Dart after he got past Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr . Tracy said afterward that there was a "miscommunication" on the play. "On that play I heard an alert to the other side, so I had my eyes to the left instead of the right," Tracy said of the play. "There isn't really anything I can do at that point besides apologize and tell him it isn't going to happen again, which it won't. I don't have many of those on my film pass-blocking wise. It ain't going to happen again." BIG FOOTBALL HITS ARE SO BACK. Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/11JOVdunxm After being evaluated in the blue tent, Dart returned to the game and finished the drive by hitting Fields for a 15-yard score. On the play, Dart exuded his impressive athleticism and downfield vision. He eluded several tacklers before rolling out and finding Fields in the end zone. "Thought it was a good drive by the offense in just being resilient," Dart said. "Us being able to have a big play in the red zone on a scramble drill. Malachi, just showing what he's been consistently showing all through camp. Continued to play along with the play and being able to make a contested catch. Was really proud of the protection up front and the resiliency of the whole drive." What a throw on the run from Dart for the touchdown 🎯 Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/aRzenZx2L5 The drive in many ways symbolized Dart's rookie season. While he showed his promise throughout his rookie campaign, Dart also sustained way too many hits that were, at times, due to his decision to put himself in harm's way. It became a major talking point; late in the season, Hall of Famer Troy Aikman publicly told Dart to do a better job in terms of taking care of himself. Despite some of the backlash, Dart made it clear that he has no plans to change his playstyle. "I'm going to get hit if I'm in the pocket or outside the pocket," he said at the time . "I've played this way my whole entire life. It shouldn't be any shocker to anybody if you've followed along with my career. We're not playing soccer out here. You're going to get hit, things happen. It's just part of the game." Regarding Saturday's hit, there wasn't much Dart could do as it was the result of a missed blocking assignment. Dart also couldn't control the NFL's decision to send him to the blue tent, a move that surprised Giants coach John Harbaugh, though Harbaugh didn't question it. "Their job is to err on the side of player safety," Harbaugh said , "so I can't argue with that, either."
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart put the team’s fans on a rollercoaster ride in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Vikings. Dart took a big shot on a sack on the final play of the first quarter and he was taken to the medical tent for a concussion evaluation. It was an unwelcome reminder of five similar trips during his rookie season, but Dart was out of the tent quickly and returned to throw a touchdown pass to rookie wideout Malachi Fields on his final snap of the game. After the game, Giants head coach John Harbaugh said Dart told him that he got the wind knocked out of him and shared the first thoughts he had in response to seeing Dart leave the field. “My feeling in that moment was we need to block better ,” Harbaugh said, via SNY. Former Giants head coach Brian Daboll was fined by the league last year for interfering with one of Dart’s concussion checks and Harbaugh was asked if he was surprised that Dart was brought into the tent. “Honestly, I was. I would say that their job is to err on the side of player safety, so I can’t argue with that either ,” Harbaugh said. All ended well for Dart on Saturday and the Giants will be hoping he makes that trip much less frequently than he did last year
Vikings linebacker/safety Jamal Adams’ season is likely finished before it begins. Coach Kevin O’Connell updated Adams’ injury after the Vikings’ 13-10 preseason win over the Giants on Saturday. Adams has a right knee injury and will get an MRI to confirm it is as serious as the initial exam showed. “Initial exam does not look good,” O’Connell said, via video from the team. “Don’t want to confirm anything until we see the imaging on that.” Adams played 11 snaps, going down on a non-contact play in pass coverage that saw Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart hit wide receiver Malachi Fields for a touchdown. Adams, 30, signed with the Vikings on July 28, joining his fifth team in four years. He played all 17 games last season for the Raiders after appearing in only 14 games over the three previous seasons. The Vikings list Adams as the backup at safety to Jay Ward, but it appears Adams will not play for the team this season. “I told the team after the game, ‘This guy’s come in and just impacted our organization,’” O’Connell said. “He’s energy every day, affecting people in a positive way. We’ve absolutely loved his play style, his competes. He was genuinely carving out a significant role for himself, and he was doing that just by totally being all-in on the process and a part of [Brian Flores] Flo’s defense. There are a lot of guys in there who are crushed for him. “We don’t know exactly what that is yet, [but] we are going to wrap our arms around him top to bottom in our organization, and we’re going to support him, because he’s earned a lot of people’s respect in a very short amount of time. That’s what he deserves, and I know that’s how our coaches and players feel.”
Fields caught all three of his targets for 34 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 13-10 preseason loss to the Vikings. The rookie wideout needed every inch of his 6-foot-4 frame on the Giants' lone TD of the afternoon. Early in the second quarter, Jaxson Dart got flushed out of the pocket and tossed up an off-balance 15-yard pass into the end zone that Fields skied to snag over 5-foot-10 linebacker Ivan Pace in coverage. Fields, a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, has a clear path to the No. 2 receiver job in New York, with veteran holdover Darius Slayton and former Steeler Calvin Austin as his main competition. Standing out as a red-zone threat to complement Malik Nabers might be Fields' best way to win it
The Giants got an unwelcome reminder of Jaxson Dart’s rookie season when the quarterback went to the sideline medical tent after the end of the first quarter, but they wound up with a happy ending to the offensive possession. Dart was taken to the tent for a concussion evaluation after being drilled by Vikings defensive back Jay Ward on a sack and Jameis Winston entered the game in his place. Winston converted a long third down with a short pass to running back Devin Singletary that turned into a 40-yard gain and that gave Dart enough time to return to the game. On his first play back, Dart scrambled long enough to find rookie wide receiver Malachi Fields in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown. The sequence played out positively for the Giants while also underscoring the need to keep Dart in the lineup this season. Dart’s shown signs that he’s willing to do his part in practice and the team will be hoping Saturday’s scare is the last they’ll have for quite a while
