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New York Giants wide receiver Kadarius Toney has been quiet to start the 2022 season, catching just two of three targets for zero yards while adding 23 yards on two rushes.
After being drafted in the first round last year by former general manager Dave Gettleman, the second-year wideout showed that he can be an explosive player as a rookie, catching 16 of 22 targets for 267 yards across Weeks 4 and 5.
Toney has been an afterthought in the 2022 version of the Giants offense under first-year head coach Brian Daboll and new general manager Joe Schoen so far through two weeks. Is his lack of production due to his injuries? Should fantasy managers consider dropping Toney moving forward? Let's dive in and take a closer look.
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Kadarius Toney Injury Updates for Fantasy Football
Toney has struggled with assorted injuries throughout his career, appearing in just 10 games in his rookie year and popping up on the injury report during this past preseason with a hamstring strain.
Toney is still reportedly getting over his hamstring injury as he missed practice on Wednesday.
Kadarius Toney isn’t practicing today, Brian Daboll says. He has a hamstring “soreness.” Sterling Shepard won’t practice, either, but that’s rep management.
Kayvon Thibodeaux will do some team drills. He’s close, Daboll says #Giants
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) September 21, 2022
Hamstring soreness is better than a strain but this still isn't a good sign for a player who has struggled to stay healthy going back to his college days at Florida State.
Will Toney Bounce Back?
In addition to Toney's lengthy injury history, the new leadership in New York could also be playing into his slow start. Daboll appears to be trying to change the culture in New York and he seems to be sending messages to players who are not living up to his expectations.
The Giants used a first-round pick on Toney in 2021. Draft capital like that will usually insulate a player for a few years but Toney was drafted by the old regime so his first-round status doesn't matter as much as if Gettleman were still in town. It appears that Daboll and Shoen are going to play "their" guys. Thus far, Richie James and Sterling Shepard have been the leading receivers in New York.
Big-money wide receiver Kenny Golladay can attest to this as he played on just 2.7% of his team's offensive snaps in a Week 2 win over the Panthers, despite his $21.25 million cap hit in 2022. Golladay does not seem to be enjoying the Daboll era.
Kenny Golladay was not in locker room and his locker was empty after the 15 minute cooling off period for postgame media #Giants
— Ryan Dunleavy (@rydunleavy) September 18, 2022
Both Toney and Golladay are holdovers from the previous regime, so Daboll and Schoen have no loyalty to either player regardless of draft capital or contract.
Should I Continue To Roster Toney?
For what it is worth, Toney is saying all the right things in front of the media despite his limited role thus far.
“Disappointed in winning? You sound crazy” -Kadarius Toney 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/LE9Ffj9N0V
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) September 14, 2022
The Giants appear ready to move on from Golladay but can't thanks to his large cap hit. As an outsider without access to the Giants' locker room, it appears that the lack of Toney's production on the field is more about his lack of practice time due to the hamstring and less about being in Daboll's doghouse.
It is possible that Toney could reclaim a full-time role later in the season but the problem is that every week in fantasy football is too valuable to waste. Fantasy gamers in 10 and 12-team leagues can ill-afford using a valuable roster spot on him in hopes that he pops sometime down the road.
That doesn't mean fantasy gamers should rush out and drop Toney for just anyone, but he should be considered as a cut candidate after Week 3 if he has another slow game and there's a must-add free-agent out there on waivers. For now, it's okay to hold onto Toney for one more week and see how it goes against the Cowboys in Week 3.
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