Malik Nabers

New York Giants·#1UNDERPAID

Pos WRHt 6'0"Wt 195 lbExp 1 yrCollege LSU

WR rankings →

Model Score

77.1 MODEL

2024

79.0

2025

77.1

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

Season Stats · 4 games

18106th

Rec

271101st

Rec Yds

264th

Rec TD

35107th

Targets

67.813th

Yds/Gm

14.315th

Fantasy PPG

Advanced Metrics EPA & Next Gen Stats

1.15241st

EPA / target

2.3 yd95th

Avg separation

5.8 yd

Avg cushion

0.265th

YAC over exp

46.5%

Catch %

STM Take

The 2025 #38 (tier 5) finish on a 4-game sample is misleading because the Wk 2 37.7 PPR plus 2024's tier 2 #16 finish show the player is genuinely elite when healthy. The torn ACL ended his season but the underlying skill set has not changed. The 2026 question is purely physical recovery, not whether he is a top-15 WR when on the field.

Nabers came out of LSU as the New York Giants' #6 overall pick in 2024 after a junior season that produced 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns. He set the Giants franchise rookie record for receptions (109) and yards (1,204) in 2024 and finished tier 2 #16 in his first NFL season, despite Daniel Jones and Drew Lock as his primary QBs. The 2025 season ended on a torn ACL in Week 4 after a Wk 2 37.7 PPR explosion showed his alpha-target ceiling was fully intact.

Strengths

Set Giants franchise rookie records for receptions (109) and receiving yards (1,204) in 2024 despite Daniel Jones and Drew Lock as his QBs. The 2024 tier 2 #16 finish is real elite-tier production.
Wk 2 2025's 37.7 PPR plus 2024's Wks 15-18 stretch (24.2, 13.8, 36.1, 17.4 PPR) show explosion-week ceiling few WRs ever reach.

Concerns

Torn ACL in Wk 4 2025 is the defining 2026 variable. ACL recoveries for WRs typically take a full season before peak speed and cuts return.
Giants offensive line and 2026 QB depth chart remain bottom-tier, which means even a healthy Nabers faces a hard ceiling on QB-driven volume.

What to watch: Whether the rebuilt knee allows him to return to full speed by Week 1 2026, because his entire game depends on the after-the-catch burst the ACL disrupts.