The New York Giants running back room has gone from one of the most exciting to one of the most ambiguous in two short years. The Giants took an unusually public approach to letting Saquon Barkley walk in free agency, a move for which they have rightfully become a laughing stock. And then, not even one year into the Tyrone Tracy hype train, they drafted a new running back in Cam Skattebo, who is already being drafted ahead of Tracy.
Thus comes the oldest question in fantasy football: what to do with ambiguous backfields? That is exactly why I wanted to discuss Tyrone Tracy.
Tyrone Tracy 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook
A Look Behind
Tyrone Tracy had a slow start to the 2024 season. During each of his first four games, he was on the field 31% of the time or less. Over those four games, Devin Singletary was the lead back, demonstrating that Tracy had yet to take over the starting role from the veteran. The upside is that once Singletary came back from injury, he never took the job back over.
Tracy finished the season with 839 yards and five touchdowns on 192 carries and 284 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown on 38 receptions. That managed to net him RB25 on the season and RB15 from Weeks 5 through 17. He did so despite only three games with 80% or more of the snaps during that span. And he did so on one of the worst teams in the league. Speaking of that team…
Hope for the Giants?
Only one team scored fewer points than the New York Giants last year. That team was the Cleveland Browns. Being next to the 2024 Browns offense on any list is a sad state of affairs. And yet, it gets worse. According to PFF, the Giants had the 30th-best offense, just behind the Cleveland Browns.
Fortunately for Tyrone Tracy, that was largely driven by the pass game. While the 2024 Giants rushing attack wasn’t exactly elite, they did rank 23rd in the league per PFF. Considering the offensive line struggles and the lack of running back depth, that is pretty solid.
And if it wasn’t for drafting Cam Skattebo, the Giants’ offseason would paint a beautiful picture for Tracy. They invested in solidifying the defense. They drafted one of the consensus top-end offensive line prospects. Plus, they brought in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, who we know will solve any offensive situation. Okay, okay, excuse the sarcasm. Jokes aside, Wilson and Winston are an improvement over the Giants’ former quarterback situation.
All that to say, 2025 should present better game scripts for the Giants’ running game. Better defense will keep games close. Quarterbacks who can complete passes will take pressure off the rushing game, which should open up holes for the Giants’ running backs.
But then there’s that damn Cam Skattebo.
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Does Cam Skattebo Signal the End for Tyrone Tracy?
The short answer is no, but probably. Let’s start with the no.
Brian Daboll has long utilized a running back by committee as his offensive approach. The only time he has truly relied on one running back was when he had Saquon Barkley. And let’s be honest, neither Skattebo nor Tracy is Saquon Barkley.
Every other year, Daboll tends to run a 60/40 split between his two primary backs. He always has a guy he slightly favors. It used to be Devin Sigletary. Last year, it was Tracy. But regardless, both had their opportunities and were positioned to pop by taking advantage of their opportunities. So no, Tyrone Tracy isn’t over.
But also, he is probably no longer the number one. Before the NFL Draft, he was going as the RB25 in Underdog contests. Now, he has dropped all the way to RB35. For reference, Kaleb Johnson is the new RB25. If for no other reason than perception, the draft certainly impacted Tracy’s fantasy potential.
That said, the thing Tracy has going in his favor is that Skattebo was a fourth-round draft pick. The thing going against Tracy is that he was a fifth-round draft pick in a less talented running back class. Based on that fact alone, Skattebo is likely to receive the 60% share of snaps that Tracy got last year. But what if he doesn’t?
Zig When They Zag
While I am not exactly running to draft players from the New York Giants not named Malik Nabers, this is a clear opportunity to draft whichever player is cheaper by ADP, particularly in Best Ball formats.
On Underdog Fantasy, Skattebo is being drafted right around Bo Nix and Travis Kelce. Meanwhile, Tracy is being drafted around Caleb Williams and Mark Andrews. In that case, I would rather take either Nix or Kelce and come back with Tracy, especially if he is my RB3. In that scenario, I feel like I am getting much better value all around.
Let’s not forget that Tracy was the RB15 from Week 5 on after he took over the starting role. He demonstrated that he could be a consistent contributor, both from an NFL and a fantasy perspective. While Cam Skattebo is certainly an interesting player and solid prospect, the Giants’ running back room this year provides a classic lesson in fantasy football. When navigating uncertainty, it is wise to avoid overpaying for a player who may not be the starter for all 17 games.
The series is just getting started, but this link will take you to the rest of our 2025 Look Inside team previews.
A Look Inside the New York Giants
Editor’s Note: While this article focuses on Tyrone Tracy in fantasy football, we don’t want to leave you hanging on the rest of the team. Here is a quick look at the other fantasy-relevant Giants from Ryan Weisse.
Russell Wilson
Wilson is deep in the twilight of his career, but he is still an upgrade from what the Giants had last year. With the Steelers in 2024, Wilson started 11 games and was the QB14 in that span. With Malik Nabers at his disposal, Wilson is an interesting option in 2-QB leagues and a streaming play in 1-QB formats.
Jaxson Dart
The Giants have a TOUGH schedule to open the 2025 season. If Wilson struggles, there is no reason not to go with the rookie and see what Dart has to offer rather than turn the keys over to Jameis Winston. Dart has good size, arm strength, and mobility. He has some consistency issues, but that can be said of plenty of rookies. Again, throwing to Malik Nabers makes just about any QB interesting, but Dart is a dynasty-play only and will be a waiver and streaming option if he wins the job later.
Cam Skattebo
At 5’9″ and 220 lbs, Skattebo’s size makes him a perfect complement to Tyrone Tracy. There’s more to his game, but he does possess a power back element that Tracy lacks. Neither has huge draft capital, and the current regime drafted both players, so expecting close to a 50/50 split seems like a fair assumption, though with passing work skewing to Tracy and short-yardage to Skattebo. If the Giants are terrible, Tracy is likely the better fantasy asset in 2025.
Devin Singletary
Singletary is the forgotten man in NY, but he might actually have a bigger, more annoying role than fantasy managers are anticipating. Singletary has ties to Daboll from their days together in Buffalo and was seemingly a priority free agent for Daboll last season. He’s also better at pass blocking than both of his younger counterparts, which could lead to him siphoning valuable snaps, especially from Tracy.
Malik Nabers
Nabers certainly delivered in his rookie season, finishing as the WR6 despite subpar QB play. The best part is that we might not even have seen close to his best yet. Nabers only averaged 11 yards per catch. His primary comps, fellow LSU Tigers Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, typically average over 13 per catch. With better QB play expected in 2025, we could see Nabers push for the Top 3 among fantasy WRs.
Wan’Dale Robinson
Robinson was a PPR darling last season, racking up 140 targets and 93 receptions on his way to a WR36 finish. He also had just 699 yards and three TDs. He is never going to be a sexy pick, but you can draft him as your WR5 and might be able to Flex him regularly if his role stays the same.
Darius Slayton
The Giants gave $12 million a year to stay in town, and with that financial commitment, there has to be a role for him in this offense. His best games came when Nabers missed time, so he is more of an insurance policy than anything. You’re not worrying about him in Redraft, but he is a fun late-round add in Best Ball drafts.
Theo Johnson
Tight ends tend to start slow in their careers, unless you’re Brock Bowers. Johnson saw just 43 targets in 12 games last year, but he did outplay Daniel Bellinger for the starting role. Like Slayton, he’s a better Best Ball option this season, but a breakout wouldn’t surprise me. Johnson will definitely be a regular on my Stream of the Week lists this season!
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