Malik Nabers' Week 1 status truly came down to the wire. The New York Giants' star wide receiver "let God tell [him]" whether he was ready to play, which admittedly wasn't until after warmups.
Divine intervention happens in its own time, as Nabers — and millions of people eagerly awaiting an update on his availability — experienced firsthand. The suspense was ultimately worth the wait, however, and it made his official active tag that much better.
350 days later, Nabers returned from the torn ACL and meniscus that cut his 2025 campaign well short. He also immediately reprised the role of the Giants' unquestioned No. 1 passing option, and looked quite good to the naked eye. Barring any setbacks, it's only up from here, too, which is a petrifying thought for the rest of the NFL.
Malik Nabers' return is only the beginning for a potentially lethal Giants offense
Nabers caught six of nine targets for 69 scoreless yards in New York's 28-20 primetime statement win over the Dallas Cowboys. He moved well, made defenders miss, was decently productive despite being limited to roughly half (54.4 percent) of the snaps, and most importantly, came out unscathed. Honestly, though, the raw box score numbers don't do his impact justice; everything falls into place with him.
The Giants' offense was firing on all cylinders against Dallas, and Nabers' gravity opened up opportunities for others. So much of the attention was (understandably) on him, considering his well-deserved reputation as a bona fide alpha receiver. Dynamic tight end Isaiah Likely surely took advantage of softer matchups, and bruising running back Cam Skattebo punished the Cowboys for using light boxes.
Likely picked the Cowboys apart over the middle and on out-breaking routes, recording an 8-78-2 receiving line. Skattebo led an imposing Big Blue rushing attack that imposed its will, combining for 165 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries.
New York's 3.03 expected points added (EPA) per drive tops the league following the first slate of the 2026 season. For context, the Chicago Bears, who scored 59 fricking points, are second at 2.05, and the Jacksonville Jaguars' 1.99 mark ranks third. That's with Nabers' workload managed, so imagine what the unit can do when he's at full strength.
While Nabers wasn't fully unleashed, he remained highly efficient and effective. His 3.00 yards per route run finished 17th among 107 WRs who ran at least 10 routes in the kickoff-week games. The explosiveness wasn't there yet, but it's coming.
It's only a matter of time before Nabers is back to being a full-time weapon. Combine his presumed upward trajectory with what the G-Men showed they can do on the ground and Likely's ascent, and something exciting might be brewing. Oh, and we've somehow gotten this far without mentioning electrifying second-year pro Jaxson Dart, who certainly appears to have the makings of a franchise quarterback.
Note: Advanced metrics courtesy of Fantasy Points' data suite 2.0 ($).
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