Second-year quarterback Daniel Jones will be looking to get his New York Giants off to a good start against the Pittsburgh Steelers Monday evening.
Jones is coming off a tremendous rookie season and was looking to rely on veteran wide receivers to help him improve. Unfortunately, that won’t be the case Week 1.
Giants Week 1 injury report: Golden Tate out with hamstring injury
This certainly is not great news for first-year head coach Joe Judge and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.
Tate, 32, recorded 49 receptions for 676 yards and six touchowns for the Giants a season ago. The veteran is being relied on to provide Jones with a consistent target in the slot.
Fantasy football impact of Golden Tate’s injury
With Tate set to be inactive Week 1, Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard should see an uptick in targets.
Specifically, Slayton might now be a solid play if you somehow decided to stack Giants receivers. He recorded 48 receptions for 740 yards and eight touchdowns for the Giants a season ago.
Obviously, stud running back Saquan Barkley takes on more importance here. The dual-threat back has recorded 143 receptions in two seasons. A young quarterback in Jones also tends to rely on running backs as outlets out of the backfield. That’s no small thing.
New York is taking on one of the top defenses in the NFL Monday night. The loss of Tate is going to impact the team’s ability to do a whole lot on offense. That’s the biggest takeaway from this news.