Despite playing only 10 games as a rookie, New York Giants wide receiver Kadarius Toney had an amazing debut season in the NFL. Nonetheless, let’s take a gander at the Kadarius Toney fantasy football outlook for 2022 fans have been dying for.
It remains to be seen how the Giants’ new coaching staff views Kadarius Toney when the season begins. They were reported to deal the divisive wide receiver prior to the NFL Draft, and the pick of Wan’Dale Robinson in Round 2 isn’t a vote of confidence that he’ll play a huge part in Year 2.
Toney’s talent, on the other hand, is undeniable. He showed future target-magnet potential by commanding a 25 percent target rate per route ran in 2021, which was tied for seventh best in the NFL. Much hinges on how the Giants will utilize him, but again, it’s not for want of skill or talent. He has those in spades.
Here’s what fantasy football owners should expect from Kadarius Toney this season.
The Giants were a complete disaster in 2021. That’s mainly due to injuries and a restricted offensive scheme that couldn’t consistently generate touches for its best players. We don’t know if the injury bug will remain in their locker room in 2022. Still, new head coach Brian Daboll should definitely address the latter issue. Over the previous four years, Daboll has expertly created an innovative and extremely productive attack in Buffalo. Giants fans hope that will be transferable to NYC.
Daboll also possessed a wide range of weaponry, although none were directly comparable to Toney. Toney may lack Stefon Diggs’ refined technique and amazing agility. However, he possesses a rare combination of speed, tenacity, contact balance, and vision for a receiver in the NFL. His characteristics are similar to those of San Francisco 49ers great Deebo Samuel.
Last year, Toney enjoyed a two-week stint in the spotlight until injuries and uneven scarcity of opportunities terminated his season. In Week 4, he had six catches for 78 yards and one score against New Orleans. Then, against Dallas, he erupted for 10 catches, 189 yards, and another touchdown.
His season was then ended by a microscopic knee operation. Keep in mind that he also suffered a hamstring injury in training camp and ankle, quad, and oblique problems throughout the season. His health is surely a major consideration in 2022.
When healthy, though, Toney is the most dynamic and explosive weapon on the Giants’ offense. No real question about that. Daboll doesn’t have to treat Toney like Isaiah McKenzie, who is just a fun part-time luxury. Instead, he’ll need to use him as a WR1, which only happened in three games last year.
Giants WR Kadarius Toney ready to go for season opener: "I've got a lot to prove to myself"https://t.co/zN7kd4y1Lc pic.twitter.com/FnX8gqdCeP
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) September 2, 2022
Toney concluded 2021 with 39 receptions on 57 targets, 420 yards, and three TDs. Notably, he averaged 4.9 air yards per route ran, which is close to Chris Godwin of Tampa Bay and Amon-Ra St. Brown of Detroit. These slot stars serve as models for how Daboll may utilize Toney this year.
Toney is the Giants’ most versatile receiver due to his ability to create with the ball in his hands and line up in any formation. Toney, on the other hand, might also easily lose targets to a lot of specialist role players. To avoid this, Toney must be consistently dependable and available.
It’s difficult to predict how many passes any of the Giants’ receivers will catch. Last year, Buffalo was sixth in passing attempts, but they also had Josh Allen at quarterback. With Daniel Jones at the lead in NYC, Daboll will likely not be able to recreate that kind of passing potency.
Truthfully, Kadarius Toney is a high-risk, high-reward fantasy player. His ability is apparent. However, with a new front office and coaching staff, there is also much room for uncertainty.
The wide range of outcomes, which may include a move during the regular season if Toney does not gain the new head coach’s trust, does make him a risky proposition.
Still, Toney carries enticing potential with an ADP of roughly 120th overall as the WR47. We never saw Toney at his peak last year. His 189-yard receiving day on 10 catches against Dallas in Week 5, however, showed us a peek of his brilliance. He could be pretty fascinating if Brian Daboll can harness that skill and carve out a spot in an otherwise crowded offense.
Take note that his ADP strikes a good mix between risk and profit. The beauty of his ADP is that you could choose Toney as a high-upside WR4 in the 10th round in 12-team teams. At that point, owners are searching for upside, especially if you’ve been playing it cautiously in the early rounds.
The advantage is that if Toney is just not receiving opportunities early in the season, you can easily move on. The investment isn’t so big that you won’t want to move on, and you’ll have the opportunity to pick up hot hands off the waiver wire. Again, Toney’s ability to work out of the backfield reminds experts of peak Deebo Samuel. If he even comes close to it, you’ve got a fantastic deal at his current ADP.